Multidimensional Poverty Index 2014: Brief Methodological Note and Results

The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2014 uses the same parameters (dimensions, indicators, cutoffs and weights) and the same functional form (Alkire and Foster Adjusted Headcount Ratio M0) as in previous years. The main innovations this year consist in: updating the estimations for a larger series of countries than any previous year, providing further analysis over time, as well as a new measure of destitution, and new measures of inequality among the poor and across subnational regions. This brief methodological note presents the MPI 2014 measures, and the tables with the full results. It first explains the main updates in the MPI 2014, following the guidelines for updates presented in the 2013 Methodological Note (Alkire, Conconi and Roche 2013). It summarizes the MPI methodology that has been presented in detail in other documents (Alkire and Santos 2010; Alkire, Roche, Santos and Seth 2011). Then it explains the new measure of destitution, which uses the same dimensions, indicators and weights, but more extreme deprivation cutoffs. Finally, a brief description of the index on inequality among the poor is presented. The methodologies used to generate the tables on the MPI and the 108 country briefings and interactive maps available on OPHI’s website, as well as the results to be published in the 2014 Human Development Report, are presented in this note. The tables are presented as appendices and are available for download as Excel files.

Citation: Alkire, S., Conconi, A. and Seth, S. (2014). 'Multidimensional Poverty Index 2014: Brief methodological note and results', OPHI MPI Methodological Note 19 (OPHI Briefing 19), Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford.

This paper is also published as OPHI MPI Methodological Note No. 19.