Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Profiling poverty beyond income shows where to have the biggest impact in a world in crisis

Profiling poverty beyond income shows where to have the biggest impact in a world in crisis

The new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released recently finds that reducing poverty at scale is possible and unveils new ‘poverty profiles’ that can offer a breakthrough in development efforts to tackle the interlinked aspects of poverty.
This analysis by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford looks beyond income as a measurement of poverty to understand how people experience poverty in different aspects of their daily lives — from access to education and health, to living standards such as housing, drinking water, sanitation and electricity.

The report notably identifies a series of ‘deprivation bundles’ — recurring patterns of poverty — that commonly impact those who live in multidimensional poverty across the world. The data are used to identify the different poverty profiles that are more common in certain places. This is a crucial step in designing strategies that address multiple aspects of poverty at the same time.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis are accounted for, the data shows that 1.2 billion people in 111 developing countries are living in acute multidimensional poverty. This is nearly double the number who are seen as poor when poverty is defined as living on less than $1.90 per day.

“With recession clouds on the horizon and debt gripping some 54 developing countries, we are seeing how tight government budgets are becoming even tighter — it is vital to leverage the power of cutting-edge data and analytics to understand where the biggest difference can be made with increasingly scarce resources,” argued Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator.

“For example, this multidimensional analysis shows us that decarbonization and expanding access to clean energies will advance climate action — and is also critical for nearly 600 million multidimensionally poor people who still lack access to electricity and clean cooking fuel.”

Based on the latest available data, gathered largely before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report highlights the need to tackle layers of deprivations that often go hand in hand, including:

• More than 50% of poor people (593 million) lack both electricity and clean cooking fuel.

• Almost 40% of poor people (437 million) lack access to both drinking water and sanitation.

• More than 30% of poor people (374 million) are deprived of nutrition, cooking fuel, sanitation and housing at the same time.

The report underscores the importance of understanding these patterns in the search for more effective ways to tackle poverty. “Families in Lao PDR, for example, that don’t have access to cooking fuel are often unable to send their children to school, because the children are busy collecting firewood every day.

“So, it might not be enough to build a village school unless the fuel problem is also fixed,” said Tasneem Mirza, one of the report’s authors from the Human Development Report Office at UNDP.

The report showcases success stories from across the world that used integrated poverty reduction strategies. Nepal’s investment in sanitation has improved access to drinking water, child nutrition and child mortality through a reduction in diarrhea. In India, some 415 million people left multidimensional poverty in a 15-year period — a historic change.

Before the pandemic hit, 72 countries had significantly reduced poverty. Yet the report anticipates that some of the efforts to end poverty in line with Sustainable Development Goals are likely to have been derailed as a result of recent overlapping crises.

Identifying poverty profiles relies on a solid evidence base of data on poverty in all its dimensions and the report stresses the need to resume efforts to regularly update poverty data, especially in the poorest countries and in the places where the poorest people live.

“The MPI is a vital complement to monetary measures of poverty because it illuminates deprivation bundles directly,” said Sabina Alkire, director of OPHI at the University of Oxford. “Our hope is that this year’s data on deprivation bundles will enable responses to surge ahead with extra determination and laser precision to reduce acute poverty in these turbulent times.”

The MPI also offers an in-depth analysis of poverty across regions. The majority of multidimensionally poor people (83%) live in Sub-Saharan Africa (nearly 579 million) and South Asia (385 million).

Two-thirds of poor people live in middle-income countries, and 83% in rural areas. And despite its impressive pre pandemic progress, India was still home to 229 million poor people. Nigeria had the next highest number, with 97 million poor people.

“This MPI will be vital to inform UNDP’s efforts across the globe as we work with our partners from the United Nations and beyond to reach our bold objective of helping lift 100 million people out of multidimensional poverty by the year 2025,” said Steiner.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×