Objective  To explore the status of multidimensional poverty and a suitable method for its measurement among the children aged 0 – 35 months in poor rural areas of China.

  Methods  The data on 1 754 less than 3 years old children and their caregivers were extracted from a cross-sectional survey conducted in poor rural areas of Shanxi and Guizhou province between July and September 2013. The 6 dimensions of multidimensional poverty included water and sanitation, nutrition, health, early education, protection, and participation. Multiple overlapping deprivation analysis (MODA) was adopted to evaluate multidimensional poverty and family income method was used in income poverty assessment.

  Results  The rate of multi-dimensional child poverty (deprived in three or more dimensions) was 53.08 % and the rate of income poverty (annual per capita income of less than 2 300 RMB yuan) was 47.04 %. The rate of water and sanitation deprivation (90.25 %) was the highest and the rates of other deprivations were 52.96 % for early education, 46.69 % for protection, 35.58 % for health, 25.66 % for participation, and 15.30 % for nutrition. Water and sanitation and early education exhibited greater contribution to child poverty, accounting for 26.53 % and 22.06 % of the total poverty. The poverty rate was significantly higher among the small children in Guizhou province than among those in Shanxi province. The poverty rate was much higher among the children at younger age, being ethnic minority, with lower maternal education, with more family members, and with a poor household economic condition.

  Conclusion  Multidimensional poverty is serious among small children in poor rural areas of Shanxi and Guizhou province and economic support alone could hardly improve the well-being of the children. Multidimensional measurement of poverty is helpful to identify and assess child poverty for making targeted strategies in promoting the well-being of the children.