NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – For the first time since 2010, global multidimensional poverty has increased, affecting 1.2 billion individuals across 108 countries. The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index encompasses 6.3 billion people and reveals that 18.9% live under severe multidimensional deprivation. This total is 51.5 million higher than the previous measurement on a like-for-like basis. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described this rise as a “wake-up call for the world,” emphasizing that the index assesses overlapping deprivations in health, education, and living standards rather than income alone.
The latest data was compiled by the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Their index evaluates ten indicators, including nutrition, education, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, household assets, child mortality, school attendance, and cooking fuel. An individual is classified as multidimensionally poor when their deprivations reach at least one-third of the index’s weighted indicators. This approach provides policymakers with a broader perspective on hardship than relying solely on income thresholds.
Children make up more than half of those living in multidimensional poverty, with approximately 617 million children represented—51.5% of the global total. Nearly one in three children covered by the index experiences multidimensional poverty, with rural populations bearing a disproportionate share—about 83% of all multidimensionally poor individuals reside in rural areas, where disparities in basic services persist across many countries in the dataset.
Sub-Saharan Africa bears the greatest burden
The highest number of people living in multidimensional poverty is found in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 616 million individuals affected—comprising 51.4% of the region’s population covered by the index. The 2026 update incorporates new survey data from 13 countries and subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 countries. In 95 nations lacking new survey data, updated population estimates contributed an additional 15.8 million people to the count of those experiencing multidimensional deprivation this year.
Country-specific results reveal both setbacks and progress. Nations such as Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan recorded notable declines in their poverty rates and affected populations. Angola and Zambia managed to lower their poverty shares, though population growth resulted in a higher absolute number of poor people. Conversely, Nigeria experienced an increase in both its poverty rate and the number of individuals living in multidimensional poverty after earlier improvements during the 2010s.
Thirty-three nations halve their multidimensional poverty
Historical data demonstrate that significant reductions remain achievable across various regions and income levels. Out of 89 countries with trend data, 33 managed to cut their MPI value by half in less than 15 years. Among these, six are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini notably decreased its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China achieved the fastest halving among nations with available data, while Viet Nam managed to reduce its MPI value within seven years.
The 2026 report also highlights the difference between multidimensional poverty and income-based extreme poverty. While the MPI measures simultaneous deficiencies in vital aspects of daily life, income poverty relies on a monetary threshold. Therefore, the latest findings do not indicate that 1.2 billion people are living below the global extreme-poverty income line. Instead, they reveal that over one billion individuals face overlapping disadvantages in basic needs, with children and rural populations representing the largest proportions.