Global poverty index rises for first time since 2010

The UNDP's global Multidimensional Poverty Index recorded its first increase since its 2010 launch, with the number of people in poverty reaching 1.2 billion.

• UNDP and Oxford's OPHI reported that people living in multidimensional poverty rose by 51.5 million to 1.2 billion.
• Children under 18 make up more than half of those affected, 617 million, and 83.3 percent live in rural areas.
• Alexander De Croo said the 1.2 billion people affected face a cycle of hunger, school dropout, and lack of clean water or electricity.
• The organizations attributed the increase partly to population growth, with updated data available for only 13 of 108 countries covered.