The vast majority of people living in abject poverty are from Asian and African countries, many of them being stuck in conflict areas.
A UN report states that over 1 billion people worldwide suffer from acute poverty, more than half of whom are children, and nearly 40% of whom reside in unstable and conflict-ridden nations.
In addition, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford and the UN Development Programme reported that over 83% of the world’s impoverished reside in rural areas, with the same proportion also living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Since 2010, Oxford and the UN Development Programme have published the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which is based on ten indicators such as standard of living, health, and education. With a combined population of 6.3 billion, 112 countries provided data for this year’s ranking.
The index estimates that 1.1 billion people suffer from acute poverty, with nearly half of them living in five countries: 234 million in India, 93 million in Pakistan, 86 million in Ethiopia, 74 million in Nigeria, and 66 million in the Congo.
584 million individuals, or children under the age of 18, live in poverty; 317 million of them are in sub-Saharan Africa and 184 million are in South Asia, according to the report. The percentage of children living in poverty is considerably higher in Afghanistan, where it has risen to about 59%.
The world conflict peaked in 2023, the most since World War II.
With more wars in 2023 than at any other point since World War II and an all-time high of 117 million people being forced to evacuate their homes owing to conflict, disasters, and other circumstances, UNDP and Oxford noted that this year’s research focused on poverty amid conflict.
The director of the UNDP office responsible for creating the annual Human Development study, Pedro Conceicao, stated: “The report reveals the stark realities of those who simultaneously enduring conflict and poverty by overlaying conflict data with global MPI data for the first time.”
“Compared to those in poverty who live in more peaceful settings, a staggering 455 million people, both multidimensionally poor and living in contexts of conflict, face significantly harsher deprivations — three to five times more severe — when it comes to basic needs like nutrition, water and sanitation, electricity, and education,” he said in a statement.
Reducing poverty and promoting peace go hand in hand.
It makes sense, according to Sabina Alkire, head of the Oxford Initiative, that eradicating poverty is simpler in tranquil environments than it is for these 455 million people, who account for roughly 40% of the world’s impoverished population.
“But the sheer proportions of the populations in our study also fearing for their safety is staggering and points to a real need for fostering and investing in peace,” she added in an AP statement.
According to Alkire, anti-poverty initiatives can be focused by using the MPI to identify the poorest locations.
For instance, over two thirds of people live in poverty in Burkina Faso, a country under military rule that is being targeted by radicals, according to Alkire.
According to the MPI, poverty in the West African nation varies from 21% to 88% in different locations. The main causes of poverty, according to the speaker, are poor nutrition, fewer years of education, and low school attendance.
This makes it possible to target anti-poverty initiatives to areas that most need them, “which saves money and augments impact,” according to Alkire.
