Over the past thirty years, significant strides have been made globally to enhance living conditions, yet deep-seated inequalities persist relentlessly. These disparities are particularly pronounced not only between nations but also within them, revealing vast gaps between urban and rural areas. Such inequalities underscore the critical need for targeted interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and improving quality of life on a fundamental level. A groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications sheds new light on the multifaceted nature of global poverty by leveraging a pioneering approach that transcends the traditional reliance on income metrics alone.
This innovative research utilizes extensive household survey data drawn from 75 low- and middle-income countries to evaluate living standards through a comprehensive Decent Living Standards (DLS) framework. Unlike conventional poverty measurements that predominantly consider income thresholds, the DLS framework offers a multidimensional perspective. It assesses households against ten essential dimensions of wellbeing—seven physical and three social—reflecting the true complexity of what it means to live a decent, dignified life. Remarkably, the study reveals that a staggering 94.9% of households surveyed lack at least one fundamental living standard, with nearly two-thirds failing to meet a third or more of the criteria.
Roman Hoffmann, the lead author and Research Group Leader of the Migration and Sustainable Development Research Group at IIASA, emphasizes the limitations of income-based poverty metrics. He explains that income figures alone mask critical disparities in access to services and resources that are indispensable to human wellbeing. By evaluating tangible parameters such as housing adequacy, nutrition, sanitation, education access, and mobility, the DLS methodology reveals systemic inequalities that often go unnoticed. This approach allows for a granular understanding of poverty’s many dimensions, highlighting areas that conventional statistics may overlook but are crucial for policy formulation.
The DLS framework’s ten indicators are deliberate in capturing both physical necessities and social participation factors. Physical dimensions include aspects like secure housing, reliable nutrition, and hygienic sanitation, all core to ensuring a baseline quality of life. Conversely, social participation indicators encompass access to education, communication technologies, and the ability to move freely—all vital for empowerment and inclusion in modern society. Together, these interdependent dimensions constitute a holistic vision of wellbeing that transcends monetary poverty and captures the lived experience of deprivation.
The study’s findings expose alarming levels of deprivation in certain dimensions. Most notably, modern means of food preparation, such as access to refrigeration and clean cooking methods, are unfulfilled in 72.2% of households surveyed. Access to healthcare services lags behind for 68% of populations, while over half of the households fall short in terms of adequate housing quality and sanitation facilities. Additionally, concerns around nutrition are acute—more than 21% of households in the latest DHS survey reported at least one member suffering from nutritional deficits, including undernutrition among adults and indicators like wasting and stunting in children.
These findings illustrate the complex, intertwined nature of poverty. Coauthor Omkar Patange, a researcher in the IIASA Economic Frontiers Program, poignantly articulates poverty as a compounding web of daily constraints. The inability to preserve food, afford schooling, or access medical care compounds to restrict opportunities and limit life choices. This nuanced understanding challenges policymakers to move beyond one-dimensional poverty alleviation strategies and towards multifaceted approaches that address the spectrum of needs determining individual and household wellbeing.
Regional disparities also remain stark and persistent. Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, registers the lowest attainment of decent living standards, with only 12% of households meeting two-thirds of the DLS thresholds. In contrast, South Asia performs slightly better but still struggles, with 37% meeting similar standards. Latin America and the Caribbean show somewhat improved figures at 44%, while Eastern Europe and Central Asia boast over 70% of households reaching these multidimensional benchmarks. Despite such regional variation, one consistent finding is the stubborn rural-urban divide, which has barely changed over three decades, illustrating that rural communities remain disproportionately underserved.
Caroline Zimm, a coauthor and researcher at IIASA, draws attention to this persistent rural-urban gap. Contrary to common assumptions that development inevitably trickles down to all segments of society, the data suggest a more troubling narrative: inequalities in access to basic goods and services are entrenched and enduring. This persistence signals that without explicit, targeted policy measures addressing rural underserved sectors, development gains may continue to bypass the most vulnerable populations.
Educational attainment, employment types, and household size emerge as important socioeconomic determinants of living standards across the surveyed contexts. These factors interplay with infrastructure disparities to shape the breadth of deprivation experienced by households. The systemic nature of these inequalities implies that piecemeal or isolated interventions are insufficient. Instead, comprehensive, integrated policy frameworks must be designed to confront structural barriers and promote equitable access to necessary goods and services.
The research holds profound implications for global poverty reduction strategies. It advocates for a paradigm shift away from simplistic income-based approaches towards multidimensional frameworks that recognize and respond to the diverse range of basic physical and social needs. Yet crucially, the study also stresses the importance of pursuing these objectives sustainably—ensuring that improvements in living standards do not come at the cost of environmental degradation. Encouragingly, prior studies suggest that fulfilling decent living standards globally would require only a modest percentage increase in current energy and material consumption, underscoring the feasibility of harmonizing social upliftment with ecological stewardship.
Central to achieving these aspirations is the continued investment in granular, household-level, and subnational data collection, such as that provided by the DHS program, which underpinned this study. Roman Hoffmann cautions that potential funding cuts to such survey initiatives risk undermining the ability to monitor progress and identify populations left behind. Without robust data, policymakers and development agencies may lack the insights necessary to design effective interventions, risking the perpetuation or exacerbation of inequalities.
The study has also generated a new subnational dataset offering unprecedented detail on the spatial distribution of multiple deprivation dimensions across and within countries. By making this dataset publicly available, the authors aim to catalyze further academic research and practical policy dialogue. This transparency complements the urgent call for coordinated, well-funded policy efforts dedicated to uplifting the most marginalized communities, ensuring equity, and safeguarding a sustainable future.
In conclusion, the comprehensive analysis presented by Hoffmann and colleagues reframes poverty as a multidimensional challenge requiring bold, inclusive action. The right to decent living standards should be universal and inalienable, not contingent upon geography or circumstance. The persistence of entrenched inequalities signals the need for global solidarity and sustained political commitment to bridge divides and ensure that no one is left behind in the journey towards dignity, health, and opportunity.
Subject of Research: Global multidimensional poverty assessment using the Decent Living Standards framework across 75 low- and middle-income countries.
Article Title: Subnational survey data reveal persistent gaps in living standards across 75 low and middle-income countries
News Publication Date: 11 June 2025
Web References:
References:
Hoffmann, R., Patange, O., Zimm, C., Pachauri, S., Belmin, C., Pelz, S., Brutschin, E., Kikstra, J.S., Kuhn. M., Min, J., Muttarak, R., Riahi, K., Schinko, T., Mintz-Woo, K. (2025). Subnational survey data reveal persistent gaps in living standards across 75 low and middle-income countries. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60195-5
Keywords: Multidimensional Poverty, Decent Living Standards, Socioeconomic Inequality, Global Development, Rural-Urban Divide, Sustainable Development, Household Survey, Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Nutrition, Healthcare Access, Housing, Education Access, Environmental Sustainability
