NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – For the first time since its inception in 2010, global multidimensional poverty has seen an uptick. The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index reports 1.2 billion individuals living in severe poverty across 108 nations, accounting for 18.9% of the 6.3 billion people encompassed in the study. This figure has risen by 51.5 million from the previous update, reflecting increased hardship measured across health, education, and living standards rather than income alone.
Produced by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, the latest assessment considers 10 indicators including nutrition, child mortality, schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, and household assets. The index classifies individuals as multidimensionally poor if their weighted deprivations reach at least one-third of the total, capturing multiple hardships impacting the same household simultaneously.
Children represent over half of those identified as multidimensionally poor worldwide, with approximately 617 million children living under these conditions, making up 51.5% of the total. Nearly one-third of children covered by the index experience multidimensional poverty, with rural populations bearing a much heavier burden than urban communities—about 83% of all multidimensionally poor individuals reside in rural areas. These figures highlight ongoing gaps in essential services, education, and living conditions across many nations.
Sub-Saharan Africa Shows Largest Share
Containing roughly 616 million people living in multidimensional poverty, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest total among regions, representing 51.4% of its population included in the index. The 2026 report incorporates new survey data from 13 countries and offers subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 nations. Demographic changes in countries lacking recent household surveys led to an increase of 15.8 million individuals in the poverty count, affecting results in 95 such countries.
National trends display notable variation across nations with comparable historical data. While Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan reported declines in both their multidimensional poverty rates and the number of people impacted, Angola and Zambia lowered their share of residents living in multidimensional poverty. Nonetheless, population growth caused their total numbers to rise. Nigeria experienced increases in both its poverty rate and the affected population following earlier improvements, illustrating how global totals can mask divergent national patterns.
Some nations maintain progress in reducing poverty
Historical data also reveal significant long-term declines in multidimensional poverty across various regions. Out of 89 countries with trend data, 33 managed to halve their MPI value within 15 years, including six in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini reduced its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%, and China achieved the fastest decline among countries with available figures, dropping from 9.5% to 4.2% between 2010 and 2014. Viet Nam also halved its MPI value within seven years.
The 1.2 billion figure differs from estimates of extreme income-based poverty, as multidimensional poverty considers multiple disadvantages such as inadequate schooling, poor nutrition, unsafe sanitation, and limited access to electricity or clean water. This broader approach offers a comprehensive view of deprivation that exceeds income thresholds alone. The 2026 findings emphasize children, rural populations, and Sub-Saharan Africa as key areas where global poverty has increased recently.