415 million exited poverty in India in 15 yrs: UNDP

India saw a remarkable reduction in poverty, with 415 million people exiting poverty in 15 years (2005/6–19/21), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s latest report says.

The latest update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), with estimates for 110 countries, was released today by the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. The report shows "poverty reduction is achievable", but the lack of comprehensive data on the COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges.

In addition to India, where 415 million people moved out of poverty during 2005/2006–2019/2021, large numbers of people also exited poverty in China (69 million during 2010–2014), Bangladesh (19 million during 2015–2019), Indonesia (8 million during 2012–2017), Pakistan (7 million during 2012/2013–2017/2018) and Nigeria (5 million during 2018–2021).

In India, Incidence also fell from 55.1% to 16.4%. "Deprivation in all indicators declined (in India). The poorest states and groups, including children and people in disadvantaged caste groups, had the fastest absolute progress," the report adds.

The analysis of trends from 2000 to 2022, focused on 81 countries with comparable data over time, reveals "25 countries successfully halved their global MPI values within 15 years". These include Cambodia, China, Congo, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Serbia, and Vietnam.

Pedro Conceição, director, the Human Development Report Office, says as the world reaches the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there was steady progress in multidimensional poverty reduction before the pandemic.

“However, the negative impacts of the pandemic in dimensions such as education are significant and can have long-lasting consequences. It is imperative that we intensify efforts to comprehend the dimensions most negatively affected, necessitating strengthened data collection and policy efforts to get poverty reduction back on track."

According to the 2023 release, 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people (just over 18%) live in acute "multidimensional poverty" across 110 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa (534 million) and South Asia (389 million) are "home to around five out of every six poor people". Nearly two-thirds of all poor people (730 million people) live in middle-income countries, making action in these countries vital for reducing global poverty.

Although low-income countries constitute only 10% of the population included in the MPI, these are where 35% of all poor people reside. Children under 18 years old account for half of MPI-poor people (566 million). The poverty rate among children is 27.7%, while among adults it is 13.4%.

Poverty predominantly affects rural areas, with 84% of all poor people living in rural areas. Rural areas are poorer than urban areas across all regions of the world. The MPI sheds light on the complexity of poverty – where different indicators contribute to people's experience of poverty differently, varying from region to subnational region, and between and within communities.