Global poverty measure records first increase in 16 years

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced that the Global Poverty Index has risen for the first time since its launch in 2010.

In its 2026 report, the United Nations program stated that multidimensional poverty globally has witnessed an increase for the first time since its monitoring and measurement began, as the number of people suffering from it increased by 51.5 million people compared to the last recorded statistic, reaching a total of about 1.2 billion people.

"This rise in poverty should be a wake-up call for the entire world," said UNDP Administrator Alexandre De Croo, adding that "behind these figures lie 1.2 billion people facing deepening and interrelated hardships, including hunger, lack of education and lack of access to clean water or electricity."

This situation is unacceptable, he said, adding that more than half of those living in extreme poverty are children.

Part of this rise in poverty rates, about 15.4 million people, is attributed to population growth, the WFP said, noting that out of the 89 countries for which data on the trends of the Multidimensional Poverty Index are available, 33 have halved the value of the index in less than 15 years, including six in sub-Saharan Africa.

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