What is the number of people living in extreme poverty in the world?

According to a report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and researchers from the University of Oxford, 1.2 billion people in 108 developing countries live in conditions of multidimensional poverty. This is 51.5 million more compared to last year's report.

The report, published on October 12, 2026, notes that 617 million of those living in poverty — more than half — are children. They are deprived of basic needs such as food, education, clean water, and electricity.

Researchers noted that part of the growth is related to population increase. At the same time, in less than the last 15 years, the multidimensional poverty index has halved in 33 countries.

The largest share of people living in poverty resides in Sub-Saharan Africa — 616 million people. Meanwhile, in Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan, both the poverty rate and the number of people suffering from it have significantly decreased.