The UNDP Health Dimensions of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

By Yanuar Eka Saputra - October 26, 2025

The Health Dimensions of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an international measure of acute poverty developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). It complements traditional monetary poverty measures by capturing the multiple and simultaneous deprivations a person experiences in health, education, and standard of living.

The MPI is calculated based on ten indicators grouped into three equally weighted dimensions: Health, Education, and Standard of Living. Each dimension is given a weight of $\frac{1}{3}$ . Since the Health and Education dimensions each contain two indicators, each of these indicators is weighted $\frac{1}{6}$ of the total.

The goal of the MPI is to identify individuals living in multidimensional poverty. A person is considered multidimensionally poor if they are deprived in at least one-third (33.3%) of the weighted indicators.

Health Dimension Indicators

The Health dimension is one of the three core dimensions of the Global MPI, reflecting the essential human capability of having a "long and healthy life." It comprises two distinct indicators, each carrying a weight of $\frac{1}{6}$ of the overall MPI. Deprivation in either of these indicators is assessed at the household level, meaning all individuals in a deprived household are considered deprived in that indicator.

The two indicators for the Health dimension are Nutrition and Child Mortality. These indicators are crucial because they capture the most fundamental and life-threatening aspects of acute poverty related to health and well-being.

Dimension	Indicator	Deprived if living in the household where...	Relative Weight (of total MPI)	Corresponding SDG Area
Health ( $\frac{1}{3}$ total)	Nutrition	Any adult under 70 years of age or any child for whom there is nutritional information is undernourished.	$\frac{1}{6}$	SDG 2: Zero Hunger
	Child Mortality	Any child under the age of 18 years has died in the family in the five-year period preceding the survey.	$\frac{1}{6}$	SDG 3: Health and Well-being

Significance of the Health Indicators

The selection and definition of these two health indicators are designed to reflect acute and fundamental deprivations that seriously compromise a person's life chances and well-being.

1. Nutrition

The Nutrition indicator captures a fundamental deprivation related to food security and physical health. Undernutrition in any household member is a strong sign of deep-seated poverty. The fact that deprivation is counted if any adult (under 70) or child in the household is undernourished highlights the severity of the issue, which often impacts multiple family members and indicates a failure to meet basic caloric and nutrient needs. This indicator is also explicitly linked to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger.

2. Child Mortality

The Child Mortality indicator reflects a tragedy that acute poverty often entails. The death of a child under 18 in the five years prior to the survey is a profound indicator of deprivation. It suggests a lack of access to basic healthcare, adequate sanitation, clean water, and sufficient nutrition, all of which contribute to higher child mortality rates. This indicator aligns with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, specifically targets related to ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5.

By focusing on these two indicators, the MPI provides a stark measure of how poverty compromises the most basic right to life and health. It allows policymakers to identify the specific nature of deprivations within and across countries, informing targeted interventions to address the root causes of poor health outcomes.

The Nutrition Dimension in the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an international measure of acute poverty developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). It goes beyond traditional income-based measures by capturing the multiple, simultaneous deprivations a person faces in health, education, and standard of living.

The MPI is composed of ten indicators grouped across these three dimensions, with the Health dimension incorporating the critical issue of Nutrition alongside Child Mortality. Nutrition is a cornerstone of human development, and its inclusion highlights the understanding that poverty is not just about a lack of money, but also a lack of the basic necessities for physical well-being and a productive life.

The Importance of the Nutrition Indicator

The nutrition indicator addresses the acute deprivation that impacts health and human capital development, particularly in children. When individuals within a household are undernourished, it signals a fundamental failure to meet basic physical needs, which can lead to long-term consequences such as stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and increased susceptibility to disease.

The design of the MPI is household-based: if a household is deprived in the nutrition indicator, every individual in that household is considered deprived in that indicator. This approach recognizes that the condition of the most vulnerable members—children and those for whom nutritional data is available—reflects a shared household deprivation.

The Nutrition indicator is given a weight of 1/6 of the total MPI score, which is equal to the weight of the other Health indicator (Child Mortality) and the two Education indicators. This ensures that the Health dimension, as a whole, contributes one-third (1/3) to the overall MPI score, making it equally important as Education and Standard of Living.

