UN: 1.2 billion people now
Photo: Jonas Gratzer/SVD/TT

UN: 1.2 billion people now live in extreme poverty, half of them children

The UN's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) has risen for the first time since it was introduced in 2010. "The increase in poverty should be a wake-up call for the world," said Alexander de Croo, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), in a statement.

The number of people living in extreme poverty has increased by 51.5 million this year compared with last year. Population growth is one factor behind the increase.

In total, 1.2 billion people are now living in extreme poverty, half of them children.

The report paints a mixed picture. Since the UN Development Programme (UNDP) began measuring poverty, 33 countries have halved the proportion of their population living in poverty.

"In Egypt, Nepal and Tajikistan, the poverty rate and the number of people living in multidimensional poverty have decreased significantly," UNDP writes in a press release.

New data was available for only 13 of the 108 developing countries covered by the report.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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