NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – For the first time since its inception in 2010, global multidimensional poverty has seen an upward shift. The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index indicates that 1.2 billion individuals are living in severe poverty across 108 nations. This figure accounts for 18.9% of the 6.3 billion people included in the study. Compared to the previous update, the total has grown by 51.5 million. Unlike income-based measures, these findings evaluate hardship in areas such as health, education, and living standards.
The latest report was prepared by the United Nations Development Programme in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Researchers analyzed 10 indicators encompassing nutrition, child mortality, education, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, and household assets. The index classifies individuals as multidimensionally poor when their combined deprivations reach at least one-third of the total weighted score. This approach captures multiple hardships impacting households simultaneously.
More than half of those identified as multidimensionally poor globally are children. Approximately 617 million children are affected, representing 51.5% of all children in the study. Nearly one-third of children experience multidimensional poverty. Rural areas bear a significantly higher burden than urban regions, with around 83% of the multidimensionally poor residing in rural communities. These figures highlight ongoing gaps in essential services, education, and living conditions across many nations.
Sub-Saharan Africa hosts the largest share
The region of Sub-Saharan Africa is home to approximately 616 million people living in multidimensional poverty, making it the most affected region. This constitutes 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 countries. Updated population figures influenced the results in countries lacking recent household surveys; in 95 such nations, demographic adjustments added 15.8 million individuals to the poverty count.
National trends vary notably among countries with comparable historical data. For instance, Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan recorded decreases in both their multidimensional poverty rates and the number of affected people. Angola and Zambia reduced the percentage of residents living in multidimensional poverty; however, population growth resulted in an increase in total numbers. Conversely, Nigeria experienced rises in both its poverty rate and the number of impacted individuals despite earlier improvements. These patterns demonstrate that global figures can mask diverse national developments.
Persistent progress observed in several nations
Historical data also reflect meaningful declines in multidimensional poverty across various regions. Among 89 countries with trend data, 33 managed to cut their MPI values by half within 15 years. Six of those are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini reduced its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China achieved the fastest decrease among countries with available data, 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 affected individuals differ from global estimates based solely on income poverty. Multidimensional poverty considers multiple disadvantages, such as poor education, inadequate nutrition, unsafe sanitation, and limited access to electricity or clean water. Consequently, it provides a broader understanding of deprivation than income thresholds alone. The findings of 2026 place particular emphasis on children, rural communities, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty has shown a recent rise.