In 2023, the around 11.1 percent of the population was living below the national poverty line in the United States. Poverty in the United StatesAs shown in the statistic above, the poverty rate among all people living in the United States has shifted within the last 15 years. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines poverty as follows: “Absolute poverty measures poverty in relation to the amount of money necessary to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. The concept of absolute poverty is not concerned with broader quality of life issues or with the overall level of inequality in society.” The poverty rate in the United States varies widely across different ethnic groups. American Indians and Alaska Natives are the ethnic group with the most people living in poverty in 2022, with about 25 percent of the population earning an income below the poverty line. In comparison to that, only 8.6 percent of the White (non-Hispanic) population and the Asian population were living below the poverty line in 2022. Children are one of the most poverty endangered population groups in the U.S. between 1990 and 2022. Child poverty peaked in 1993 with 22.7 percent of children living in poverty in that year in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the child poverty rate in the United States was increasing every year; however,this rate was down to 15 percent in 2022. The number of people living in poverty in the U.S. varies from state to state. Compared to California, where about 4.44 million people were living in poverty in 2022, the state of Minnesota had about 429,000 people living in poverty.

Historical chart and dataset showing U.S. poverty rate by year from 1963 to 2023.

Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States was 12.50% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States reached a record high of 15.90 in January of 2011 and a record low of 11.30 in January of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Between 2023 and 2024, the share of school districts that reported providing or having plans to provide AI training for teachers increased for all districts in the United States, regardless of their poverty status. By 2025, ** percent of low-poverty districts were projected to provide AI training for teachers, compared to ** percent of middle-poverty districts and ** percent of high-poverty districts.

In 2023 the poverty rate in the United States was highest among people between 18 and 24, with a rate of 16 percent for male Americans and a rate of 21 percent for female Americans. The lowest poverty rate for both men and women was for those aged between 45 and 54. What is the poverty line? The poverty line is a metric used by the U.S. Census Bureau to define poverty in the United States. It is a specific income level that is considered to be the bare minimum a person or family needs to meet their basic needs. If a family’s annual pre-tax income is below this income level, then they are considered impoverished. The poverty guideline for a family of four in 2021 was 26,500 U.S. dollars. Living below the poverty line According to the most recent data, almost one-fifth of African Americans in the United States live below the poverty line; the most out of any ethnic group. Additionally, over 7.42 million families in the U.S. live in poverty – a figure that has held mostly steady since 1990, outside the 2008 financial crisis which threw 9.52 million families into poverty by 2012. The poverty gender gap Wage inequality has been an ongoing discussion in U.S. discourse for many years now. The poverty gap for women is most pronounced during their child-bearing years, shrinks, and then grows again in old age. While progress has been made on the gender pay gap over the last 30 years, there are still significant disparities, even in occupations that predominantly employ men. Additionally, women are often having to spend more time attending to child and household duties than men.

Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Kitsap County, WA was 8.70% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Kitsap County, WA reached a record high of 11.40 in January of 2013 and a record low of 7.50 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Kitsap County, WA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides official estimates and projections of the Veteran population using the Veteran Population Projection Model (VetPop). Based on the latest model VetPop2023 and the most recent national survey estimates from the 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year (ACS) data, the projected number of Veterans living in the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico for fiscal years, 2023 to 2025, are allocated to Urban and Rural areas. As defined by the Census Bureau, Rural encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an Urban area (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html). This table contains the Veteran estimates by urban/rural, age group, poverty, and disability. The poverty level and disability are determined by ACS based on responses on total income and functional difficulties. Refer to the sections on Poverty and Disability Status in the document, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/tech_docs/subject_definitions/2023_ACSSubjectDefinitions.pdf Note: rounding to the nearest 1,000 is always appropriate for VetPop estimates.

In 2025, nearly 11.7 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. Moreover, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 11.7 percent of the global population in extreme poverty. Other African nations with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Poverty levels remain high despite the forecast decline Poverty is a widespread issue across Africa. Around 429 million people on the continent were living below the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2024. Since the continent had approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants, roughly a third of Africa’s population was in extreme poverty that year. Mozambique, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Niger had Africa’s highest extreme poverty rates based on the 2.15 U.S. dollars per day extreme poverty indicator (updated from 1.90 U.S. dollars in September 2022). Although the levels of poverty on the continent are forecast to decrease in the coming years, Africa will remain the poorest region compared to the rest of the world. Prevalence of poverty and malnutrition across Africa Multiple factors are linked to increased poverty. Regions with critical situations of employment, education, health, nutrition, war, and conflict usually have larger poor populations. Consequently, poverty tends to be more prevalent in least-developed and developing countries worldwide. For similar reasons, rural households also face higher poverty levels. In 2024, the extreme poverty rate in Africa stood at around 45 percent among the rural population, compared to seven percent in urban areas. Together with poverty, malnutrition is also widespread in Africa. Limited access to food leads to low health conditions, increasing the poverty risk. At the same time, poverty can determine inadequate nutrition. Almost 38.3 percent of the global undernourished population lived in Africa in 2022.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Middlesex County, MA was 7.50% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Middlesex County, MA reached a record high of 8.40 in January of 2014 and a record low of 7.20 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Middlesex County, MA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

