Multidimensional Poverty Assessment in IDB Sub-Saharan African Member Countries

This report provides an assessment of multidimensional poverty in IDB Member Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using the 2015 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and associated estimations and analysis. Launched in 2010 and published by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) of Oxford University and in the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Reports since that time, the MPI assesses people’s deprivations according to 10 indicators that are organized into three equally weighted dimensions: education, health, and living standards. In the 2015 results, the Global MPI has national estimates for 101 countries, and of 5.2 billion people, which is 75% of the world’s population. The countries analysed include 43 out of the 57 IDB member countries and all 22 member countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report also summarizes results on inequality among the poor, as this is highest in IDB SSA countries. Finally, it scrutinizes the situation in IDB African countries according to a new measure of destitution, which identifies a subset of poor people as destitute if they experience a number of extreme deprivations.

Citation: Alpay, S., Alkire, S., Hammock, J., Bello, A., Robles Aguilar, and Housseini, B. (2016). Multidimensional Poverty Assessment in IDB Sub-Saharan African Member Countries. Report. Economic Research and Policy Department, Islamic Development Bank, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.