UNDP: 1.2 billion people live in multidimensional poverty

The indicator has increased by 51.5 million people compared to the previous update of the index. This is the first increase in the value since the launch of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in 2010. The 2026 report covers 108 developing countries, where 78% of the world's population is concentrated.

More than half of the people in multidimensional poverty - 617 million people - are children, and 83% of the poor population live in rural areas. A person is considered to be living in such conditions if they are deprived of access to at least one-third of the ten indicators in the fields of education, healthcare, and standard of living.

Part of the overall increase is related to demographics: in 95 countries without new surveys, the recalculation of the population added 15.8 million people to the indicator. Among the 13 states with updated data in 2026, five countries, including Tajikistan, Egypt, and Nepal, were able to reduce both the level of poverty and the absolute number of poor people. In Angola and Zambia, the proportion of poor people decreased, but the overall population growth led to an increase in their number, and in Nigeria, after the successes of the 2010s, the situation worsened again.