Who publishes it
The global MPI is published jointly by the UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). In India, NITI Aayog releases a National MPI aligned to it.
What it measures
The MPI captures three equally weighted dimensions — Health (nutrition, child mortality), Education (years of schooling, attendance), and Standard of Living (cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets). The National MPI uses 12 indicators. A household is “multidimensionally poor” if deprived in a third or more of the weighted indicators.
India’s progress
India has shown a sharp fall in multidimensional poverty, with crores escaping it, driven by improvements in sanitation, cooking fuel, electricity, nutrition and financial inclusion (linked to schemes like SBM, Ujjwala, Saubhagya, Jan Dhan). The MPI guides targeted, evidence-based policy.
UPSC angle
Know MPI = UNDP+OPHI; 3 dimensions (health, education, living standards) with 12 national indicators; NITI Aayog’s National MPI; India’s steep decline driven by scheme-linked improvements.
Frequently asked questions
Who publishes the global MPI?
The UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
What are the three dimensions of the MPI?
Health, Education and Standard of Living.
Who releases India’s National MPI?
NITI Aayog.
How is the MPI different from income poverty?
It measures overlapping deprivations across health, education and living standards, not just income or consumption.