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 2023, about **** percent of children under 18-years-old were living below the poverty line in the United States, significantly lower than 1990. While still high, the rate has seen a general decline throughout the last decade. Historic lows were recorded in 2019 when the child poverty rate was **** percent.

Italy - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 22.40% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Italy - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on August of 2025. Historically, Italy - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 30.70% in December of 2015 and a record low of 21.70% in December of 2022.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR
Poverty (EQ5)

FULL MEASURE NAME
The share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit

LAST UPDATED
January 2023

DESCRIPTION
Poverty refers to the share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit, which varies based on the number of individuals in a given household. It reflects the number of individuals who are economically struggling due to low household income levels.

DATA SOURCE
U.S Census Bureau: Decennial Census - http://www.nhgis.org
1980-2000

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey - https://data.census.gov/
2007-2021
Form C17002

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@mtc.ca.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
The U.S. Census Bureau defines a national poverty level (or household income) that varies by household size, number of children in a household, and age of householder. The national poverty level does not vary geographically even though cost of living is different across the United States. For the Bay Area, where cost of living is high and incomes are correspondingly high, an appropriate poverty level is 200% of poverty or twice the national poverty level, consistent with what was used for past equity work at MTC and ABAG. For comparison, however, both the national and 200% poverty levels are presented.

For Vital Signs, the poverty rate is defined as the number of people (including children) living below twice the poverty level divided by the number of people for whom poverty status is determined. The household income definitions for poverty change each year to reflect inflation. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or non-cash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid and food stamps).

For the national poverty level definitions by year, see: US Census Bureau Poverty Thresholds - https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html.

For an explanation on how the Census Bureau measures poverty, see: How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty - https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html.

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year data is used for larger geographies – Bay counties and most metropolitan area counties – while smaller geographies rely upon 5-year rolling average data due to their smaller sample sizes. Note that 2020 data uses the 5-year estimates because the ACS did not collect 1-year data for 2020.

To be consistent across metropolitan areas, the poverty definition for non-Bay Area metros is twice the national poverty level. Data were not adjusted for varying income and cost of living levels across the metropolitan areas.

Slovakia - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 20.90% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Slovakia - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, Slovakia - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 24.50% in December of 2023 and a record low of 4.10% in December of 2018.

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.

Time series data for the statistic Poverty_Headcount_Ratio_at_1.90USD_a_Day and country Uganda. Indicator Definition:Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.90 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.The statistic "Poverty Headcount Ratio at 1.90USD a Day" stands at 59.80 percent as of 12/31/2019, the lowest value since 12/31/2013. Regarding the Three-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes a decrease of -0.3 percentage points compared to the value three years prior.The 3 year change in percentage points is -0.3.The 10 year change in percentage points is -3.70.The Serie's long term average value is 70.24 percent. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2019, is 10.44 percentage points lower, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percentage points from it's minimum value, on 12/31/2012, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2019, is +3.60.The Serie's change in percentage points from it's maximum value, on 12/31/1999, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2019, is -20.80.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR
Poverty (EQ5)

FULL MEASURE NAME
The share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit

LAST UPDATED
January 2023

DESCRIPTION
Poverty refers to the share of the population living in households that earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty limit, which varies based on the number of individuals in a given household. It reflects the number of individuals who are economically struggling due to low household income levels.

DATA SOURCE
U.S Census Bureau: Decennial Census - http://www.nhgis.org
1980-2000

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey - https://data.census.gov/
2007-2021
Form C17002

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@mtc.ca.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
The U.S. Census Bureau defines a national poverty level (or household income) that varies by household size, number of children in a household, and age of householder. The national poverty level does not vary geographically even though cost of living is different across the United States. For the Bay Area, where cost of living is high and incomes are correspondingly high, an appropriate poverty level is 200% of poverty or twice the national poverty level, consistent with what was used for past equity work at MTC and ABAG. For comparison, however, both the national and 200% poverty levels are presented.

For Vital Signs, the poverty rate is defined as the number of people (including children) living below twice the poverty level divided by the number of people for whom poverty status is determined. The household income definitions for poverty change each year to reflect inflation. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or non-cash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid and food stamps).

For the national poverty level definitions by year, see: US Census Bureau Poverty Thresholds - https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html.

