UNDP Reports Global Poverty Rise, Nigeria Faces Setbacks

The 2026 update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), published by the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, reveals a rise in multidimensional poverty by 51.5 million, totaling 1.2 billion people globally. This marks the first increase since the MPI's inception in 2010.

Among those affected, 617 million are children, with 83% residing in rural areas. Nigeria is identified as a country where previous progress has been reversed, with both the poverty rate and the number of people living in multidimensional poverty increasing in the 2020s after significant reductions in the 2010s.

The increase is partly attributed to population growth, with revised estimates adding 15.8 million to the count of multidimensionally poor individuals. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described the situation as a warning necessitating renewed global action.

The MPI assesses poverty through 10 indicators related to health, education, and living standards, classifying individuals as multidimensionally poor if they experience deprivation in at least one-third of these indicators.