Rabat – Morocco has more than halved its multidimensional poverty rate in less than 15 years, according to a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
The 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index found that the share of Morocco’s population living in multidimensional poverty fell from 17.3% in 2011 to 7.9% in 2017-2018, the latest survey period used for the comparison.
The number of people affected also dropped, from approximately 5.68 million in 2011 to 2.82 million in 2017-2018. Morocco’s multidimensional poverty index value declined from 0.078 to 0.033 over the same period.
The report places Morocco among 33 countries that have reduced their multidimensional poverty index value by at least half in less than 15 years.
Unlike measures based only on income, the global index examines several forms of deprivation that affect people’s daily lives. It considers health, education, and living standards through 10 indicators, including nutrition, child mortality, years of schooling, school attendance, access to drinking water and sanitation, electricity, housing and household assets.
A household is considered multidimensionally poor when its members experience deprivation in at least one-third of the weighted indicators.
The report’s latest available estimate for Morocco, based on a 2017-2018 household survey, puts the multidimensional poverty rate at 6.4%. It estimates that 1.4% of the population lives in severe multidimensional poverty, while a further 10.9% is vulnerable to multidimensional poverty.
The figures show that progress has been made, but deprivation remains a concern for millions of people. The report’s estimates also reflect the survey period rather than a new nationwide measurement conducted in 2026.
The 2026 index covers 108 countries, representing 6.3 billion people. It estimates that 1.2 billion people, or 18.9% of the population covered, live in acute multidimensional poverty.
More than half of those affected worldwide are children, while 83.3% live in rural areas. The report also found that 33 countries had halved their multidimensional poverty index value in fewer than 15 years.
The index supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of reducing by at least half the proportion of people living in poverty in all its forms by 2030.
The UNDP and OPHI said the findings show that reducing multidimensional poverty remains difficult but achievable through efforts that address overlapping disadvantages rather than income alone.
