NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – The latest assessment of global multidimensional poverty indicates an uptick for the first time since the measure was introduced in 2010. According to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, 1.2 billion individuals live in severe deprivation across 108 countries. This number accounts for 18.9% of the 6.3 billion people included in the study. The total has grown by 51.5 million people compared to the previous update. The findings assess hardship across dimensions such as health, education, and living standards rather than relying solely on income.
Produced by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, the latest report examines ten indicators related to nutrition, child mortality, schooling, attendance, and cooking fuel. It also considers sanitation, access to drinking water, electricity, housing quality, and household assets. When an individual’s weighted deprivations total at least one-third, they are classified as multidimensionally poor. This approach captures multiple simultaneous hardships that can impact the same household.
Children represent more than half of those identified as multidimensionally poor globally. Approximately 617 million children live under these conditions, making up 51.5% of the total. Nearly one-third of all children covered by the index are experiencing multidimensional poverty. Rural populations are disproportionately affected, with around 83% of all multidimensionally poor individuals residing in rural areas. These statistics underscore ongoing gaps in basic services, education, and living conditions across many nations.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest share
The region of Sub-Saharan Africa is home to about 616 million people living in multidimensional poverty, the highest among all regions. This figure represents 51.4% of its population included in the index. The 2026 report incorporates new survey data from 13 countries and provides subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 countries. Updated population figures influenced the results in countries without recent household surveys, adding 15.8 million people to the total count in 95 such nations.
National variations among countries with comparable data are significant. Nations such as Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan have experienced declines in both their multidimensional poverty rates and the number of affected people. Angola and Zambia also decreased the proportion of residents in multidimensional poverty, but their total numbers still rose due to population growth. Conversely, Nigeria saw increases in both its poverty rate and affected population after prior improvements. These patterns demonstrate how global figures can mask contrasting national trends.
Multiple countries demonstrate ongoing reductions in poverty levels
Historical data further reveal notable long-term decreases in multidimensional poverty across various regions. Out of 89 countries with trend information, 33 managed to cut their MPI value by half within 15 years. Six of these nations are situated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini, for example, reduced its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China experienced the fastest decline among countries with available data, dropping from 9.5% to 4.2% between 2010 and 2014. Viet Nam also achieved a halving of its MPI within seven years.
The 1.2 billion figure differs from estimates of extreme income-based poverty. Multidimensional poverty takes into account various disadvantages, such as poor education, inadequate nutrition, unsafe sanitation, and limited access to electricity or clean water. Consequently, it offers a broader understanding of deprivation than income thresholds alone. These latest results emphasize that children, rural populations, and Sub-Saharan Africa continue to face the most significant challenges amidst the recent rise in global poverty.