The global Multidimensional Poverty Index: Harmonised level estimates and their changes over time

Abstract

This paper describes the database The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): Harmonised level estimates and their changes over time. The global MPI is an international poverty measure based on ten deprivation indicators in three dimensions: health, education, and living standards. The database contains estimates for the MPI itself (the adjusted headcount ratio); related partial indices such as headcount ratio, intensity, indicator-specific indices, and several auxiliary statistics; and changes over time for most quantities. For this database, all deprivation indicators have been harmonised over time. Our database covers estimates for 84 countries and 814 subnational regions for up to four points of observation. The estimates are based on 211 individual survey datasets, provided primarily by the Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Combining information about different dimensions of human wellbeing, the global MPI inherently invites interdisciplinary research.