The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), developed by OPHI and UNDP, compares acute multidimensional poverty for more than 100 countries and 5.9 billion people and monitors changes over time.

While data is not yet available to measure the rise of global multidimensional poverty after the pandemic, OPHI and UNDP made simulations for 70 countries in the developing world. Simulations based on the anticipated impacts of the virus on just two components of the global MPI – nutrition and school attendance – suggests how much impact the crisis could have unless it is addressed.

Ghana has made significant progress on poverty reduction over time, with deprivations of Ghanaians from the perspectives of health, education, and living standards reducing by nine percent from 55 percent in 2011 to about 46 percent in 2017. This implies that with the current population of 31 million, 14 million Ghanaians are estimated to be multidimensionally poor.

New figures released today show that before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, progress was being made in tackling multidimensional poverty, according to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), a measure that looks beyond income to include access to safe water, education, electricity, food and six other indicators. Now that progress is at risk.

This OPHI-MPPN event highlighted government responses that use the MPI to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. It presented the case of the Statistical Office of Colombia and the Vulnerability Index developed at the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.