UN warns of rising numbers living in poverty

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index has increased for the first time since its inception in 2010, reaching 1.2 billion people worldwide. It's from sb.by.

As TASS notes with reference to the UN Development Program (UNDP), the figure exceeded the previous value by 51.5 million people. Approximately 83% of the poor live in rural areas, with more than half of the total (617 million) being children.

UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo described the rise in poverty as a wake-up call for the world, pointing out that progress is possible with coordinated action by states.

The UNDP Multidimensional Poverty Index assesses not only the level of income of the population, but also the availability of education, medicine and other indicators of quality of life, allowing to assess the real extent of poverty. More than 40 million people in East Africa face acute food insecurity