Over 1 Billion People Living in Severe Poverty – UN Report

[Ikenna Ngere]

A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has revealed that over 1.1 billion people worldwide are living in severe poverty, with children making up more than half of this staggering figure.​

This annual report, developed in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), underscores the grim reality that poverty rates are three times higher in countries affected by conflict.

The year 2023 recorded the highest number of global conflicts since World War II, exacerbating poverty levels in affected regions.

Since 2010, the UNDP and OPHI have released the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which assesses poverty through indicators like inadequate housing, poor sanitation, lack of electricity and cooking fuel, malnutrition, and low school attendance.

This comprehensive index gathers data from 112 countries, representing approximately 6.3 billion people.

The latest findings in the 2024 MPI report reveal the staggering scale of global poverty.

“The 2024 MPI paints a sobering picture: 1.1 billion people endure multidimensional poverty, of which 455 million live in the shadow of conflict,” stated UNDP’s chief statistician, Yanchun Zhang.

“For the poor in conflict-affected countries, the struggle for basic needs is a far harsher and more desperate battle,” Zhang told AFP.

Last year’s MPI report identified 1.1 billion people in extreme poverty across 110 countries. This year’s update provides a deeper look into the harsh realities facing children, revealing that approximately 584 million individuals under 18 – nearly 28 percent of the world’s children – are enduring extreme poverty. By contrast, only 13.5 percent of adults face similar conditions.

The report also highlights a regional concentration of extreme poverty, with 83.2 percent of the world’s poorest individuals residing in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

According to Sabina Alkire, director of the OPHI, ongoing conflicts are a major obstacle in reducing poverty.

“At some level, these findings are intuitive. But what shocked us was the sheer magnitude of people who are struggling to live a decent life and at the same time fearing for their safety –- 455 million.

“This points to a stark but unavoidable challenge to the international community to both zero in on poverty reduction and foster peace, so that any ensuing peace actually endures,” Alkire said.

Among the countries with the highest poverty rates, India stands out with 234 million people living in extreme poverty, followed closely by Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Together, these five nations account for nearly half of the world’s 1.1 billion individuals in severe poverty.

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