The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is an index of acute multidimensional poverty that covers over 100 developing countries. It assesses the nature and intensity of poverty, by directly measuring the overlapping deprivations poor people experience at once, then building up from this information. It provides a vivid picture of how and where people are poor, within and across countries, regions and the world, enabling policymakers to better target their resources at those most in need through integrated policy interventions that tackle the many different aspects of poverty together. This brief explains how the Global MPI is constructed and how it can be used, and summarises a number of analyses of the Global MPI figures released in June 2015.