Data Sources for National Multidimensional Poverty Measures

Countries are using different data sources to identify poverty levels and/or deprivations of specific groups. The different data sources have different characteristics, and present advantages and disadvantages that must be weighted by technical teams and policymakers before taking the decision of which data source to use. If there is not but one option, knowing the exact nature of the data source allows designing the best measure given its constraints. The following table, borrowed from the forthcoming handbook from OPHI and UNDP, How to Build a National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): Using the MPI to inform the SDGs, illustrates these differences.

Main characteristics of census, administrative and survey data:

 

 

 

This article was published in Dimensions Magazine 6 (PDF).