This policy brief examines Africa’s progress in reducing poverty from a multidimensional perspective, using the 2024 update to the global multidimensional poverty index (MPI). Despite persistent negative perceptions, many African countries are among the fastest worldwide in reducing multidimensional poverty. The brief highlights the importance of using multiple metrics—absolute, relative, and population-based changes—to assess progress. It finds that while poverty reduction varies widely across the continent, significant strides have been made, especially when national policies are informed by multidimensional measures. The MPI offers a holistic view, supporting more effective policy and resource allocation toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1.
The narrative on poverty in Africa is often bleak, with countries on the continent considered
to be either lagging or left behind. After all, the African continent is home to the majority of the world’s people who are living in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank’s international poverty line for low-income countries of $3 per person per day. Multidimensional poverty remains large and concentrated in conflict-affected and rural areas: the 2024 Global MPI indicates roughly 1.1 billion people live in acute multidimensional poverty worldwide, with a heavy concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa and conflict zones. MPI results show overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards that simple income measures miss.
Monetary extreme poverty remains stubbornly high in Africa and is becoming concentrated in fragile and conflict-affected countries; UN estimates for 2025 place the number of people in extreme poverty at roughly 808 million globally, with most of the remaining extreme poor living in Sub-Saharan Africa or fragile states. Economic growth alone is insufficient—conflict, climate shocks and fiscal headwinds are major drag factors.
Short-term growth is recovering but not fast or inclusive enough: regional growth projections (AfDB / World Bank) show modest increases in 2025, but gains are uneven and will not automatically translate into rapid poverty reduction without stronger social protection, jobs and climate resilience policies.
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