For an explanation on how the Census Bureau measures poverty, see: How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty - https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/guidance/poverty-measures.html.

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year data is used for larger geographies – Bay counties and most metropolitan area counties – while smaller geographies rely upon 5-year rolling average data due to their smaller sample sizes. Note that 2020 data uses the 5-year estimates because the ACS did not collect 1-year data for 2020.

To be consistent across metropolitan areas, the poverty definition for non-Bay Area metros is twice the national poverty level. Data were not adjusted for varying income and cost of living levels across the metropolitan areas.

Netherlands - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 12.80% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Netherlands - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, Netherlands - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 14.20% in December of 2023 and a record low of 8.10% in December of 2018.

Time series data for the statistic Poverty_Headcount_Ratio_at_1.90USD_a_Day and country Malta. Indicator Definition:Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.90 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.

Denmark - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 10.90% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Denmark - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on August of 2025. Historically, Denmark - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 10.90% in December of 2024 and a record low of 5.90% in December of 2017.

From 2017 to 2021, the share of households living under the poverty line in Venezuela has been surpassing 90 percent. In addition, more than six out of every ten households (67.97 percent) lived in extreme poverty in 2021. The overall household poverty rate in Venezuela has registered a steady growth from 2014 to 2019, after having remained relatively stable, below 40 percent, since 2005. Although poverty is widespread among the population as a whole, some groups are more vulnerable than others. That is the case of younger generations and particularly children: 98.03 percent of Venezuelans aged 15 or younger lived in poverty in 2021. An economy in disarray Venezuela, the country with the largest oil reserves in the world and whose economy has been largely dependent on oil revenues for decades, was once one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America. Today, hyperinflation and an astronomic public debt are only some of the many pressing concerns that affect the domestic economy. The socio-economic consequences of the crisis As a result of the economic recession, more than half of the population in every state in Venezuela lives in extreme poverty. This issue is particularly noteworthy in the states of Amazonas, Monagas, and Falcón, where the extreme poverty rate hovers over 80 percent. Such alarming levels of poverty, together with persistent food shortages, provoked a rapid increase in undernourishment, which was estimated at 17.9 percent between 2020 and 2022. The combination of humanitarian crisis, political turmoil and economic havoc led to the Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis. As of 2020, more than five million Venezuelans had fled their home country, with neighboring Colombia being the main country of destination.

Abstract

The main objective of the 2019 Chattogram for Low Income Area Gender, Inclusion, and Poverty (CITY) study is to collect primary data from male and female residents in slum and non-slum poor neighborhoods in Chattogram, the second largest city of Bangladesh, and build the evidence base about their constraints to access more and better jobs. The CITY survey was designed to shed light on poverty, economic empowerment, and livelihood in urban areas of Bangladesh as well as to identify key constraints and solutions for low-income women trying to obtain better jobs.

A broad array of information was collected on issues related to women's economic empowerment, ranging from demographic and socioeconomic characteristics to detailed work history, time use, attitudes about work, and perceptions of work. The key feature of this survey is to collect economic data directly from the main household members, generally the main couples, unlike traditional surveys which only interviewed the heads of households (who tend to be men in most cases); thus, failed to gather valuable information from the female population.

Geographic coverage

Poor areas of slum & non-slum areas of Chattogram, the second largest city of Bangladesh.

Analysis unit

Household, individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The CITY 2019 survey was designed using a two-stage sampling strategy. The major features include the following steps:

FIRST STAGE: The primary sampling units (PSUs) in the first stage were selected using a probability proportional to size (PPS) methods. Using the 2011 census sampling frame, low-income PSUs were defined as non-slum census enumeration areas (EAs) using the 2011 Bangladesh Poverty Map. Three strata were used for sampling the low-income EAs. These strata were defined based on the poverty head-count ratios. The first stratum encompasses EAs with a poverty headcount ratio less than 10%; the second stratum between 11% and 14%; and the third stratum, those exceeding 15%. Overall, 22 low-income EAs were selected in the Chattogram City Corporation (CC).

