developed by Bristol University UK (Gordon et al.), which
considers those who suffer from two or more deprivations as poor,
and where each dimension is defined by thresholds – capturing
moderate as well as severe deprivations. For example, the nutrition
threshold for moderate deprivation includes “Children who are
more than two standard deviations below the international
reference population for stunting, wasting or underweight,” and the
nutrition threshold for severe deprivation are “Children who are
more than three standard deviations below the international
reference population for stunting, wasting or underweight” (see
Global Study Guide and Child Poverty in the Developing World
(Gordon et al.) for a complete list of these definitions). This Brief
focuses on severe deprivations, as defining indicators in such severe
terms leaves no doubt that living conditions are unacceptable.
The Global Study country analyses mostly use data from the
Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Demographic and Health
Surveys, most commonly from 2005/6. In addition to the
quantitative analysis, a number of countries have undertaken
qualitative analyses to improve understanding of how poverty
affects children in physical, emotional and social ways.
In 2005 the total number of children in the developing world was
estimated 1.9 billion. This Brief draws upon data from 36 countries
from seven regions, of the 52 countries that are participating in the
Global Study, representing altogether coverage of 1.45 million
children. The Brief focuses on multiple severe deprivations of
children’s basic needs in the 36 countries; and while it shows some
aggregate figures for illustration, these should not be considered as
regional or global estimates. Please refer to annex 1 for a
comprehensive list of child deprivations of basic needs, for these 36
countries.
Child deprivation measure and the income measure
Out of the 1.45 million children included in this analysis
representing 36 countries (Source: UNICEF Global Study on Child
Poverty database):
51% experience at least two or more moderate deprivations of
basic needs: 731,957 children;