Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.

The average for 2020 based on 54 countries was 19.31 percent. The highest value was in the Gambia: 53.4 percent and the lowest value was in China: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

All the 20 countries with the highest poverty rates in the world are located in Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique were the two countries with the highest share of people living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day when adjusting for 2017 Purchasing Power Parities (PPP), both at over ** percent.

Global poverty statistics and rates by country

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.

The average for 2021 based on 71 countries was 5.3 percent. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 65.7 percent and the lowest value was in Belgium: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1963 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States (PPAAUS00000A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about child, poverty, percent, and USA.

The average for 2021 based on 71 countries was 25.11 percent. The highest value was in Niger: 96.3 percent and the lowest value was in Cyprus: 0.1 percent. The indicator is available from 1963 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2020 based on 10 countries was 30.53 percent. The highest value was in Mexico: 43.9 percent and the lowest value was in Chile: 10.8 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, all selected Latin American countries registered a higher poverty rate for women than for men. Colombia ranked among the highest poverty rates both for males and females only behind Honduras.

Among the OECD countries, Costa Rica had the highest share of children living in poverty, reaching **** percent in 2022. Türkiye followed with a share of ***percent of children living in poverty, while **** percent of children in Spain, Chile, and the United States did the same. On the other hand, only ***** percent of children in Finland were living in poverty.

All the ** countries with the highest poverty gaps worldwide at **** U.S. dollars a day in 2017 Purchasing Power Parities were located in Africa. Democratic Republic of Congo had the most severe poverty levels at ** percent. Moreover, most of the countries with the highest poverty gaps are also the countries with the highest poverty rates in the world. Whereas the poverty rate only measures the share of the population living below the poverty line, the poverty gap measures the severity of the poverty.

Sweden SE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 16.100 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.000 % for 2021. Sweden SE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 15.900 % from Dec 2007 (Median) to 2022, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.100 % in 2018 and a record low of 13.500 % in 2007. Sweden SE: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.;;This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

The average for 2021 based on 5 countries was 3.76 percent. The highest value was in India: 12.9 percent and the lowest value was in Malaysia: 0 percent. The indicator is available from 1963 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Population was 15.50% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Population reached a record high of 16.70% in December of 2016 and a record low of 15.30% in December of 2010.

Historical dataset showing World poverty rate by year from 1981 to 2023.

Definition: The indicator “proportion of the population below the international poverty line” is defined as the percentage of the population living on less than $2.15 a day at 2017 international prices. Concepts: In assessing poverty in a given country, and how best to reduce poverty, one naturally focuses on a poverty line that is considered appropriate for that country. But how do we talk meaningfully about Last updated: 2023-03-31 “global poverty?” Poverty lines across countries vary in terms of their purchasing power, and they have a strong economic gradient, such that richer countries tend to adopt higher standards of living in defining poverty. But to consistently measure global absolute poverty in terms of consumption we need to treat two people with the same purchasing power over commodities the same way—both are either poor or not poor—even if they live in different countries. Since World Development Report 1990, the World Bank has aimed to apply a common standard in measuring extreme poverty, anchored to what poverty means in the world's poorest countries. The welfare of people living in different countries can be measured on a common scale by adjusting for differences in the purchasing power of currencies. The commonly used $1 a day standard, measured in 1985 international prices and adjusted to local currency using purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates, was chosen for World Development Report 1990 because it was typical of the poverty lines in lowincome countries at the time. As differences in the cost of living across the world evolve, the international poverty line has to be periodically updated using new PPP price data to reflect these changes. The last change was in September 2022, when the World Bank adopted $2.15 as the international poverty line using the 2017 PPP. Prior to that, the 2015 update set the international poverty line at $1.90 using the 2011 PPP. Poverty measures based on international poverty lines attempt to hold the real value of the poverty line constant across countries and over time. Unit of measure: Percent (%). The unit of measure is the proportion of people.Validation: The raw data are obtained by poverty economists through their contacts in the NSOs, and checked for quality before being submitted for further analysis. The raw data can be unit-record survey data, or grouped data, depending on the agreements with the country governments. In most cases, the welfare aggregate, the essential element for poverty estimation, is generated by the country governments. Sometimes, the World Bank constructs the welfare aggregate or adjusts the aggregate provided by the countryData availability: Data are available in 160+ economies, (measured in terms of number of economies that have at least 1 data point). References: For more information and methodology, please see : https://worldbank.github.io/PIP-Methodology/. Also, consult: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/37061

Historical dataset showing OECD members poverty rate by year from N/A to N/A.

Benin BJ: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 38.500 % in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 40.100 % for 2015. Benin BJ: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 36.850 % from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2018, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 40.100 % in 2015 and a record low of 33.000 % in 2007. Benin BJ: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Benin – Table BJ.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.;;This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

In 2024, Louisiana had the highest poverty rate among U.S. states at ** percent. It was followed by Mississippi and Alabama. The state with the lowest poverty rate was New Hampshire at *** percent. The overall poverty rate of the United States stood at around **** percent that year.