Poverty and Vulnerabilities in the Global South.

Multidimensional poverty being higher than monetary poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa can be explained by several interrelated factors. While monetary poverty focuses solely on income thresholds, multidimensional poverty considers deprivations across health, education and standard of living. Factors that can explain the difference are: 

(a) access to basic services 

health. Limited access to healthcare services and poor health outcomes are prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. High rates of undernutrition and child mortality (due to high prevalence of preventable diseases such as malaria or pneumonia and low coverage of immunization among other factors) contribute to multidimensional poverty; 

education. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa face low school enrolment, high dropout rates and poor quality of education. These factors lead to significant deprivations in years of schooling and school attendance; and Î infrastructure deficits: 

ö lack of access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation facilities; and 

ö limited access to electricity and clean cooking fuels, leaving many households reliant on coal and charcoa

(b) structural barriers

 conflict and fragility. Many Sub-Saharan African countries are affected by armed conflicts, political instability and fragile institutions. These factors exacerbate multidimensional poverty by disrupting access to essential services and displacing populations. The UNDP 2024 report finds that 19 per cent of the 1.1 billion multidimensionally poor people live in war-affected countries and nearly 40 per cent live in countries experiencing war, fragility and/or a low level of peacefulness. The World Bank 2024 report notes that conflict exacerbates socioeconomic disparities and undermines progress on poverty reduction by destroying infrastructure and limiting access to essential services; and Î climate vulnerabilities. Droughts, floods and other climate-related shocks disproportionately affect rural livelihoods, especially those dependent on subsistence farming, leading to compounded deprivations. 

(c) demographics and population growth 

high dependency ratios. Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the highest fertility rates globally, resulting in large households and high dependency ratios. Children disproportionately experience multidimensional poverty owing to inadequate nutrition, healthcare and education; and 

a young population. A significant proportion of the population being children exacerbates multidimensional poverty indicators such as school attendance and malnutrition.

Read the background paper on Poverty and Vulnerabilities in the Global South