WASHINGTON, Oct 12 — A UN global poverty index has risen for the first time since its creation in 2010, bringing the number of people affected to 1.2 billion, the United Nations Development Programme reported today.
In the 2026 edition of their annual report, the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative research centre counted 51.5 million more people living in “acute” poverty compared to the previous year.
UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said the increase in poverty should be a “wake-up call for the world.”
“Behind these figures are 1.2 billion people facing hardships that reinforce one another: hunger, missed schooling and a lack of clean water or electricity. This is unacceptable,” he said in a press release.
