Nearly 6% of Filipinos considered’ multidimensionally’ poor

The share of “multidimensional” poor in the Philippines reached 5.8% in 2020, equivalent to 6.503 million Filipinos, according to the latest estimates from the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index by United Nations and Development Program (UNDP) and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). This was unchanged from 2019. People are considered “multidimensionally” poor if they “suffer from multiple disadvantages” aside from lack of income using 10 indicators* of health, education, and standard of living. The country’s multidimensional poverty incidence was higher than the 2.7% incidence of monetary poverty (or the percentage of those living below the $1.90-per-day poverty threshold under 2011 purchasing power parity terms). This implies that people living above the poverty line could still suffer deprivations in health, education, and standard of living.