Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The number of people living in acute multidimensional poverty has reached 1.2 billion, an increase of 51.5 million compared with the previous update of the index.
This is the first increase in the indicator since the launch of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in 2010. The figures are presented in the 2026 report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford.
More than half of those experiencing multidimensional poverty — 617 million people — are children. Meanwhile, 83% of the poor population live in rural areas. The report’s authors note that, despite the overall increase, some countries have managed to reduce poverty substantially within relatively short periods.
UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described the rise in poverty as a worrying signal for the international community. He said that behind the statistics are people simultaneously facing hunger and lacking access to education, clean water and electricity.
“This is unacceptable. But the situation is not inevitable. We know that progress is possible. Countries that addressed these problems comprehensively rather than separately have demonstrated what can be achieved through decisive action,” he said.
How multidimensional poverty is measured
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index goes beyond income-based assessments and captures the deprivations people face in their daily lives. A person is considered multidimensionally poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of ten weighted indicators covering health, education and living standards.
The 2026 MPI update covers 108 countries across developing regions, home to 78% of the world’s population. The index measures both the prevalence and intensity of poverty.
Why the number of people in poverty has increased
Part of the increase reflects demographic changes. In 95 countries for which no new surveys were conducted this year, updated population estimates raised the estimated number of people living in poverty by 15.8 million.
The remaining changes reflect the combined effects of shifts in poverty levels, demographic changes and differences in indicator coverage across survey rounds.
The 13 countries whose MPI estimates were updated in 2026 show a mixed picture. Five recorded substantial reductions in the share of their populations living in multidimensional poverty. In Egypt, Nepal and Tajikistan, both the poverty rate and the number of people experiencing related deprivations declined.
In Angola and Zambia, the proportion of people living in poverty also fell, but population growth outpaced the rate of poverty reduction. As a result, the total number of people living in these conditions continued to rise.
Nigeria illustrates how progress can be reversed. After substantially reducing multidimensional poverty in the 2010s, the country experienced a deterioration in the 2020s, with both the share of the population in poverty and the number of people experiencing poverty-related deprivations increasing.
Countries making significant progress
Target 1.2 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals calls for at least halving the proportion of men, women and children living in poverty in all its forms by 2030. The 2026 MPI update shows that this goal remains challenging but achievable.
Among the 89 countries with data on changes in the index, 33 managed to halve their MPI value in less than 15 years. Six of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Eswatini recorded one of the most notable improvements. Over 15 years, the share of its population living in multidimensional poverty fell from 38.7% to 8%.
China recorded the fastest reduction among countries with available data, halving its MPI value in just four years. Between 2010 and 2014, the share of the population living in multidimensional poverty fell from 9.5% to 4.2%.
Vietnam also made substantial progress, halving its MPI value in seven years.
