'More than 1 billion people live in acute poverty'

India among five countries with largest number of people living in poverty'

• According to the report, which provides the latest update to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), nearly 40 per cent of those living in acute poverty reside in countries experiencing war, fragility, or low levels of peacefulness

A stark new report released Thursday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) reveals that over 1.1 billion people worldwide live in acute poverty, with more than half of them being children. The report highlights the urgent need for international action to address the growing crisis, particularly in conflict-affected and fragile regions.

According to the report, which provides the latest update to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), nearly 40 per cent of those living in acute poverty reside in countries experiencing war, fragility, or low levels of peacefulness. The alarming figures reveal that 455 million of the world's poor are situated in conflict-ridden areas, where escalating violence has disrupted lives and livelihoods, reversing hard-won progress in poverty alleviation.