Food and energy price shocks can place lasting pressure on low-income households, according to an IMF study released on October 6 and covered by VietnamPlus. Because poorer households spend more of their budgets on essentials, the inflation they experience may exceed conventional measures. The study estimates that extreme poverty in 2021-24 could have affected about 23 million more people than earlier calculations indicated. It recommends targeted direct support for vulnerable groups. The figures are model-based estimates for that historical period, not a count of people newly falling into poverty in 2026.