NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – In a report released this week, the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index reveals that worldwide, multidimensional poverty has increased for the first time since the measure was introduced in 2010. The index now estimates that 1.2 billion individuals across 108 countries are living in conditions of multidimensional deprivation. Covering a total population of 6.3 billion, the report finds that 18.9% are experiencing severe multidimensional poverty. This figure represents an increase of 51.5 million people compared to the previous data, on a like-for-like basis. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described the rise as a “wake-up call for the world.” Unlike income-based measures, the index tracks the combined deprivations in health, education, and living standards.
The latest findings are a joint effort by the United Nations Development Programme and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Their index incorporates 10 key indicators, such as nutrition, schooling, sanitation, access to drinking water, electricity, housing, and household assets. It also evaluates child mortality rates, school attendance, and cooking fuel. An individual is classified as multidimensionally poor when deprivations in at least one-third of the weighted indicators are present. This broader framework provides policymakers with a more comprehensive picture of hardship than income thresholds alone can offer.
Children constitute over half of the population living in multidimensional poverty. An estimated 617 million children fall into this category, representing 51.5% of the global total. Nearly one in three children covered by the index lives in conditions of multidimensional poverty. Rural areas bear an even larger share of the burden, with approximately 83% of all multidimensionally poor individuals residing in rural communities, where gaps in basic services remain pronounced across many countries included in the dataset.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of affected individuals
The region of Sub-Saharan Africa reports the highest total of multidimensionally poor people, with 616 million individuals, accounting for 51.4% of its population included in the index. The 2026 update incorporates new survey data from 13 countries, along with subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 nations. In 95 countries lacking recent survey data, updated population estimates contributed an additional 15.8 million people to the count of those living in multidimensional poverty this year.
Country-specific outcomes reflect both setbacks and progress. Nations such as Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan experienced significant decreases in both their poverty rates and the number of affected people. Angola and Zambia managed to lower their share of poverty, but due to population growth, the total number of poor individuals increased. Conversely, Nigeria’s trend has reversed after previous improvements during the 2010s, with both its poverty rate and the number of people in multidimensional poverty rising in the latest data.
Thirty-three nations reduce their multidimensional poverty by half
Historical data demonstrate that substantial reductions are achievable across different regions and income levels. Among 89 countries with trend data, 33 managed to cut their MPI value by half within fewer than 15 years. Six of these countries are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini notably decreased its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China achieved the fastest halving among countries with available data, and Viet Nam succeeded in reducing its MPI value by half in just seven years.
The 2026 report also emphasizes the difference between multidimensional poverty and income-based extreme poverty. While the MPI captures simultaneous deficiencies across essential aspects of daily living, income poverty is defined by a monetary threshold. As a result, the new findings do not indicate that 1.2 billion people live below the global extreme poverty income line. Instead, they highlight that over one billion individuals face multiple disadvantages across basic needs, with children and rural populations representing the largest proportions.