Slums were defined as informal settlements that were listed in the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' slum census from 2013/14. This census was used as sampling frame of the slum areas. Based on the sizes of the slums, three strata were used for sampling purposes. This time the strata were based on the size of the slums. The first stratum comprises slums of 50 to 75 households; the second 76 to 99 households; and the third, more than 100 households. Small slums with fewer than 50 households were not included in the sampling frame. Overall, 18 slums were included as a part of the survey.

SECOND STAGE: The second stage of the selection process in each of the EAs began with a listing exercise. For very large EAs, a smaller section was delineated for the listing. The second level of stratification are defined as follows:

i) Households with both working-age male and female members; ii) Households with only a working-age female; iii) Households with only a working-age male.

Households were randomly selected from each stratum with the predetermined ratio of 16:3:1. Overall, data was collected from 805 households (1289 individuals - 580 in slum and 709 in non-slum areas).

Sampling deviation

For EAs where the ratio was unable to be attained due to absence of households in certain strata, households from the first category to arrive at a final number of 20 per EA.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Response rate

77%

Lithuania - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 14.90% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Lithuania - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, Lithuania - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 22.70% in December of 2019 and a record low of 5.90% in December of 2009.

Abstract

The 2018 Dhaka Low Income Area Gender, Inclusion, and Poverty (DIGNITY) survey attempts to fill in the data and knowledge gaps on women's economic empowerment in urban areas, specifically the factors that constrain women in slums and low-income neighborhoods from engaging in the labor market and supplying their labor to wage earning or self-employment. While an array of national-level datasets has collected a wide spectrum of information, they rarely comprise all of the information needed to study the drivers of Female Labor Force Participation (FLFP). This data gap is being filled by the primary data collection of the specialized DIGNITY survey; it is representative of poor urban areas and is specifically designed to address these limitations. The DIGNITY survey collected information from 1,300 urban households living in poor areas of Dhaka in 2018 on a range of issues that affect FLFP as identified through the literature. These range from household composition and demographic characteristics to socioeconomic characteristics such as detailed employment history and income (including locational data and travel details); and from technical and educational attributes to issues of time use, migration history, and attitudes and perceptions.

The DIGNITY survey was designed to shed light on poverty, economic empowerment, and livelihood in urban areas of Bangladesh. It has two main modules: the traditional household module (in which the head of household is interviewed on basic information about the household); and the individual module, in which two respondents from each household are interviewed individually. In the second module, two persons - one male and one female from each household, usually the main couple, are selected for the interview. The survey team deployed one male and one female interviewer for each household, so that the gender of the interviewers matched that of the respondents. Collecting economic data directly from a female and male household member, rather than just the head of the household (who tend to be men in most cases), was a key feature of the DIGNITY survey.

Geographic coverage

The DIGNITY survey is representative of low-income areas and slums of the Dhaka City Corporations (North and South, from here on referred to as Dhaka CCs), and an additional low-income site from the Greater Dhaka Statistical Metropolitan Area (SMA).

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling procedure followed a two-stage stratification design. The major features include the following steps (they are discussed in more detail in a copy of the study's report and the sampling document located in "External Resources"):

FIRST STAGE: Selection of the PSUs

Low-income primary sampling units (PSUs) were defined as nonslum census enumeration areas (EAs), in which the small-sample area estimate of the poverty rate is higher than 8 percent (using the 2011 Bangladesh Poverty Map). The sampling frame for these low-income areas in the Dhaka City Corporations (CCs) and Greater Dhaka is based on the population census of 2011. For the Dhaka CCs, all low-income census EAs formed the sampling frame. In the Greater Dhaka area, the frame was formed by all low-income census EAs in specific thanas (i.e. administrative unit in Bangladesh) where World Bank project were located.

Three strata were used for sampling the low-income EAs. These strata were defined based on the poverty head-count ratios. The first stratum encompasses EAs with a poverty headcount ratio between 8 and 10 percent; the second stratum between 11 and 14 percent; and the third stratum, those exceeding 15 percent.

Slums were defined as informal settlements that were listed in the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' slum census from 2013/14. This census was used as sampling frame of the slum areas. Only slums in the Dhaka City Corporations are included. Again, three strata were used to sample the slums. This time the strata were based on the size of the slums. The first stratum comprises slums of 50 to 75 households; the second 76 to 99 households; and the third, 100 or more households. Small slums with fewer than 50 households were not included in the sampling frame. Very small slums were included in the low-income neighborhood selection if they are in a low-income area.

