Washington: A UN global poverty index has risen for the first time since its creation in 2010, bringing the number of people affected to 1.2 billion, the United Nations Development Programme has reported.

In the 2026 edition of their annual report, the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative counted 51.5 million more people living in "acute" poverty compared to the previous year. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said the increase should be a "wake-up call for the world. Behind these figures are 1.2 billion people facing hardships that reinforce one another: hunger, missed schooling and a lack of clean water or electricity. This is unacceptable."

More than half of those in acute poverty were children. However, the UNDP said a major factor in the increase was population growth, and new data was only available for 13 of the 108 developing countries covered by the report.

While the total number of people in poverty has increased, the report provides a mixed picture. Some 33 nations have halved the percentage of their people living in poverty as defined by the index in the past 15 years, including six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, with China and Vietnam among those making the most rapid progress. As in the previous year, the majority of the poorest people live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The index includes indicators such as the lack of adequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, food, and education.

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