COMCEC Poverty Outlook 2017
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Concluding Remarks
There is a significant level of extreme poverty in the OIC Member Countries with more than 270
million people suffering from poverty. Poverty headcount ratios of the member countries differ
from zero percent to almost 69 percent. Likewise, non-monetary poverty indicators also vary
across the OIC Member Countries. As non-monetary indicators, Human Development Index
values of the OIC Member Countries are between 0.864 and 0.352, Multidimensional Poverty
Index values are between zero and 0.584 among the countries for which the MPI is calculated,
and Global Hunger Index values are between zero and 44.3.
Aiming to provide an overview of poverty status in the OIC Member Countries, this report
elaborates on monetary and non-monetary poverty, with a special focus on human development
progress in the OIC Member Countries.
The OIC Member Countries do not form a homogenous group in terms of poverty. While 7
member countries are in high income group, 16 are in upper-middle income, 18 are in lower-
middle income, and 16 are in low income group. High income OIC Countries have GDP per capita
(Current international PPP) levels which are above $42,000. In the upper-middle income OIC
Countries GDP per capita levels have a diverse pattern, ranging from $7,819 to $27,681, and all
the countries in this group have low or moderate GHI values except Iraq which is in serious
situation. 14 out of 16 upper-middle OIC income countries are in high human development
category. On the other hand, in these countries the population living in multidimensional
poverty exceeds the population living in income poverty. 12 out of 18 countries in lower middle
income group have GDP per capita levels which are lower than $6,000. On the other hand,
poverty rates in this group display a diverse picture. Indeed, poverty rate ranges from less-than
1 percent to more-than 67 percent. Lower-middle income OIC countries can be classified under
low or medium human development categories. Multidimensional poverty situation is more
severe than monetary poverty situation in these countries, since in almost half of the lower-
middle income countries, more than 40 percent of the population is multi-dimensionally poor.
Regarding low income OIC Member Countries, both monetary and non-monetary poverty
indicators are striking. GDP per capita (Current international PPP) levels are less than $ 2,568
in this group, and poverty headcount ratios are above 13.5 percent. All countries in this group
can be classified as low-income food-deficit country. They have also serious or alarming hunger
situation (except one moderate situation). Moreover, all low income OIC countries are classified
under low human development category in the ranking of human development index, and
multidimensional poverty rate of most of the countries in this group is higher than 50 percent.
Regarding human development progress, the OIC experienced an improvement in HDI level.
Between 1990 and 2015 the average HDI level of the OIC rose from 0.500 to 0.621. However, it
remained significantly below the OECD and world average. Moreover, the gap between the OIC
and developing countries has enlarged in the last 25 years from 0.014 to 0.047 points. This
implies the human development progress in the OIC was slower than that of in developing
countries.
Furthermore, the new development agenda, namely the SDGs, will have significant implication
for all countries. The implementation of the SDGs will also have an important place in the OIC
development agenda. In line with the global development agenda, the OIC countries and
institutions have been exerting efforts for alleviating poverty in the Member Countries through
several programs such as ISFD, SPDA and OIC-VET.