Global Poverty Rises to 1.2 Billion People in 16 Years, UN Report Finds
The number of people living in acute multidimensional poverty worldwide has reached 1.2 billion, marking the first increase since the global index was introduced in 2010, according to a new United Nations report.
The 2026 report, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, recorded an additional 51.5 million people living in acute poverty compared with the previous update.
UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described the increase as a wake-up call, noting that millions of people continue to face overlapping hardships, including hunger, limited access to education, inadequate sanitation and a lack of clean water and electricity.
Children account for more than half of the people affected, while approximately 83 per cent of those experiencing multidimensional poverty live in rural areas.
However, the UNDP explained that population growth contributed significantly to the increase in the total number of people living in poverty. It also noted that the latest update included new survey data from only 13 of the 108 developing countries covered by the index.
Despite the global increase, the report highlighted progress in several countries. Thirty-three nations have reduced their multidimensional poverty index values by at least half in fewer than 15 years, including six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
China and Vietnam were among the countries recognised for making rapid progress in reducing poverty. Egypt, Nepal and Tajikistan also recorded significant declines in both poverty rates and the number of people affected.
In Angola and Zambia, poverty rates declined, but population growth more than offset those improvements, resulting in an increase in the number of people living in poverty.
The report measures poverty beyond income, examining multiple deprivations involving housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, nutrition and education.
It warned that despite progress in some countries, reducing poverty in all its dimensions remains a major global challenge.
