NEW YORK / RankWire.AI / – Global multidimensional poverty has increased for the first time since the measure began in 2010. The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index counts 1.2 billion people living in acute poverty across 108 countries. That represents 18.9% of the 6.3 billion people covered by the study. The comparable total increased by 51.5 million people from the previous update. The findings measure hardship across health, education and living standards rather than income alone.
The United Nations Development Programme produced the latest assessment with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Researchers examine 10 indicators that cover nutrition, child mortality, schooling, school attendance and cooking fuel. They also assess sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing and household assets. The index classifies people as multidimensionally poor when their weighted deprivations reach at least one-third of the total. The method captures several forms of hardship that can affect the same household at once.
Children account for more than half of the people identified as multidimensionally poor worldwide. About 617 million children live under these conditions, representing 51.5% of the global total. Nearly one-third of children covered by the index experience multidimensional poverty. Rural populations also face a much larger burden than urban communities. About 83% of all multidimensionally poor people live in rural areas. The figures highlight persistent gaps in basic services, education and living conditions across many countries.
Sub-Saharan Africa records the largest share
Sub-Saharan Africa contains about 616 million people living in multidimensional poverty, more than any other region. The total equals 51.4% of the region’s population included in the index. The 2026 edition incorporates new survey information from 13 countries. It also provides subnational estimates for 1,360 regions across 100 countries. Updated population data affected results in countries without newer household surveys. In 95 such countries, demographic revisions added 15.8 million people to the poverty count.
National trends vary significantly across the countries with comparable historical data. Egypt, Nepal and Tajikistan recorded declines in both their multidimensional poverty rates and the number of people affected. Angola and Zambia reduced the share of residents living in multidimensional poverty. However, population growth meant their total numbers still increased. Nigeria recorded increases in both its poverty rate and affected population after earlier improvements. These results show that global totals can contain sharply different national patterns.
Several countries show sustained poverty reductions
Long-term figures also document substantial reductions in multidimensional poverty across several regions. Among 89 countries with trend data, 33 halved their MPI value within 15 years. Six of those countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eswatini cut its multidimensional poverty rate from 38.7% to 8.0%. China recorded the fastest halving among countries with available figures, falling from 9.5% to 4.2% between 2010 and 2014. Viet Nam also halved its MPI value within seven years.
The 1.2 billion figure differs from global estimates of extreme poverty based only on income. Multidimensional poverty measures several disadvantages that people can experience at the same time. These include inadequate schooling, poor nutrition, unsafe sanitation and limited access to electricity or clean water. The measure therefore gives a broader picture of deprivation than an income threshold alone. The 2026 results place children, rural populations and Sub-Saharan Africa at the center of the latest global poverty increase.