{
  "id": 13881329,
  "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-2010-13881329",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-12T04:19:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/12/global-poverty-index-rises-for-first-time-since-its-2010-creation"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UN Global Poverty Index has increased for the first time since its inception in 2010, according to a report released Monday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative research center. The index now indicates that 1.2 billion people are experiencing poverty, a 51.5 million increase compared to the previous year.\n\nThe majority of the world's poorest individuals continue to reside in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The report highlights that more than half of those in acute poverty are children. The UNDP Administrator, Alexander De Croo, described the rise in poverty as a \"wake-up call for the world.\"\n\nWhile population growth was identified as a significant factor in the recorded increase, the report reveals a mixed picture. Thirty-three nations have reduced the percentage of their population living in poverty by half over the past 15 years, including six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Notable progress was made in Asia, particularly by China and Vietnam.\n\nEgypt, Nepal, and Tajikistan have seen significant reductions in both poverty rates and the number of people experiencing multidimensional poverty. In Angola and Zambia, despite declines in poverty rates, population growth has outpaced these reductions, leading to an increase in the absolute number of people living in poverty.\n\nThe poverty index encompasses indicators such as inadequate housing, sanitation, electricity, cooking fuel, food, and education.",
  "summary": "The number of people living in acute poverty worldwide has risen by 51.5 million this year compared with last year.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "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": "Malay Mail",
        "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",
        "published": "2026-10-12T04:23:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "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."
}