Altogether, the DIGNITY survey collected data from 67 PSUs.

SECOND STAGE: Selection of the Households

In each sampled PSU a complete listing of households was done to form the frame for the second stage of sampling: the selection of households. When the number of households in a PSU was very large, smaller sections of the neighborhood were identified, and one section was randomly selected to be listed. The listing data collected information on the demographics of the household to determine whether a household fell into one of the three categories that were used to stratify the household sample:

i) households with both working-age male and female members; ii) households with only a working-age female; iii) households with only a working-age male.

Households were selected from each stratum with the predetermined ratio of 16:3:1. In some cases there were not enough households in categories (ii) and (iii) to stick to this ratio; in this case all of the households in the category were sampled, and additional households were selected from the first category to bring the total number of households sampled in each PSU to 20.

The total sample consisted of 1,300 households (2,378 individuals).

Sampling deviation

The sampling for 1300 households was planned after the listing exercise. During the field work, about 115 households (8.8 percent) could not be interviewed due to household refusal or absence. These households were replaced with reserved households in the sample.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

The questionnaires for the survey were developed by the World Bank, with assistance from the survey firm, DATA. Comments were incorporated following the pilot tests and practice session/pretest.

Cleaning operations

Collected data was entered into a computer by using the customized MS Access data input software developed by Data Analysis and Technical Assistance (DATA). Once data entry was completed, two different techniques were employed to check consistency and validity of data as follows:

1. Five (5%) percent of the filled-in questionnaire was checked against entered data to measure the transmission error or typos, and;
2. A logical consistency checking technique was employed to identify inconsistencies using SPSS and or STATA software.

Czech Republic - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 13.50% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Czech Republic - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, Czech Republic - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 13.50% in December of 2024 and a record low of 3.70% in December of 2018.

As of 2019/2020, the poverty rate was ***** percent of the total population in Egypt. This was **** percentage points lower than in 2017/2018. Overall, since 1999/2000 the poverty rate followed an increasing trend, up from **** percent that year, dropping only 2019/2020.

Hungary - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 10.40% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Hungary - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, Hungary - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 22.70% in December of 2013 and a record low of 5.00% in December of 2022.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. This study contains variables derived from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The main ELSA study is held at the UKDA under SN 5050. The project consisted of a six-month ESRC User Fellowship (awarded to Malcolm Nicholls of the Department for Work and Pensions), examining factors leading to income poverty in old age, focusing on the influence of work histories and other life course factors. While much is known about the income position of current pensioners and the characteristics of those on low incomes, there is relatively little evidence about the life experiences which lead to these outcomes. The research that exists suggests that such events may have less of an impact on low income in later life than has generally been assumed. This may be because of the role of the state in protecting people against disrupted and interrupted work histories. The lack of research in this area in the UK reflects, in part, the limited availability of suitable longitudinal datasets. The life history data collected in the ELSA study was used to investigate how far low incomes in retirement are associated with people's work, partnership, parenting and health experiences once the role of the state is taken into account. This study found that for the most part life-course events as measured here are not strongly associated with the chances of being on a low income in retirement. Low income risks, however, are typically best explained by a range of individual characteristics, many of which - such as social class and education - reflect circumstances or events earlier in a person's life. It appears that, while some aspects of an individual's life course do have a lingering impact on later life incomes, the direct effect of other life history variables for individuals is mitigated by the operation of state pensions and other benefits, and for women, by the role of marriage. The results of the study will help to inform the development of policy, by providing a better understanding of the causes of low income in old age. Users are also advised to consult the main ELSA data and documentation (SN 5050). Further information may be found on the project's ESRC award and UPTAP web pages. Main Topics: Topics covered include length of time spent in paid work and in marriage, the timing of retirement, the number of children and timing of childbirth, and whether ill-health as an adult or as a child had been experienced. The modelling looks at the influence of these factors alongside a range of other characteristics such as social class and educational attainment. See main ELSA study for details of sampling.

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years was 17.10% 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 anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on July of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate anchored at a fixed moment in time (2005): Less than 18 years reached a record high of 18.50% in December of 2019 and a record low of 14.50% in December of 2018.