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.

In February 2025, the average hourly earnings of all employees in the United States was at 11.24 U.S. dollars. The data have been seasonally adjusted. The deflators used for constant-dollar earnings shown here come from the Consumer Price Indexes Programs. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Employees (CPI-U) is used to deflate the data for all employees. A comparison of the rate of wage growth versus the monthly inflation since 2020 rate can be accessed here. Real wages are wages that have been adjusted for inflation.

U.S. poverty rate for 2022 was 2.00%, a 1% increase from 2021.

• U.S. poverty rate for 2021 was 1.00%, a 0.2% decline from 2020.
• U.S. poverty rate for 2020 was 1.20%, a 0.5% decline from 2019.
• U.S. poverty rate for 2019 was 1.70%, a 0% increase from 2018.

Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

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.

Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

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.

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.

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 March of 2025.

Inflation was the most worrying topic worldwide as of January 2025, with one third 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, nine percent of the respondents were worried about military conflict between nations. Only four 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 was the third most worrying issue 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.

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 March of 2025.

In 2025, over 24.6 million people in Mozambique lived in extreme poverty (with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day), the highest number within Southern Africa. The country also scored the highest share of its overall population living below the poverty line in the region. On the other hand, Botswana had the lowest number of just over 322,400 people living in impoverished conditions, accounting for 13 percent of the overall population.

In 2023, 8.3 percent of the families in the U.S. lived in poverty, reflecting a slight decrease from the previous year. The poverty rate of families in the last years has consistently been a decrease from a poverty rate of more than 10 percent in 1990.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Nome Census Area, AK was 22.40% in January of 2020, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Nome Census Area, AK reached a record high of 27.70 in January of 2013 and a record low of 21.50 in January of 2019. 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 Nome Census Area, AK - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Leslie County, KY was 27.30% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Leslie County, KY reached a record high of 38.00 in January of 2019 and a record low of 21.10 in January of 2012. 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 Leslie County, KY - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

In 2025, over 20.4 million people in Madagascar lived in extreme poverty (less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day), the highest number within East Africa. However, this accounts for 66 percent of the overall population living below the poverty line in the country. Uganda and Malawi followed, with almost 18.5 million and more than 17.2 million people living in destitution, respectively.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Orange County, NY was 13.00% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Orange County, NY reached a record high of 13.00 in January of 2022 and a record low of 11.40 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 Orange County, NY - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Stokes County, NC was 12.00% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Stokes County, NC reached a record high of 17.40 in January of 2012 and a record low of 12.00 in January of 2022. 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 Stokes County, NC - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

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.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Clayton County, IA was 13.60% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Clayton County, IA reached a record high of 13.60 in January of 2023 and a record low of 9.00 in January of 2018. 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 Clayton County, IA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

In 2025, 81 percent of the population in South Sudan and Burundi lived in extreme poverty (with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day), the highest scores recorded in the East African region. Mauritius registered the lowest share, with one percent of the population living in destitute conditions.