KABUL — More than 64 percent of people in Afghanistan are living in multidimensional poverty, facing overlapping challenges in health, education, and living standards, according to the 2025 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
The report, Overlapping Hardships: Poverty and Climate Hazards, warns that nearly eight in ten people globally who live in multidimensional poverty are also exposed to climate risks such as drought, flooding, or air pollution. The findings were released ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
According to the report, Afghanistan has the highest poverty rate in South Asia, with an MPI value of 0.360 — far higher than Pakistan (0.198) and Nepal (0.085), and well above the South Asian regional average of 0.091. An additional 19.9 percent of people in Afghanistan are considered vulnerable to falling into poverty.
The report notes that poverty in the country is both deep and severe, with an intensity of 55.5 percent, meaning those affected are deprived in more than half of the measured indicators.
Among the three key dimensions assessed, health, education, and living standards, the standard of living contributes the most to overall poverty (42.5 percent), followed by education (33.4 percent) and health (24.1 percent).
The UNDP emphasizes the urgent need for integrated policy action, calling for multi-sectoral responses that go beyond income support. The report highlights the importance of strengthening healthcare access, education quality, and infrastructure to address both poverty and the growing impact of climate change.
These findings come as Afghanistan faces one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Years of conflict, recurring natural disasters, and economic isolation have left millions without reliable access to food, healthcare, or livelihoods. The United Nations estimates that more than half of the population requires humanitarian assistance, with widespread malnutrition and unemployment compounding the crisis.
Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, the suspension of international aid and restrictions on women’s participation in the workforce and education have further weakened the economy. Banking challenges, a collapse in development funding, and limited job opportunities have driven more families into poverty.
Analysts warn that without coordinated global and domestic efforts to stabilize the economy and expand basic services, the poverty crisis could deepen further, especially as climate shocks continue to threaten agricultural production and rural livelihoods.
The UNDP report underscores that addressing poverty in Afghanistan will require not only humanitarian assistance but long-term economic recovery strategies to build resilience and reduce dependency on aid.
