1.1 billion people live in multidimensional poverty, almost half a billion of whom live in conflict situations

new York – A staggering 455 million of the world’s poor live in countries experiencing violent conflict, hampering or even undoing hard-won progress in reducing poverty, according to the latest update to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released today.

This year’s report was jointly published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), based at the University of Oxford, and contains original statistical research on multidimensional poverty for 112 countries and 6.3 billion people using fine-grained analysis the connection between conflict and poverty. It includes new survey data for 20 countries.

The 2024 edition of the MPI report found that 1.1 billion people worldwide live in acute poverty, with 40 percent living in countries experiencing war, fragility and/or low levels of peacefulness, as reflected in at least one of the three widespread data sets on conflict situations.

Due to lack of data, the global MPI is measured over a ten-year period (2012-2023) to create a comparable index of global levels and trends. This new report cross-references country-by-country poverty data with the country’s then-conflict/fragility status to provide new insights into the intersection between conflict and poverty. The challenges of data collection in conflict-affected countries are likely to lead to an underestimation of multidimensional poverty in these countries, with available data still underscoring the catastrophic impact of conflict on poverty reduction.

“Conflicts have intensified and multiplied in recent years, reaching new highs in casualties, displacing millions of people at record levels and causing widespread disruption to lives and livelihoods,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “Our new research shows that of the 1.1 billion people living in multidimensional poverty, almost half a billion live in countries experiencing violent conflict. We must accelerate action to support them. We need resources and access for special development and early intervention measures to break the cycle of poverty and crisis.”

Countries at war have higher levels of deprivation across all ten indicators of multidimensional poverty, underscoring the devastating impact of conflict on the world’s most vulnerable populations. For example, in conflict-affected countries, more than one in four poor people lack access to electricity, compared to just over one in 20 in more stable regions. Similar differences can be seen in areas such as child rearing (17.7 percent versus 4.4 percent), nutrition (20.8 percent versus 7.2 percent) and child mortality (8 percent versus 1.1 percent). The analysis finds that disadvantages in nutrition, access to electricity, and access to water and sanitation are significantly more severe for the poor in conflict situations than for the poor in more peaceful environments.

Poverty reduction tends to be slowest in countries most affected by conflict and where poverty is often highest. The report includes a detailed case study of Afghanistan, where an additional 5.3 million people fell into multidimensional poverty during the turbulent period 2015/16-2022/23. Data is now available to examine the post-conflict situation in Afghanistan, and the results are alarming. In 2022/23, almost two thirds of Afghans were poor (64.9 percent). Sabina Alkire, director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, says: “This study provides the first measurable global analysis of this scale to examine how poor people are affected in multidimensional ways in conflict situations.” And it is sobering. Using the global MPI, we find that of the 6.3 billion people living in 112 countries, 1.1 billion are poor. And 455 million poor people live in countries where there is conflict, fragility and/or low levels of peace. So poverty is not their only struggle. Furthermore, poverty is much higher in conflict areas. According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, more than one in three people in war-torn countries are poor (34.8 percent), while in countries not affected by the conflict it is one in nine (10.9 percent). And unfortunately, poverty reduction in conflict situations is slower, leaving the poor in conflict situations behind. These numbers demand an answer: we cannot end poverty without investing in peace.”

In addition to detailed analyzes of poverty in conflict situations, the latest MPI report offers nuanced insights into the lived experiences of poor people and trends in poverty reduction around the world:

• Over half of the 1.1 billion poor people are children under 18 (584 million). Globally, 27.9 percent of children live in poverty, compared to 13.5 percent of adults.
• Large parts of the 1.1 billion poor people do not have adequate sanitation (828 million), housing (886 million) or fuel for cooking (998 million).
• Well over half of the 1.1 billion poor people live with a malnourished person in their household (637 million). In South Asia, 272 million poor people live in households with at least one malnourished person, and in sub-Saharan Africa the number is 256 million.
• Of 86 countries with harmonized data, 76 have significantly reduced poverty according to the MPI score in at least one period.
• Of 17 countries with trend data ending in 2021/22 or later, seven include at least part of the COVID-19 pandemic, only nine (Benin, Cambodia, Comoros, the Kingdom of Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, the Philippines, the United States) . (Republic of Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago) experienced significant declines in both MPI scores and poverty incidence.

Since its launch in 2010, the global MPI has been an important analytical tool for identifying the most vulnerable people – the poorest among the poor. It reveals patterns of poverty within countries and over time, enabling policymakers to better target resources and design policies more effectively.

To learn more about the Multidimensional Poverty Index 2024, including data on children living in poverty, rural-urban patterns, breakdowns by 1,359 subnational regions, or the composition of poverty across continents, countries and subnational regions, visit: hdr.undp .org and ophi.org.uk

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For more information or to request an interview, contact:
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About OPHI: The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) is a research center
at the University of Oxford, where he works on the multidimensional measurement of poverty and well-being
to support effective policy-making around the world.