A recent UN Development Program (UNDP) report reveals that over one billion people worldwide are living in acute poverty, with children representing more than half of this population. The report, co-published with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), highlights the severe impact of poverty in conflict-ridden nations, where poverty rates are three times higher. The year 2023 marked a record number of global conflicts, the highest since World War II.
The UNDP and OPHI’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), first launched in 2010, tracks poverty using data from 112 countries, representing 6.3 billion people. It measures factors such as inadequate housing, sanitation, electricity, and education. The 2024 report indicates that 1.1 billion people are suffering from multidimensional poverty, with 455 million residing in conflict zones. Yanchun Zhang, the UNDP’s chief statistician, emphasized that those in conflict areas face a particularly harsh struggle for basic needs.
Children under 18 make up a significant portion of the poor, with 584 million children, or 27.9% globally, experiencing extreme poverty compared to 13.5% of adults. Most of the world’s poor—83.2%—are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Sabina Alkire, director of OPHI, noted that conflicts are a major obstacle to reducing poverty. She called on the global community to address both poverty reduction and peacebuilding. India, with 234 million people in extreme poverty, leads the list of affected nations, followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which together account for nearly half of the world’s poor.
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