New York Times article compares OPHI poverty figures with World Bank's poverty line

The New York Times has quoted the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2014 in an article on the progress against poverty. The article by Anna Bernasek references the Global MPI 2014 calculations that put the number of multidimensionally poor people in the world at 1.6 billion. This in contrast to the World Bank's $1.25 a day income-based estimation that has found 1 billion people to be in poverty worldwide.

The article states that although varying definitions of extreme poverty present measurement challenges, 'still, there is agreement that extreme poverty has been on the decline since the mid-1990s and that the decline has accelerated since 2000.'

The Global MPI was calculated for 108 countries by OPHI in June 2014. Of the 1.6 billion people identified as multidimensionally poor, most live in South Asia (52%), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (29%). The majority of MPI poor people (71%) live in Middle Income Countries. The calculations also revealed that nearly all countries that reduced MPI poverty also reduced inequality among the poor. Of 34 countries for which were studied for changes over time, 30 – covering 98% of the poor people across all 34 – significantly reduced multidimensional poverty.

Further information

Read the full article published by The New York Times: A Global Gauge Finds Progress Against Poverty.

Click on the graphs button (top right corner) to see a comparison of the poverty figures for Global MPI 2014 and $1.25 a day on OPHI's interactive databank.

Find out more about the Global MPI 2014.