MPI Dimensions, Indicators, and Deprivation Cutoffs

The following table details the structure of the Global MPI, focusing specifically on how the Nutrition indicator is defined and weighted within the broader framework.

Dimension	Indicator	Deprivation Cutoff (A household is deprived if...)	Indicator Weight	Corresponding SDG Area
Health (1/3)	Nutrition	Any person under 70 years of age for whom there is nutritional information is undernourished.	1/6	SDG 2: Zero Hunger
	Child Mortality	Any child under the age of 18 years has died in the family in the five-year period preceding the survey.	1/6	SDG 3: Health and Well-being
Education (1/3)	Years of Schooling	No household member aged 'school entrance age + six years or older has completed at least six years of schooling.	1/6	SDG 4: Quality Education
	School Attendance	Any school-aged child is not attending school up to the age at which he/she would complete class eight.	1/6	SDG 4: Quality Education
Standard of Living (1/3)	Cooking Fuel	The household cooks with dung, wood, charcoal, or coal.	1/18	SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
	Sanitation	The household's sanitation facility is not improved (according to SDG guidelines) or it is improved but shared with other households.	1/18	SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
	Drinking Water	The household does not have access to improved drinking water (according to SDG guidelines) or improved drinking water is at least a 30-minute walk from home, round trip.	1/18	SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
	Electricity	The household has no electricity.	1/18	SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
	Housing	At least one of the three housing materials for roof, walls and floor are inadequate.	1/18	SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
	Assets	The household does not own more than one of these assets (radio, TV, telephone, computer, animal cart, bicycle, motorbike or refrigerator) and does not own a car or truck.	1/18	SDG 1: No Poverty

Measuring Deprivation and its Policy Implications

A person is identified as multidimensionally poor if they are deprived in one-third (33.3%) or more of the weighted MPI indicators. The high weighting given to the Nutrition indicator (1/6) means that deprivation in nutrition contributes significantly to a household's overall deprivation score, making it a powerful driver of multidimensional poverty.

The data derived from the Nutrition indicator is crucial for policy intervention. It allows governments and international agencies to:

Identify the most vulnerable: The data reveals the specific regions, communities, and demographic groups (like children) where undernutrition is most acute.
Target resources: It guides the allocation of resources toward specific nutrition-focused programs, such as maternal and child health services, food security initiatives, and nutritional supplementation efforts.
Measure progress: The indicator tracks changes in nutritional deprivation over time, serving as a key metric for monitoring progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 1: No Poverty.

In conclusion, the Nutrition dimension of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) serves as a vital tool for understanding and combating poverty in its most fundamental form. By explicitly measuring deprivation in nutrition, the MPI ensures that global and national anti-poverty strategies look beyond mere income to address the essential elements of human well-being. The persistent high number of people living in households deprived of adequate nutrition underscores the urgency for integrated policy interventions that target the overlapping deprivations in health, sanitation, education, and standard of living. Ultimately, the successful eradication of multidimensional poverty, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, hinges on sustained progress in eliminating nutrition deprivation for every person.

UNDP Child Mortality Indicator in the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), is an international measure of acute poverty that goes beyond income to capture the multiple, simultaneous deprivations faced by individuals at the household level. It uses ten indicators grouped into three equally weighted dimensions: Health, Education, and Standard of Living.

The Child Mortality indicator is one of the two indicators within the Health dimension, serving as a critical measure of acute deprivation and a proxy for the overall health environment and care provided within a household and community. The inclusion of this indicator directly aligns the MPI with Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), which focuses on good health and well-being.

Purpose and Significance

Child mortality is a devastating consequence of intertwined deprivations, often stemming from inadequate nutrition, poor sanitation and water quality, lack of access to basic healthcare, and low maternal education. By including it in the MPI, the index ensures that households suffering from the tragedy of child loss are identified as multidimensionally poor, highlighting a critical area where policy intervention is urgently needed.

Children are disproportionately affected by multidimensional poverty, with often more than half of the 1.1 billion people worldwide living in acute multidimensional poverty being children under 18. The child mortality indicator specifically draws attention to the fatal outcome of severe, overlapping deprivations.

