Utilising first order dominance methodology to evaluate Multidimensional Poverty in Mozambique

National assessments produced regularly from 1996/97 to 2019/20 provide standard estimates of poverty evolution in Mozambique. We rely on first order dominance (FOD) methodology to check their robustness and provide deeper insights into what happened in this country affected by extreme poverty. Maputo City and Maputo Province progressively came to dominate all other provinces; the provincial rankings from spatial FOD analysis are very stable over time. Areas, concentrated in the northern and central regions, are with few exceptions always at the bottom of the ranking. Moreover, our FOD temporal analysis reveals that 2019/20 dominates with a high degree of confidence the results from earlier years with one important exception. The comparison between 2019/20 and 2014/15 is indeterminate. The compelling need for concerted policy action to address the strong and persistent spatial gaps in welfare and poverty, including the capacity to respond to external and internal shocks stands out.