CR-MPI report

The 2024 CR-MPI survey

Calcutta Rescue launched a data-driven approach in 2019 to assess poverty levels in the slum areas where the organization was active at the time. This resulted in the first edition of a publication, to which many unpaid researchers from Europe and India contributed by conducting this extensive research and processing and summarizing the findings in a scientific publication.

In 2024, the same MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index) study was repeated in the same neighborhoods, with the aim of investigating whether changes in living conditions had taken place.

The second study was carried out in collaboration with the University of Leeds. With additional support from researchers specialized in this field, we are pleased to share the research findings with readers on this page.

Shortly we will publish on this page the official report. For now some extracts are available for our readers

How did multidimensional poverty change during 2019-2024?

In the 19 slums that are comparable over time, multidimensional poverty is seen to have fallen, with the proportion of multidimensionally poor residents decreasing from 70.3% in 2019 to 53.5% in 2024, by 16.8 percentage points. The bar chart to the right presents the CR-MPI values of 19 slums in 2019 and 2024. The grey bars represent the CR-MPI values in 2019, whereas the black bars represent the CR-MPI values in 2024. The slums are ordered based on their CR-MPI values in 2019.

In terms of the 17 indicators, the largest reductions in deprivations since 2019 were observed in latrine facilities, living security, antenatal care, disease knowledge, and cooking fuel. However, deprivations in nutrition, contraceptive knowledge, and access to water have slightly deteriorated over time.

The bar chart above presents the CR-MPI values of 19 slums in 2019 and 2024. The grey bars represent the CR-MPI values in 2019, whereas the black bars represent the CR-MPI values in 2024. The slums are ordered based on their CR-MPI values in 2019.

Key messages

1. Evidence-based management enables more effective and accountable use of donor funding.

2. The CR-MPI approach remains relatively unique within the NGO sector.

3. The CR-MPI provides not only a needs assessment and measurement of change, but also direction for future interventions and resource allocation.

4. Involving the target population is essential for ensuring that interventions reflect community priorities, improve relevance, strengthen ownership, and support empowerment.