Indicator Specification in the Global MPI

The following table details the structure of the Child Mortality indicator within the Global MPI framework:

Dimension	Indicator	Deprived if living in a household where...	Indicator Weight	Corresponding SDG Area
Health (Weight: $1/3$ )	Child Mortality	Any child under the age of 18 years has died in the family in the five-year period preceding the survey.	$1/6$	SDG 3 (Health and Well-being)

Key Components:

Unit of Analysis: The deprivation is recorded at the household level. If the condition is met for the household, every person in that household is considered deprived in the Child Mortality indicator.
Deprivation Cutoff: The deprivation cutoff is met if there has been at least one death of a child (under 18 years old) in the household within the five years preceding the household survey (e.g., Demographic and Health Surveys - DHS). This five-year period is chosen to capture recent and relevant household conditions.
Weighting: Since the Health dimension is given a total weight of $1/3$ and has two indicators (Nutrition and Child Mortality), the Child Mortality indicator is assigned a weight of $1/6$ of the total MPI score.
Poverty Identification: A household (and all individuals within it) is identified as multidimensionally poor if the sum of the weights of the indicators they are deprived in is $1/3$ (or 33.33%) or greater. A single deprivation in Child Mortality ( $1/6 \approx 16.7\%$ ) is not enough to classify a household as poor, but it significantly contributes to the final poverty score and reveals an acute deprivation.

The Child Mortality indicator is an essential component of the Global MPI, ensuring that the devastating consequences of multidimensional poverty on child survival are centrally measured and monitored. By identifying this deprivation, the MPI provides policymakers with the precise information needed to design targeted, multi-sectoral interventions that address the overlapping deprivations in health, sanitation, water, and nutrition, ultimately working toward the goal of eliminating acute poverty and protecting the world's most vulnerable children.

The UNDP Global MPI Child Mortality Dimension: Best Performance Countries

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) do not rank a single "Best Performance Country" for the Child Mortality indicator of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

The best performance is defined by a 0.0% deprivation rate, which many countries achieve or come close to. These are typically countries with robust healthcare systems and very low under-18 mortality rates. The MPI focuses on the headcount ratio of deprivation for each indicator, not a comparative "best" country score among those already at zero.

The table below outlines the specific indicator, the definition of deprivation, and the meaning of a "best performance" outcome in the context of the Global MPI.

Table: UNDP Global MPI Child Mortality Dimension and Best Performance

MPI Dimension	Indicator	Deprived If...	Best Performance is Achieved When...
Health	Child Mortality	Any child under the age of 18 years has died in the household in the five-year period preceding the survey.	The headcount ratio of deprivation is 0.0%, meaning no surveyed households reported a child death in the preceding five years.

Context of "Best Performance"

The goal of the MPI's Child Mortality indicator is to measure acute poverty related to health access and outcomes.

The Indicator's Weight: The Child Mortality indicator is one of the ten indicators and carries a weight of 1/6 of the total MPI score.
The Goal: A "best performing" country in this specific indicator is one that has achieved the goal of nearly eliminating child mortality in the households surveyed for the MPI, thereby recording a 0.0% deprivation rate.
Best Performers (High Human Development): Many high-income or high human development countries included in the broader MPI data achieve this $0.0\%$ deprivation score, making it impossible to single out a unique "best" performer among them. These countries have successfully separated the dimension of Child Mortality from the experience of Multidimensional Poverty.

The achievement of a $0.0\%$ deprivation rate in the Child Mortality indicator represents a critical public health milestone. It signifies that a country has established the necessary systems—including robust maternal and child health care, sanitation, and nutrition support—to ensure child survival. For policymakers using the MPI, this zero-deprivation score acts as a benchmark, highlighting the ultimate success in tackling one of the most tragic forms of acute deprivation measured by the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index.

UNDP Global MPI Child Mortality Dimension: Low Performance Countries

Countries with the lowest performance in the Child Mortality dimension of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) are those with the highest rates of household deprivation in this critical health indicator.

Low performance signifies a high percentage of the population living in households that have experienced the tragic loss of a child under the age of 18 in the five years preceding the survey. These are typically nations facing significant challenges in public health, nutrition, sanitation, and overall development, often located in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia.

While the UNDP/OPHI reports do not publish a definitive single "worst" country ranking, the countries exhibiting the highest deprivation rates in this area are consistently those with high overall multidimensional poverty and high under-five mortality rates.

The Child Mortality Deprivation Indicator

The Child Mortality indicator is one of the ten indicators that comprise the Global MPI. It is a severe measure of acute health deprivation.

MPI Dimension	Indicator	Deprived If...	Low Performance Means...
Health	Child Mortality	Any child under the age of 18 years has died in the household in the five-year period preceding the survey.	A high headcount ratio of deprivation ( $H_{Child\ Mortality}$ ), indicating a large percentage of the population lives in households that have recently suffered a child death.

This indicator is crucial because it accounts for $\mathbf{1/6}$ of the total weighted deprivations used to calculate the MPI, giving the Health dimension a high priority.

Low Performance Country Examples (Highest Deprivation)

The countries with the highest recorded deprivation in the Child Mortality indicator are concentrated in low-income and fragile states where access to basic healthcare, vaccinations, and nutrition is extremely limited. The actual rates vary with each annual MPI update (based on the latest survey data), but the following countries consistently rank among those with the highest deprivation headcount ratios in the child mortality dimension in recent Global MPI reports:

Country (Example)	Region	Example Deprivation Rate (Approximate HChild Mortality)	Context of Low Performance
Niger	Sub-Saharan Africa	High (e.g., above 10%)	Extremely high under-five mortality, high poverty, and limited health infrastructure.
Chad	Sub-Saharan Africa	High (e.g., above 10%)	Conflict, severe food insecurity, and poor access to medical facilities.
Central African Republic	Sub-Saharan Africa	High (e.g., above 10%)	Fragility, conflict, and one of the highest under-five mortality rates globally.
Sierra Leone	Sub-Saharan Africa	High (e.g., above 10%)	Persistent challenges in basic public health services and sanitation.
Mali	Sub-Saharan Africa	High (e.g., above 10%)	High rates of both poverty and child mortality linked to malnutrition and disease.

Note: The approximate rates listed are illustrative of the high deprivation levels seen in the actual data tables for the lowest-performing countries in recent MPI reports.

Concluding Thoughts

Low performance in the Child Mortality indicator is a direct reflection of a $\mathbf{crisis}$ in basic human development and public health. In these countries, the deprivation is often compounded by other factors measured in the MPI, such as high levels of Nutrition deprivation, lack of Drinking Water, and inadequate Sanitation.

Addressing this specific deprivation requires targeted interventions that improve maternal healthcare, provide routine immunizations, ensure access to clean water, and combat child malnutrition. The high rates underscore the urgent need for global and national efforts to reinforce health systems in the world's poorest and most fragile settings, aiming to break the intergenerational cycle of acute multidimensional poverty.

Organizations Involved in The UNDP Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Health Dimensions

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is a crucial tool for measuring acute poverty across multiple, simultaneous deprivations. While the MPI encompasses three dimensions—Health, Education, and Standard of Living—its robust methodology and data collection for the Health dimension rely on a continuous collaboration between leading international organizations and data providers.

The primary partnership for the development, calculation, and annual release of the Global MPI is between two key entities:

Organization	Role in Global MPI (Including Health Dimension)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)	Co-publisher and Policy Driver. Works through its Human Development Report Office (HDRO) to co-publish the annual Global MPI. Leverages its global network and policy expertise to integrate MPI findings into national development strategies and track progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)	Methodological and Technical Lead. Based at the University of Oxford, OPHI co-created the MPI and is responsible for the rigorous, cutting-edge technical work, including the calculation of the index and developing the Alkire-Foster methodology.

The Health Dimension: Indicators and Data Sources

The Health dimension of the MPI focuses on two core indicators: Nutrition and Child Mortality. The data for these indicators must be sourced from comprehensive, nationally representative household surveys that are globally comparable.

