COMCEC Poverty Outlook 2018
5
Figure 3: Share of Income Level Categories for Countries with Multidimensional Poverty (%)
Source: Own calculations from UNDP (2016).
The percentages of the deprived population vary significantly within the same income group
countries. Looking at the contribution of deprivation in education (namely years of schooling and
child school attendance) to overall poverty, it ranges between 1.5 and 2.2 percent for high income
countries, 2.6 and 50.1 percent for upper-middle income countries, 3.4 and 54.7 percent for
lower-middle income countries and 10.8 and 45.6 for low income countries. The range for health
is much wider. It changes between 86.1 and 95.9 percent for high income countries, between 24.7
and 89.70 percent for upper-middle income countries, 12.6 and 87.8 percent for lower-middle
income countries and 14.3 and 34.5 percent for low income countries. Likewise, the contribution
of deprivation in living standards indicator ranges from 2.6 to 11.7 percent for high income
countries, from 7.7 to 50.8 percent for upper-middle income, from 3.5 to 56.6 percent in lower-
middle income and from 33.9 to 54.9 percent in low income group. The difference between the
deprivation levels of the MPI indicators among different income group countries is striking.8
State of Hunger
According to FAO, there are 52 low-income food-deficit countries in total, of which 37 are in Africa,
11 are in Asia, 2 are in America and 2 are in Oceania.9 To understand the hunger situation of the
countries, it is helpful to look at the GHI values. In this regard, according to the GHI trend between
2000 and 2016, severity of hunger is found to be decreasing globally. Indeed, while the value of
the 2000 GHI for the developing world was 30.0, this value is 21.3 for 2016, which accounts to a
decrease of 29 percent10. Despite this improvement, 50 countries are in serious situation and
alarming situation.11
8 Own calculations from UNDP(2016).
9 FAO, 2016. Low-income food-deficit countries are the countries with a net income per person that falls below
the level used by the World Bank to determine eligibility for IDA assistance and net importers of food. For full list
of low-income-food-deficit countries. See Annex 6.
10 IFPRI , 2015.
11 See Annex 7.
1,96%
28,43%
41,18%
28,43% High income
Low income
Lower middle income
Upper middle income