NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 12 – One in four Kenyans continues to experience multidimensional poverty, with millions more at risk of falling into deprivation, highlighting the challenges facing the country despite performing better than the Sub-Saharan African average, according to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). Breaking It Down Kenya’s multidimensional poverty rate stands at 25.4 per cent, equivalent to approximately 13.75 milli
10/12/26 • 35
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 12 – One in four Kenyans continues to experience multidimensional poverty, with millions more at risk of falling into deprivation, highlighting the challenges facing the country despite performing better than the Sub-Saharan African average, according to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
📻 Breaking It Down
Kenya’s multidimensional poverty rate stands at 25.4 per cent, equivalent to approximately 13.75 million people based on household survey data collected in 2022.
The latest available country profile by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) also identifies a further 26.4 per cent of Kenya’s population — approximately 14.33 million people in 2022 — as vulnerable to multidimensional poverty.
These individuals experience significant deprivation but fall below the threshold used to classify people as multidimensionally poor.
📌 What You Need to Know
A further 7.5 per cent of Kenyans were classified as living in severe multidimensional poverty, meaning they experienced deprivation in at least half of the weighted indicators used to calculate the index.
The figures present a mixed picture: Kenya performs substantially better than the Sub-Saharan African average, but millions remain deprived, while the proportion of Kenyans experiencing multidimensional poverty remains above the global benchmark.
The findings underline the need to sustain progress in healthcare, education, sanitation, housing and access to essential household services, while addressing vulnerabilities that could push more people into poverty.
The 2026 MPI report estimates that 1.2 billion people across 108 countries live in acute multidimensional poverty, representing 18.9 per cent of the population covered by the index.
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 616 million people living in multidimensional poverty, with the report estimating that 51.4 per cent of the region’s population experiences such deprivation.
The regional figures underscore the scale of the challenge facing African countries, even as Kenya’s 25.4 per cent estimate places it below the regional benchmark.
📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya
