Morocco Cuts Multidimensional Poverty by More Than Half in Under 15 Years, UN Report Shows

Morocco has reduced its multidimensional poverty rate by more than half in fewer than fifteen years, placing it among thirty‑three countries worldwide that have reached this milestone, according to the 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index published by the United Nations Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.

National trends and key numbers

The index shows that Morocco’s multidimensional poverty rate fell from 17.3 percent in 2011 to 7.9 percent when the latest survey data are compared, while the absolute number of people living in multidimensional poverty dropped from 5.68 million to 2.81 million.

The average intensity of deprivation, measured by the overlap of disadvantages, declined from 0.078 to 0.033 over the same period.

The report’s most recent estimates put Morocco’s multidimensional poverty rate at 6.4 percent, affecting roughly 2.27 million individuals. It also estimates that 1.4 percent of the population experiences extreme multidimensional poverty, and that 10.9 percent remains vulnerable to slipping into poverty.

Sectoral contributions and improvements

Education continues to be the largest driver of deprivation, accounting for 46.8 percent of overall multidimensional poverty, followed by living standards at 28.8 percent and health at 24.4 percent.

Within education, the share of people deprived of years of schooling fell from 13.7 percent to 5.4 percent, and inadequate school attendance declined from 6.8 percent to 3.1 percent.

Health‑related deprivations also improved: malnutrition dropped from 6.3 percent to 3.7 percent, and child‑mortality‑linked deprivation fell from 6.6 percent to 3.6 percent.

Access to basic services showed gains as well. The proportion deprived of drinking water decreased from 11.4 percent to 3.7 percent, while sanitation deprivation fell from 8.8 percent to 2.5 percent. The share lacking adequate housing fell to 2.5 percent, and deprivation tied to electricity access stood at 1.1 percent.

Despite these advances, the continued weight of education in the overall deprivation index underscores the need to keep improving educational access and attainment as part of poverty‑reduction strategies.

Global picture

Worldwide, approximately 1.2 billion people across 108 countries live in acute multidimensional poverty, according to the same 2026 report, covering a total population of about 6.3 billion.

Children bear a disproportionate share, representing 51.5 percent of those in multidimensional poverty, or roughly 617 million individuals under the age of eighteen.

An additional 952 million people globally are considered vulnerable to falling into multidimensional poverty.

Sub‑Saharan Africa accounts for around 616 million of the multidimensionally poor, while South Asia has about 393 million; together these two regions comprise the vast majority of those experiencing the overlapping disadvantages measured by the index.

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index evaluates overlapping shortfalls in health, education and living standards, offering a broader view of poverty than income‑based measures alone.