The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) have reported that 1.2 billion people across 108 countries are living in acute multidimensional poverty.
In their latest Global Multidimensional Poverty Index report, the two organizations said the number of people experiencing multidimensional poverty had increased for the first time since the index was launched in 2010.
According to the report, 18.9 percent of the 6.3 billion people living in the countries surveyed experience simultaneous deprivations across multiple areas of life.
The report states that more than half of those living in multidimensional poverty are children, while more than eight in 10 live in rural areas.
The Multidimensional Poverty Index assesses people’s living conditions based on deprivation in health, education, and standard of living.
It also considers factors such as malnutrition, lack of access to education, and deprivation of basic living necessities.
Another section of the report states that 33 of the 89 countries for which trend data were available had managed to halve their multidimensional poverty index levels in less than 15 years.
UNDP and OPHI emphasized that despite existing challenges, reducing multidimensional poverty remains possible.
