With almost three out of ten children, around 28.9 per cent, living in multidimensional poverty-significantly higher than the rate for adults (21.44 per cent), children are disproportionately impacted by deep rooted challenges of poverty in Bangladesh, according to the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released on Thursday by the General Economics Division (GED) with support from UNICEF and the European Union (EU).
The report underscores the urgent need to address child-specific deprivations in health, education, and living standards that continue to undermine children's rights and potential.
The MPI provides a comprehensive and integrated approach to measuring poverty, beyond income, by assessing overlapping deprivations a child may face simultaneously, such as poor health, lack of education, inadequate nutrition, unsafe living conditions, and lack of access to essential services.
To be considered living in multidimensional poverty, a person must be affected by at least two of those indicators, according to the MPI.
According to the report, overall, more than 39 million people in Bangladesh live in multidimensional poverty. Despite progress in reducing monetary poverty and stunting, multidimensional child poverty remains a major challenge in Bangladesh, as children are 35 percent more likely to be affected by multidimensional poverty than adults.
In addition, children in rural areas experience significantly higher multidimensional poverty than those in urban areas. Notably, school attendance is the largest contributor to the MPI, underscoring that education-related deprivations are the most critical drivers of child poverty.
