The UN reports an increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty
The UN Development Program recorded the first increase in multidimensional poverty since 2010
Quick Look
- The UN Development Program has reported an increase in the number of people living in multidimensional poverty to 1.2 billion.
- More than half of them are children, most of whom live in rural areas.
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Why It Matters
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index has been used since 2010 to measure living standards. An increase in the number of poor was recorded for the first time in the entire observation period.
GENEVA, October 12 - RIA Novosti. The number of people living in extreme poverty rose for the first time since the indicator was introduced in 2010, reaching 1.2 billion, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said.
“The number of people living in multidimensional poverty has increased for the first time since the indicator was introduced in 2010, reaching 1.2 billion,” according to the 2026 update of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, published by UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford.
This is 51.5 million more than in the previous report.
More than half of these 1.2 billion people, 617 million, are children.
Of these, 83% live in rural areas.
At the same time, data shows that many countries continue to make progress, the UN said.
Thus, 30 of the 89 countries studied in the ranking reduced it by half in less than 15 years.
A positive trend is observed, in particular, in Egypt, Nepal, Vietnam, and China, where the highest rates of poverty reduction are observed.
It is noted that the increase in poverty is partly due to population growth.
Open Questions
- What specific factors led to the increase in poverty in 2026?
- How will the dynamics change in the coming years?
