Bangladesh has significantly reduced multidimensional poverty and made substantial progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, as 19 million people were lifted out of poverty in the country between 2014 to 2019, according to a UN report.
The information was disclosed in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)’s Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2020, released on Thursday.
However, the lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus has left 16.4 million people under the poverty line, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) data shows.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, progress was being made in tackling multidimensional poverty, according to the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) - a measure that looks beyond income to include access to safe water, education, electricity, food, and six other indicators. Now that progress is at risk.
As per the UN report, the national poverty line is at 24.3%.
“Covid-19 is having a profound impact on the development landscape, but this data from before the pandemic is a message of hope. Past success stories on how to tackle poverty can show how to rebuild better and improve the lives of millions,” said Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI at the University of Oxford.