The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned on Thursday that more than one billion people worldwide are suffering from « severe » poverty, with half of them being minors.
In their annual report, the UNDP and the « Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative » highlighted a poverty rate that is three times higher in war-torn countries. The number of armed conflicts recorded in 2023 has reached its highest level since World War II.
Since 2010, the UNDP and Oxford’s research center have been calculating the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), using data from 112 countries with a combined population of 6.3 billion.
The index includes factors such as housing, sanitation, electricity, nutrition, and educational systems.
Yanchun Zhang, Chief Statistician at the UNDP, stated that « 1.1 billion people are suffering from multidimensional poverty, including 455 million in conflict areas. In war-torn countries, poverty rates are three times higher than in peaceful nations. »
In a press statement, the UN official emphasized that in countries experiencing conflict, « the deprivation faced by their populations is three to five times more intense » because « the struggle of the poor to meet their basic needs is much more challenging. »
The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023, covering the year 2022, revealed that there are 1.1 billion poor people out of 6.1 billion inhabitants in 110 countries, according to the UN.
