The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index has risen for the first time since it was launched in 2010, according to a United Nations Development Programme report released on Monday, with the number of people living in acute poverty worldwide reaching 1.2 billion. The findings were reported from Kathmandu and mark a reversal in the index’s direction since its introduction.
UNDP reports a reversal in the index
The report’s central finding is that the global measure of multidimensional poverty has increased for the first time since 2010. It also puts the number of people facing acute poverty worldwide at 1.2 billion. Together, those findings show both a change in the index and the scale of poverty reflected in the latest assessment.
The report was issued by the UNDP, the United Nations development agency. The summary of its findings does not provide a separate figure for the amount by which the index rose, nor does it identify when the increase began. The headline finding is that the rise breaks the pattern recorded since the measure was launched.
That distinction matters: the report is not simply describing the continuing presence of poverty, but a change in the direction of a global measure. The 1.2 billion figure, meanwhile, describes the number of people living in acute poverty worldwide. The report presents these findings together, drawing attention to both the trend and the number of people affected.
Scale of acute poverty remains central
The figure of 1.2 billion places the report’s global finding in human terms. It indicates that acute poverty affects a very large number of people across the world. While the available summary does not give country-by-country totals or regional comparisons, it establishes the overall scale identified by the UNDP.
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index is the measure at the centre of the report. Its rise is a notable development because the UNDP says this is the first increase since the index was launched in 2010. The report’s findings therefore bring two key facts into focus: a reversal in the index’s trend and a worldwide acute-poverty total of 1.2 billion people.
No further detail on the report’s causes, country-level changes or recommended responses is included in the findings provided. The announcement does not, on its own, establish what has driven the increase or how it is distributed among different populations. Those questions require additional information beyond the headline results.
A significant change since 2010
The index’s history gives the latest result its significance. Since the measure began in 2010, this is the first time it has risen, according to the UNDP report. The new finding signals that the trajectory captured by the global measure has changed, even as the headline figure shows the substantial number of people living in acute poverty.
The report’s release on Monday makes the increase and the 1.2 billion total the principal points for readers following global poverty. Further detail from the full report would be needed to explain the drivers of the change, identify where the burden is greatest and assess what actions could address it. For now, the UNDP’s central message is clear: the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index has risen for the first time since 2010, and acute poverty affects 1.2 billion people worldwide.
