Poverty in Mozambique has increased in recent years – with 74% of the population living in poverty in 2019/20, compared with 64.6% in 2014/15.
The picture is not consistent across the country, however. Poverty is higher in the north and centre of the country than in the south. And young people, less educated people and agricultural workers are at highest risk.
More recently, the economy has begun to recover. It grew 5% in 2023, largely thanks to the agriculture and services sectors and the production of liquefied natural gas. But gas production reached capacity in 2024 and bad weather affected crops, slowing growth and causing poverty to rise.
Everywhere we work, we seek answers to three questions:
Much of our work in Mozambique has involved testing assumptions about poverty. We’ve shown how spatial data from satellite imagery could provide more detailed understanding of poverty in remote neighbourhoods. We’ve used advanced statistical techniques to provide new insights into why poverty has increased – and shared our findings with Mozambique’s government. In these ways and more, we’re helping to develop a clearer picture and inspire strategic decision-making.
Mean years of schooling = 4.6 years (2023), 3.7 years for females, 5.7 years for males – – HDI scale
of the rural population live in poverty
of the population has no access no limited-standard sanitation
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