Multidimensional poverty in Myanmar is unevenly distributed across space. Two complementary dimensions help interpret this spatial pattern: severity, captured by the overall MPI score as a combined measure of headcount (H) and intensity (A); and scale, captured by the absolute number of MPI-poor people, reflecting both poverty incidence and population size. These two lenses often point in different directions. A state may record a high MPI score yet contain relatively few people in absolute terms, or it may record a moderate MPI score but account for a large share of the national poverty count simply because of its population. Distinguishing severity from scale is analytically important because it shapes what kind of programmatic response is needed: whether targeted crisis intervention or broad coverage strategies. This distinction is returned to in Section 6. 2.1 National Level: The Overall Burden One in three people in Myanmar is multidimensionally poor (32.6%), living in Two in three people in Myanmar are either households that are deprived in at least multidimensionally poor or one shock away one-third of the weighted indicators across education, health and living standards. from becoming so. Poverty here is not a Among those identified as MPI-poor, the condition affecting a minority; it is the average intensity of deprivation is 46.1 baseline reality for most of the population. percent, indicating that poor individuals lived in households experiencing nearly half of all possible deprivations captured in the index simultaneously. The resulting national MPI score is 0.15, reflecting both the scale of poverty and the depth of overlapping deficits affecting household wellbeing. Figure 1 Multidimensional poverty and vulnerability in Myanmar Figure 1. Multidimensional poverty and vulnerability in Myanmar Of every 100 people, 68 are multidimensionally poor or vulnerable By area and state/region Severely poor National snapshot Other MPI poor Vulnerable Severely poor Union Rural Urban Kayah Rakhine Chin Kachin Tanintharyi Ayeyarwady Sagaing Mandalay Kayin Shan Magway Mon Bago Yangon Nay Pyi Taw 9.4% of population 58.0% 77.1% 76.0% 74.3% 74.2% 70.0% 69.6% 67.8% 67.6% 65.0% 61.5% 55.6% 52.5% Source: PPS 2025 (UNDP) 10 5.2m 68.1% 71.9% LAYERS OF DEP RIVATION : Mu ltid im e n s io n a l Pov er t y i n M y a n m a r 91.1% 89.1% 85.5% MPI poor (total) 17.9m 32.6% of population Includes 5.2m severely poor Vulnerable 19.5m 35.5% of population At risk, not yet poor