NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – In 2026, the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index shows that the number of people experiencing severe deprivation has risen for the first time since the measure’s inception in 2010. The index identifies 1.2 billion individuals living in acute poverty across 108 countries, accounting for 18.9% of the 6.3 billion people evaluated in the study. This total has increased by 51.5 million from the previous report. The index emphasizes hardship across health, education, and living standards rather than relying solely on income figures.
The recent assessment was conducted by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. The researchers analyze ten indicators, including nutrition, child mortality, education, school attendance, and cooking fuel. Additionally, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, and household assets are evaluated. When deprivations weighted at least one-third of the total, individuals are classified as multidimensionally poor. This approach captures various simultaneous hardships affecting households.
More than half of those identified as multidimensionally poor worldwide are children. Approximately 617 million children are affected, representing 51.5% of the global total. Nearly one-third of children included in the index experience multiple deprivations. Rural populations face a significantly larger burden, with about 83% of all multidimensionally poor individuals living in rural areas. These figures highlight ongoing disparities in basic services, education, and living standards across many nations.
Sub-Saharan Africa contains the highest proportion
In the region, roughly 616 million people live in multidimensional poverty, the highest number among all regions. This equates to 51.4% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa included in the index. The 2026 edition integrates new survey data from 13 countries and provides subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 nations. Changes in population data, especially in countries lacking recent household surveys, have influenced the results. In 95 such countries, demographic updates added 15.8 million people to the overall poverty count.
National variations are significant among countries with comparable historical data. Nations like Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan saw reductions in both their multidimensional poverty rates and the number of affected individuals. Angola and Zambia also decreased their share of residents living in multidimensional poverty, although overall numbers still increased due to population growth. Conversely, Nigeria experienced rises in both its poverty rate and the population affected after previous improvements. These patterns demonstrate that global totals can mask diverse national trends.
Progress in reducing multidimensional poverty persists in several countries
Long-term data further confirm notable declines in multidimensional poverty across various regions. Of 89 countries with trend information, 33 managed to halve their MPI values within a 15-year span. Six of these countries are situated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini reduced its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China achieved the fastest decrease among nations with available data, dropping from 9.5% to 4.2% between 2010 and 2014. Viet Nam also halved its MPI figure within seven years.
The 1.2 billion figure differs from global estimates based solely on income-based extreme poverty. Multidimensional poverty considers multiple disadvantages that can impact individuals simultaneously, such as inadequate schooling, poor nutrition, unsafe sanitation, and limited access to electricity or clean water. This broader measure provides a more comprehensive view of deprivation than income thresholds alone. The 2026 findings emphasize the ongoing challenges faced by children, rural populations, and Sub-Saharan Africa in the context of rising global poverty.