Multidimensional Poverty Index 2011: Brief Methodological Note

This brief note i) introduces the methodology used to construct the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2011, ii) shares the main updates that have taken place since 2011, and iii) presents initial robustness results. The 2011 MPI uses the same dimensions, indicators, cutoffs, and weights in as in 2010, and the functional form has not changed. The construction of the MPI is explained in a non-technical fashion in Part 1 of this note. Part 2 outlines the updates to the MPI and the innovative analyses conducted this year. The updates are as follows: this year the MPI has been constructed for five additional countries. A new MPI has been released drawing on updated data for 20 countries. Innovative analyses include decomposition by sub-national region, time series comparisons, the calculation of standard errors, and the construction of MPI-related environmental indicators. The methodologies used to generate the tables on the MPI and the country briefs and maps on OPHI’s website, as well as the results published in the 2011 Human Development Report, are presented in this Note. 

Citation: Alkire, S., Roche, J.M., Santos, M.E. and Seth, S. (2011). 'Multidimensional poverty Index 2011: Brief methodological Note', OPHI MPI Methodological Notes 5 (OPHI Briefing 5), Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford.

This Briefing counts also as OPHI MPI Methodological Note 5.