October 12, 2026
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index recorded its first increase since its launch in 2010; Bringing the number of people suffering from poverty to about 1.2 billion, according to a report issued by the United Nations Development Programme.
According to Agence France-Presse, the annual report for 2026, prepared in cooperation with the Oxford Initiative on Poverty and Human Development, showed an increase in the number of poor people by 51.5 million people compared to the previous year, in an increase that is the first of its kind in 16 years.
In this context, the Director of the United Nations Development Programme, Alexander De Croo, warned of these results, considering them “an alarm bell for the entire world,” noting that 1.2 billion people face intersecting challenges, including hunger, school dropouts, and the absence of drinking water and electricity.
The report explained that minors represent 51.5% of the total number of people affected by poverty, while population growth is one of the main factors behind this rise. The report’s authors also pointed out that the new data was available for only 13 countries out of the 108 countries included in the study.
Despite the recorded increase, the report indicated that remarkable progress has been achieved over the past 15 years, as 33 countries succeeded in reducing the proportion of the population suffering from multidimensional poverty by half, including 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while the fastest rates of progress were recorded in the continent of Asia, especially in China and Vietnam.
Poverty remains mainly concentrated in rural areas, where about 83.3% of the world’s poor live, while Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia contain the majority of people suffering from multidimensional poverty.
It is noteworthy that this indicator is based on criteria that go beyond individual income, to include deprivation of adequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, food, and education. Reflecting the multiple facets of poverty and its direct effects on the living conditions of the population.
