UN Poverty Index Rises First Time Since 2010, 1.2 Billion Affected

The United Nations Development Programme reported Monday that its global poverty index has risen for the first time since 2010, pushing the number of people living in acute poverty to 1.2 billion. This represents an increase of 51.5 million compared to the previous year, according to the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. For Nigerians, this trend is particularly relevant as Nigeria sits within sub-Saharan Africa, a region that hosts a large share of the world's poorest people. More than half of the 1.2 billion in acute poverty are children, underscoring the intergenerational impact of lacking adequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, food, and education. The rise is driven partly by population growth and the fact that new data were available for only 13 of the 108 developing countries covered by the report. Despite the overall increase, the report offers a mixed picture: 33 nations have halved the percentage of their populations living in poverty over the past 15 years, including six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as China, Vietnam, Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan. In Angola and Zambia, poverty rates have fallen, but population growth has more than offset these gains, increasing the absolute number of poor. The index itself measures deprivations in housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, food, and education. What concrete steps should Nigeria prioritize to reverse this trend and lift millions out of poverty, and how can citizens effectively hold leaders accountable for delivering measurable, time-bound results?

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-hits-1-2-billion-in-16-years-un/