Organization/Survey Type	Contribution to Health Dimension Data
Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) (ICF Macro)	A primary source of the micro-level household data used for the Nutrition and Child Mortality indicators, as well as the other MPI dimensions, across numerous developing countries.
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) (UNICEF)	A principal source of comparable microdata, often used to complement DHS, providing essential household-level information required for the health and other deprivations within the MPI calculation.
National Statistical Offices/Ministries of Health	Data Collection and Customization. National agencies in member countries conduct the DHS/MICS surveys and, when creating National MPIs, they are crucial partners in adapting and implementing the health indicators to fit local contexts and policy needs.

Broader Stakeholders

Beyond the core publishing and data collection partners, a wide range of organizations utilize and are guided by the insights derived from the MPI’s Health dimension:

Stakeholder Category	Role and Impact on Health Policy
United Nations Agencies (e.g., WHO, UNICEF)	Tracking and Program Implementation. Use the MPI health data to monitor progress toward SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and inform health-related interventions, such as those tackling malnutrition and child health.
Governments and Policy Makers	Targeted Intervention. Use the MPI to identify exactly which population groups and geographic areas suffer from overlapping health deprivations, enabling the design of highly targeted health and nutrition programs.
International Financial Institutions (e.g., World Bank)	Funding and Aid Allocation. Employ the MPI as a measure of acute poverty to inform strategic decisions on loans, grants, and technical assistance aimed at improving public health and human development outcomes.

In summary, the UNDP Global MPI, particularly its focus on health, represents a powerful synthesis of academic rigor, global policy authority, and on-the-ground data collection. The consistent collaboration between UNDP and OPHI, supported by the crucial data from global survey programs like DHS and MICS, ensures that the Health dimension of the MPI remains an essential and highly effective tool for policymakers worldwide as they strive to eliminate poverty in all its forms and dimensions.

Data Sources for the UNDP Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), jointly published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), is a critical tool for measuring acute poverty that goes beyond monetary metrics. The index is built on microdata from household surveys, and its health dimension is specifically designed to capture fundamental deprivations in well-being.

Primary Data Sources for the Global MPI

The data for calculating the Global MPI are sourced from nationally representative household surveys. For cross-country comparison and consistency, the MPI primarily relies on two major, publicly available databases:

Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS): Conducted by ICF Macro, these surveys provide detailed data on population, health, and nutrition in developing countries.
Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys (MICS): Managed by UNICEF, MICS focuses on monitoring the situation of children and women, including key health and education indicators.
National Surveys: In some cases, high-quality, comparable national household surveys are used.

Crucially, all 10 indicators used to construct the MPI for a particular country must come from the same survey to ensure that the overlapping deprivations for each household are accurately captured.

The Health Dimension of the MPI

The Global MPI is composed of three equally weighted dimensions: Health, Education, and Standard of Living. The Health dimension contributes one-third ( $1/3$ ) to the overall MPI score and is measured using two equally weighted indicators.

The table below details the two indicators in the Health dimension, their weight, and the precise conditions that define a household as deprived in that area:

Dimension	Indicator	Weight in MPI	Deprivation Cutoff: The household is deprived if...
Health ( $1/3$ of total MPI)	1. Nutrition	$1/6$	Any person in the household under age 70 for whom there is nutritional information is undernourished. This is determined by low Body Mass Index (BMI) for adults and low weight-for-age or height-for-age z-scores for children.
	2. Child Mortality	$1/6$	Any child under the age of 18 has died in the family in the five-year period preceding the survey.

The Importance of the Health Indicators

The selection of Nutrition and Child Mortality is intentional, as these are two of the most fundamental and universally recognized indicators of human well-being and acute poverty.

Nutrition: Directs attention to the most severe consequences of poverty on physical health and capability, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
Child Mortality: Captures a severe, irreversible outcome of poor health systems, sanitation, and nutrition, reflecting the urgency of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

The reliance on standardized, micro-level data from surveys like DHS and MICS ensures the Global MPI provides a comprehensive and comparable picture of poverty across more than 100 developing countries. By defining deprivations in health through two stark indicators—undernourishment and child mortality—the MPI offers policymakers a clear, actionable roadmap. It highlights which households are suffering from overlapping deprivations, enabling targeted interventions and resource allocation to effectively address the acute health vulnerabilities faced by the world's poorest people and achieve the core goal of Sustainable Development Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

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