Overview
- The 2026 Multidimensional Poverty Index update published by UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative shows 1.2 billion people in acute multidimensional poverty, an increase of 51.5 million from the previous year.
- Children make up the majority of the increase with about 617 million under 18 counted as multidimensionally poor and roughly 83 percent of the poor living in rural areas where services are weakest.
- Part of the rise stems from measurement and demographic factors: revised population estimates in 95 countries without new household surveys added about 15.8 million people to the global count.
- Country trends are mixed, with rapid long‑term reductions in places such as China, Viet Nam and Eswatini while some countries show reversals or higher absolute numbers because population growth or recent setbacks offset rate declines; examples cited include Nigeria, Kenya, Pakistan, Angola and Zambia.
- The MPI uses ten weighted indicators across health, education and living standards to capture overlapping deprivations and covers 108 developing countries representing about 78 percent of the world population, a fact that UNDP leaders say makes the rise a warning that coordinated investments are needed to meet 2030 poverty targets.