According to a report by Dawn, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has released its latest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), revealing that over one-third of Pakistan's population experiences overlapping deprivations across health, education, and living conditions. The publication also documents a wider global increase in multidimensional poverty for the first time in 15 years.

What happened

The UNDP data indicates that 38.3% of people in Pakistan live in multidimensional poverty, with the intensity of deprivation among this group reaching 51.7%. An additional 12.9% of the country's population is considered vulnerable to acute deprivation. The report highlights that Pakistan's rate is higher than those of neighboring India and Bangladesh, though the figures rely on household surveys from different years rather than a strictly contemporaneous comparison.

Key facts

  • Pakistan's multidimensional poverty rate stands at 38.3%, compared to 16.4% in India and 14.9% in Bangladesh.
  • The total number of people living in multidimensional poverty globally rose by 51.5 million to reach 1.2 billion.
  • Children account for 617 million of the world's multidimensionally poor, and 83% of all affected people live in rural areas.
  • South Asia's overall multidimensional poverty rate is approximately 19.3%, with an additional 18.4% of the population classified as vulnerable.
  • The main drivers of regional multidimensional poverty in South Asia are living standards (36.3%), education (33.7%), and health (29.9%).
  • South Asia represents at least one-third of global deprivations in nutrition, housing, and years of schooling, and is home to 150 million poor individuals living in households where a school-aged child is not in school.

Why it matters

Rather than relying solely on income levels, the MPI evaluates combined real-world disadvantages such as inadequate nutrition, child mortality, limited schooling, and a lack of sanitation, clean water, electricity, housing, or assets. According to Dawn, UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo stated that the global rise in poverty must act as a wake-up call, pointing out that mutually reinforcing hardships like hunger and missing school keep disadvantaged families trapped in deep deprivation.

📰 Read the Original Report

Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 13, 2026 · Photo by Emmanuel Samuel on Unsplash