Subnational survey data reveal persistent gaps in living standards across 75 low and middle-income countries

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http://eprints.org/relation/isVersionOf https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/document/110077 http://eprints.org/relation/isVolatileVersionOf https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/document/110077 http://eprints.org/relation/issmallThumbnailVersionOf https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/document/110077 archive 353 disk0/00/02/06/66 2025-06-12 08:16:34 2025-06-12 08:16:34 2025-06-12 08:16:34 article show Hoffmann R. 2316 Patange O. 9378 0000-0002-6075-8214 Zimm C. 2073 0000-0001-5603-1015 Pachauri S. 1816 0000-0001-8138-3178 Belmin C. 9440 0000-0002-1680-7306 Pelz S. 9327 0000-0002-3528-8679 Brutschin E. 2250 0000-0001-7040-3057 Kikstra J. 2256 0000-0001-9405-1228 Kuhn M. 2235 Min J. 2098 0000-0002-0020-1174 Muttarak R. 1959 0000-0003-0627-4451 Riahi K. 1696 0000-0001-7193-3498 Schinko T. 8847 0000-0003-1156-7574 Mintz-Woo K. 9148 0000-0002-9216-9561 Subnational survey data reveal persistent gaps in living standards across 75 low and middle-income countries pub ECE IACC S3 TISS EF POPJUS EQU MIG Many households worldwide face substantial gaps in decent living standards (DLS), universal and essential material preconditions for achieving well-being and inclusive development. Here, we use subnational Demographic and Health Survey data from 75 low and middle-income countries (1990–2021) to explore the distribution and trends of ten living standards. We estimate that 94.9% of households in our dataset lack the material prerequisites for at least one of the ten standards, and 63.6% for one-third of them. Stark inequalities persist both within and between countries, with regions in sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the most severe deprivations. Despite some improvements, progress remains limited in critical areas such as health care, sanitation, housing, and education. Within countries, rural, agrarian households with low levels of educational attainment are particularly disadvantaged. These granular findings at the subnational level can help direct policy efforts and resources towards those populations most in need. 2025-06-11 published Nature Publishing Group doi:10.1038/s41467-025-60195-5 3234 3397 347 222 3281 3176 3271 3149 3124 208 213 250 272 3052 public Nature Communications 16 1 e4986 TRUE 2041-1723 Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES, HE 101094551) Climate Change and Human (Im)Mobility: The Role of Compound and Cascading Risks (2C-RISK, HE 101162653) yes info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/101094551/EU//SPES; info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/101162653/EU//2C-RISK info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess