Poverty in somalia: are the multidimensionally and monetarily poor populations the same?

Working paper

This study examines the relationship between monetary and multidimensional poverty in Somalia, highlighting overlaps and mismatches in identification. Using data from the 2022 Somalia Integrated Household Budget Survey (SIHBS), we apply the Alkire-Foster method to construct the national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and compare it with monetary poverty measured through the cost-of-basic-needs approach. We use a biprobit model to analyse the characteristics associated with being multidimensionally and/or monetarily poor. The results show that 45.5% of the population is simultaneously poor under both measures, while 21.4% are multidimensionally poor only and 8.9% are monetarily poor only. Households that are poor by both measures are characterised by larger household sizes, more children, low levels of education, and being resident in urban areas. Deprivations are most acute in the cooking fuel, overcrowding, school attendance and food security indicators. These findings underscore the importance of considering both monetary and multidimensional approaches to capture the complexity of poverty in Somalia.

Authors: Pinilla-Roncancio, M; Selden, L; Ismail, A

• Publication status: Published
• Publisher: Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)
• Host title: OPHI Working Papers
• Pages: 1-16
• Series: OPHI Working Papers
• Publication date: 2026-07-24
• ISSN: 2040-8188
• Paper number: 148
• ISBN: 978-19-1229-139-7
• Language: English
• Keywords: monetary poverty; multidimensional poverty; Somalia; biprobit models; poverty measurement; Multidimensional Poverty Index; MPI