{
  "id": 13872600,
  "title": "Global poverty index rises for first time since its 2010 creation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-for-first-time-since-its-2010-creation",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T04:23:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-for-first-time-since-its-2010-creation/238780"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reported that the global poverty index has increased for the first time since its inception in 2010, affecting 1.2 billion people, according to a report released today. The UNDP and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative counted 51.5 million additional people in \"acute\" poverty compared to the previous year.\n\nUNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo called the rise in poverty a \"wake-up call for the world,\" highlighting that the 1.2 billion individuals affected face overlapping hardships, including hunger, missed schooling, and a lack of access to clean water or electricity. Over half of those suffering from acute poverty are children.\n\nA significant factor in the recorded increase was population growth, with new data available for only 13 of the 108 developing countries covered. Despite the overall rise in poverty, the report reveals a mixed picture. Thirty-three nations have halved the percentage of their population living in poverty over the past 15 years, including six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Notably, China and Vietnam have made the most rapid progress among Asian countries.\n\nMost of the poorest people continue to reside in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent, the world's most densely populated region. In Egypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan, both the poverty rate and the number of people experiencing multidimensional poverty have significantly decreased. In Angola and Zambia, the poverty rate has dropped, but population growth has more than offset this decline, leading to an increase in the number of people living in poverty.\n\nThe poverty index incorporates factors such as inadequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, food, and education.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON, Oct 12 — A UN global poverty index has risen for the first time since its creation in 2010, bringing t...",
  "key_points": [
    "Global poverty index increased for first time since 2010, affecting 1.2 billion people",
    "51.5 million additional people in acute poverty compared to previous year",
    "Population growth and factors like hunger, schooling, water, electricity contribute to rise"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Global poverty index rises for first time since 2010",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-for-first-time-since-2010",
        "published": "2026-10-12T04:19:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Global poverty index rises for first time since its 2010 creation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-for-first-time-since-its-2010-creation-13873103",
        "published": "2026-10-12T04:42:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "‘Wake-up call for the world’: Global poverty rises for first time since 2010",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/wake-up-call-for-the-world-global-poverty-rises-for-first-time-since",
        "published": "2026-10-12T05:52:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Global poverty index rises for first time since its 2010 creation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-for-first-time-since-its-2010-creation-13890980",
        "published": "2026-10-12T06:25:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}