The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently released a concerning report revealing that over one billion people worldwide are living in severe poverty, with more than half of them being children. Volunteer efforts in New Delhi, India, aimed at providing free meals to hungry children highlight the urgent need for action.
According to a report by AFP, last year marked the highest number of global conflicts since World War II, as illustrated in a study conducted in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), which emphasizes that the poverty rate in conflict-affected countries is three times higher than that in non-conflict nations.
The report indicates that approximately 584 million individuals under the age of 18 are experiencing extreme poverty, which accounts for 27.9% of the global child population. In comparison, the poverty rate among adults stands at 13.5%. Furthermore, it reveals that 83.2% of the poorest population resides in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Since 2010, the UNDP and OPHI have been compiling data from 112 countries, encompassing a total population of 6.3 billion people, to publish the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) annually.
This year’s report employs various indicators such as inadequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, nutrition, and school enrollment rates to measure poverty levels.
UNDP Chief Statistician Yongchun Zhang stated, “The 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Index paints a sobering picture: 1.1 billion people are facing multidimensional poverty, with 455 million living under the shadow of conflict.” She further noted, “For the impoverished populations in conflict-affected countries, the struggle to meet basic needs is an even tougher and more desperate battle.”
