Multidimensional poverty rises for the first time since 2010, affecting 1.2 billion people

2026-10-12

The global Multidimensional Poverty Index has risen for the first time since it was created in 2010, and now counts 1.2 billion people affected.
The report counts 51.5 million more people living in poverty than the previous year, but notes that population growth contributed to the increase and that new data covered only 13 of the 108 countries studied.
Minors account for 51.5% of those affected, and 83.3% of people living in poverty are in rural areas.
Over 15 years, 33 countries halved the share of their population living in poverty according to the index, with particularly rapid progress in China and Vietnam.