UN Report Finds Nearly 900 Million of the Poorest Exposed to Climate Hazards

Overview

• The UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative identify 1.1 billion people in multidimensional acute poverty across 109 countries, equal to 18% of the 6.3 billion assessed.
• Nearly 79% of these populations—about 887 million—are exposed to at least one hazard, including 608 million to extreme heat, 577 million to air pollution, 465 million to floods, and 207 million to drought.
• Overlapping risks are common, with roughly 651 million facing at least two hazards, 309 million encountering three or four, and 11 million experiencing all four within a single year.
• Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia bear the greatest combined burden of poverty and exposure, and about half of those in multidimensional poverty are children.
• The report warns that households reliant on vulnerable sectors such as agriculture and informal work are especially susceptible, and it cautions that warming is likely to intensify exposures without stronger mitigation and adaptation.