NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – For the first time since its inception in 2010, global multidimensional poverty has increased, now 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 conditions of severe multidimensional deprivation. This latest figure is 51.5 million higher than the previous update, based on comparable data. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described the rise as a “wake-up call for the world.” The index emphasizes overlapping deficits in health, education, and living standards, rather than relying solely on income measures.
The most recent report was compiled by the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Their index evaluates 10 indicators, such as nutrition, education levels, sanitation, access to drinking water, electricity, housing, and household assets. It also includes child mortality rates, school attendance, and cooking fuel usage. An individual is classified as multidimensionally poor if they face deprivations in at least one-third of the weighted indicators of the index. This comprehensive framework offers policymakers a broader understanding of hardship compared to a single income threshold.
Children make up more than half of the population living in multidimensional poverty. Approximately 617 million children are included in this measure, representing 51.5% of the global total. Nearly one in three children affected by the index experience multidimensional deprivation. Rural regions shoulder an even greater burden, with around 83% of all multidimensionally poor individuals residing in rural areas, where disparities in essential services remain significant across many countries in the dataset.
Sub-Saharan Africa bears the largest share of the burden
Within the report, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of people living in multidimensional poverty, totaling 616 million. This figure accounts for 51.4% of the region’s population covered by the index. The 2026 update also incorporates new survey data from 13 countries and subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 nations. In the 95 countries without recent survey data, updated population estimates contributed an additional 15.8 million individuals to the count of those living in multidimensional poverty this year.
Analysis of country-specific results shows both setbacks and notable progress. Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan have experienced significant drops in poverty rates and affected populations. Angola and Zambia also reduced their poverty shares, but due to population growth, the total number of poor people increased. Conversely, Nigeria’s figures worsened after previous improvements during the 2010s, with both its poverty rate and the number of multidimensionally poor rising in the latest data.
Thirty-three nations have managed to halve their multidimensional poverty within less than 15 years
Historical data demonstrates that rapid reductions in multidimensional poverty are achievable across diverse regions and income groups. Out of 89 countries with trend data, 33 countries cut their MPI value by half in fewer than 15 years. Among these, six are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini, for example, decreased its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China achieved the fastest reduction among countries with available data, while Viet Nam managed to halve its MPI value within just seven years.
The 2026 report also highlights the difference between multidimensional poverty and income-based extreme poverty. The MPI captures simultaneous shortages in critical aspects of daily life, whereas income poverty is defined by a monetary threshold. Consequently, the latest figures do not imply that 1.2 billion people live below the global extreme-poverty income line. Instead, they indicate that over a billion individuals face overlapping disadvantages in fundamental needs, with children and rural populations constituting the largest segments affected.