The UN reports that global poverty is rising again, with a UN poverty index increasing for the first time since it was created in 2010. In the 2026 edition of an annual report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, the number of people living in “acute” poverty increases by 51.5 million year-on-year. The total is now 1.2 billion people facing severe hardship.
The outlets note that the report links acute poverty with overlapping deprivations such as hunger, missed schooling and lack of clean water or electricity. UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo describes the change as a “wake-up call for the world.” While the overall count rises, the report is described as mixed in detail across countries, with factors including population growth. One outlet also highlights that updated data covers 13 of 108 developing countries included in the report, affecting how the change should be interpreted.
