Multidimensional Poverty in Angola

54% of Angolans live in multidimensional poverty and experience multiple deprivations, according to the Angola Multidimensional Poverty Index (A-MPI), which assesses the proportion of poor and the intensity of that poverty.

In addition to income, A-MPI assesses, for example, whether people are well fed, whether they have access to safe water or whether they attend school. The index provides the official national metrics to monitor and follow the evolution of the poverty phenomenon in the country, so that the best policies to combat it can be designed and implemented.

The report was prepared by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, University of Oxford (OPHI).

The report is based on the Multiple Health Indicators Survey (IIMS) 2015-2016 and considers that people who suffer at least a third of the deprivations analyzed are multidimensionally poor, which are divided into four dimensions: health, education, quality life and employment. The study provides a clearer picture of which communities are most vulnerable and what investments can be made to improve certain indicators.

70% of multidimensional poverty in the country is due to deprivation in terms of education and quality of life. Indicators such as nutrition, maternal health, civil registration and years of schooling also contribute to this number.

The MPI-A confirms the disparities observed in the country. In urban areas, approximately 1 in 3 people (35% of the population) is multidimensionally poor, while in rural areas this figure increases to 9 out of 10 people (88% of the population). In Luanda, 23.7% of the population is multidimensionally poor, but in Bié, Cunene, Lunda Norte, Moxico, When Cubango, Uíge, Huíla, Cuanza Sul and Huambo, multidimensional poverty affects at least 70% of the population from the province.

The deprivations generated by these figures vary from one province to another, being, for example, in Moxico, the main deprivations are more related to the quality of life (lack of water, electricity and fuel for cooking) than in Luanda, where the main deprivations are lack of civil registration, nutrition and years of schooling.

It should be noted that, across the spectrum of multidimensionally poor people, poverty is most pronounced among children under 10 years of age, which should be a priority in the design of new policies against poverty.

 

More info: INE.

 

This report is available here.