In the U.S., the share of the population living in poverty fluctuated significantly throughout the six decades between 1987 and 2023. In 2023, the poverty level across all races and ethnicities was 11.1 percent. Black Americans have been the ethnic group with the highest share of their population living in poverty almost every year since 1974. In 1979 alone, Black poverty was well over double the national average, and over four times the poverty rate in white communities; in 1982, almost 48 percent of the Black population lived in poverty. Although poverty rates have been trending downward across all ethnic groups, 17.8 percent of Black Americans and 18.9 percent of American Indian and Alaskan Natives still lived below the poverty line in 2022.

In 2023, nine percent of the population in Ghana lived in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 1.90 U.S. dollars a day. The share was equivalent to nearly three million people. By 2025, the extreme poverty rate is projected to decrease to eight percent.

In 2023, 15.4 percent of Black families were living below the poverty line in the United States. Poverty is the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing, and shelter.

Estimate of People Age 0-17 in Poverty in Wisconsin was 157510.00000 Persons in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimate of People Age 0-17 in Poverty in Wisconsin reached a record high of 248924.00000 in January of 2010 and a record low of 144428.00000 in January of 2002. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimate of People Age 0-17 in Poverty in Wisconsin - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

In 2025, around ***** million people in Africa were living in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at **** U.S. dollars a day. The number of poor people on the continent dropped slightly compared to the previous year. Poverty in Africa is expected to decline slightly in the coming years, even in the face of a growing population. The number of inhabitants living below the extreme poverty line would decrease to around *** million by 2030.

Poverty Universe, All Ages for United States was 317741588.00000 Persons in January of 2017, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Poverty Universe, All Ages for United States reached a record high of 317741588.00000 in January of 2017 and a record low of 271059449.00000 in January of 1998. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Poverty Universe, All Ages for United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

As of 2022, nearly ** million people in Tanzania lived in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at **** U.S. dollars a day. Roughly 100,000 people were pushed into poverty compared to 2021, possibly a remaining effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The headcount was, however, forecast to decrease in the coming years. By 2025, **** million Tanzanians are projected to live on a maximum of **** U.S. dollars per day.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Canadian County, OK was 8.60% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Canadian County, OK reached a record high of 8.60 in January of 2023 and a record low of 7.00 in January of 2013. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Canadian County, OK - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Inflation was the most worrying topic worldwide as of May 2025, with ********* of the respondents choosing that option. Crime and violence, as well as poverty and social inequality, followed behind. Moreover, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, *** percent of the respondents were worried about military conflict between nations. Only *** percent were worried about the COVID-19 pandemic, which dominated the world after its outbreak in 2020. Global inflation and rising prices Inflation rates have spiked substantially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, the worldwide inflation rate increased from 3.5 percent to 4.7 percent, and from 2021 to 2022, the rate increased sharply from 4.7 percent to 8.7 percent. While rates are predicted to fall come 2025, many are continuing to struggle with price increases on basic necessities. Poverty and global development Poverty and social inequality were the third most worrying issues to respondents. While poverty and inequality are still prominent, global poverty rates have been on a steady decline over the years. In 1994, 64 percent of people in low-income countries and around one percent of people in high-income countries lived on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars per day. By 2018, this had fallen to almost 44 percent of people in low-income countries and 0.6 percent in high-income countries. Moreover, fewer people globally are dying of preventable diseases, and people are living longer lives. Despite these aspects, issues such as wealth inequality have global prominence.

Estimate of People of All Ages in Poverty in United States was 40763043.00000 Persons in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimate of People of All Ages in Poverty in United States reached a record high of 48810868.00000 in January of 2013 and a record low of 31528020.00000 in January of 1989. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimate of People of All Ages in Poverty in United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Maryland was 9.70% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Maryland reached a record high of 10.40 in January of 2012 and a record low of 7.70 in January of 2001. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for Maryland - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.