Some 887 million people living in multidimensional poverty, out of 1.1 billion globally, are directly exposed to climate hazards, such as extreme heat, flooding, drought, and air pollution, according to a new report released Friday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. The researchers found that poverty is not a standalone issue, but rather, it is profoundly intertwined with the impacts of a changing climate.
Ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil in November, the study revealed that climate hazards are inextricably linked to global poverty. This result emerged from overlaying climate hazard data with multidimensional poverty data for the first time.
“Our new research shows that to address global poverty and create a more stable world for everyone, we must confront the climate risks endangering nearly 900 million poor people,” said Haoliang Xu, UNDP Acting Administrator.
“When world leaders meet in Brazil for the Climate Conference, COP30, next month, their national climate pledges must revitalize the stagnating development progress that threatens to leave the world’s poorest people behind.”
A multi-hazard burden
As world leaders prepare to gather for the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, the report paints a grim picture for the world's most vulnerable populations. Of the 887 million people living in poverty and exposed to at least one climate hazard, 651 million face two or more concurrent hazards, and 309 million endure three or four simultaneously — a "triple or quadruple burden."
Often lacking assets and access to social protection, these individuals are particularly vulnerable to the impact of these shocks. Key climate hazards affecting poor people include extreme heat (608 million people), air pollution (577 million people), living in flood-prone areas (465 million people), and experiencing drought (207 million people).
“This report shows where the climate crisis and poverty are notably converging,” said Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, a co-author of the report.
“Understanding where the planet is under greatest strain and where people face additional burdens created by climate challenges is essential to creating mutually reinforcing development strategies that put humanity at the center of climate action.”
Regional disparities
The burden of climate hazard exposure is not evenly distributed. South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are identified as global hotspots, with 380 million and 344 million poor people affected by these hazards, respectively. More than 99 percent of poor people in South Asia are exposed to one or more climate shocks, and nearly 92 percent face two or more — significantly higher than in any other world region.
Lower-middle-income countries bear the greatest burden, with an estimated 548 million poor people exposed to at least one climate hazard — 62 percent of the global poor exposed to any climate hazard. Over 470 million of these individuals face two or more concurrent hazards.
Future risks intensify
“The burdens identified are not limited to the present but are expected to intensify in the future,” said Pedro Conceição, Director of the Human Development Report Office, UNDP.
Analysis of temperature projections suggests countries with higher current levels of multidimensional poverty will experience the greatest temperature increases by the end of this century.
The report calls for immediate action, including climate-resilient poverty reduction strategies, strengthened local adaptation capacities, and scaled international redistribution and cooperative finance mechanisms.
Climate crisis and humanitarian emergencies
The climate crisis refers to the current state of environmental degradation and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, and wildfires, which is primarily caused by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
Exposure to climate hazards poses immense challenges to the world and exacerbates existing humanitarian emergencies, contributing to an increase in crises affecting millions of people worldwide, particularly in regions with protracted complex emergencies related to armed conflict, hunger, economic crises, and poverty.
Devastating storms, floods, historic droughts, and extreme heat force people to flee their homes and leave behind devastation. It has long been known that the world's most vulnerable populations, including the poor and displaced, who have contributed the least to climate change, are disproportionately impacted by climate-related disasters.
Additionally, the climate crisis is fueling a greater number of conflicts due to the scarcity of resources caused by extreme weather events. In order to combat the climate crisis, all countries and continents must work together to mitigate its impacts through swift action.
Further information
Full text: 2025 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Overlapping Hardships: Poverty and Climate Hazards, United Nations Development Programme and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), report, published on October 17, 2025
https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/mpireport2025en.pdf