Over the past 30 years, there has been an almost constant reduction in the poverty rate worldwide. Whereas nearly ** percent of the world's population lived on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars in terms of 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) in 1990, this had fallen to *** percent in 2022. This is even though the world's population was growing over the same period. However, there was a small increase in the poverty rate during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when thousands of people became unemployed overnight. Moreover, the rising cost of living in the aftermath of the pandemic and spurred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 meant that many people were struggling to make ends meet. Poverty is a regional problem Poverty can be measured in relative and absolute terms. Absolute poverty concerns basic human needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and clean drinking water, whereas relative poverty looks at whether people in different countries can afford a certain living standard. Most countries that have a high percentage of their population living in absolute poverty, meaning that they are poor compared to international standards, are regionally concentrated. African countries are most represented among the countries in which poverty prevails the most. In terms of numbers, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the most people living in poverty worldwide. Inequality on the rise How wealth, or the lack thereof, is distributed within the global population and even within countries is very unequal. In 2022, the richest one percent of the world owned almost half of the global wealth, while the poorest 50 percent owned less than two percent in the same year. Within regions, Latin America had the most unequal distribution of wealth, but this phenomenon is present in all world regions.

World poverty rate for 2023 was 47.00%, a 1% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>World poverty rate for 2022 was <strong>48.00%</strong>, a <strong>0.6% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>World poverty rate for 2021 was <strong>48.60%</strong>, a <strong>1.8% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>World poverty rate for 2020 was <strong>50.40%</strong>, a <strong>4.1% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.

Jordan JO: Poverty Gap at National Poverty Lines: % data was reported at 3.600 % in 2010. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.600 % for 2008. Jordan JO: Poverty Gap at National Poverty Lines: % data is updated yearly, averaging 3.100 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2010, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.600 % in 2010 and a record low of 2.600 % in 2008. Jordan JO: Poverty Gap at National Poverty Lines: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Jordan – Table JO.World Bank: Poverty. Poverty gap at national poverty lines is the mean shortfall from the poverty lines (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall) as a percentage of the poverty lines. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. 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 database (version August 2022) is built upon the released Global Subnational Atlas of Poverty (GSAP) (World Bank, 2021). In this database, we assemble a new panel dataset that provides different measures of inequality. This database is generated using household income and consumption surveys from the World Bank’s Global Monitoring Database (GMD), which underlie country official poverty statistics, and offers the most detailed subnational poverty data on a global scale to date. The Global Subnational Atlas of Poverty (GSAP) is produced by the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice, coordinated by the Data for Goals (D4G) team, and supported by the six regional statistics teams in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice, and Global Poverty & Inequality Data Team (GPID) in Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) at the World Bank. The Global Monitoring Database (GMD) is the World Bank’s repository of multitopic income and expenditure household surveys used to monitor global poverty and shared prosperity. The household survey data are typically collected by national statistical offices in each country, and then compiled, processed, and harmonized. The process is coordinated by the Data for Goals (D4G) team and supported by the six regional statistics teams in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice. Global Poverty & Inequality Data Team (GPID) in Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) also contributed historical data from before 1990, and recent survey data from Luxemburg Income Studies (LIS). Selected variables have been harmonized to the extent possible such that levels and trends in poverty and other key sociodemographic attributes can be reasonably compared across and within countries over time. The GMD’s harmonized microdata are currently used in Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), World Bank’s Multidimensional Poverty Measures (WB MPM), the Global Database of Shared Prosperity (GDSP), and Poverty and Shared Prosperity Reports. Reference: World Bank. (2021). World Bank estimates based on data from the Global Subnational Atlas of Poverty, Global Monitoring Database. World Bank: Washington. https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/search/dataset/0042041

Brazil poverty rate for 2022 was 23.50%, a 4.9% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Brazil poverty rate for 2021 was <strong>28.40%</strong>, a <strong>9.7% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Brazil poverty rate for 2020 was <strong>18.70%</strong>, a <strong>7.5% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Brazil poverty rate for 2019 was <strong>26.20%</strong>, a <strong>0.5% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>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.

Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 20.100 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 18.300 % for 2021. Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 21.600 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34.100 % in 1999 and a record low of 16.100 % in 2020. Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Armenia – Table AM.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2017 U.S. dollars and defined as max($2.15, $1.15 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $2.15. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Whereas less than one percent of the population in high income countries in the world lived on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2018 in terms of 2017 purchasing power parities, 44 percent of the population in low income countries did the same. On a more positive note, the poverty rate in low income countries fell by 20 percentage points from 1994 to 2018.

Chile Poverty Statistics: Los Ríos data was reported at 44,984.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 61,883.000 Person for 2015. Chile Poverty Statistics: Los Ríos data is updated yearly, averaging 101,168.000 Person from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2017, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 163,021.000 Person in 2006 and a record low of 44,984.000 Person in 2017. Chile Poverty Statistics: Los Ríos data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Social Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Chile – Table CL.H020: National Socio-Economic Characterization Survey: Poverty Situation.

Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): countries where the MPI is below 0.6. Pixels with a value lower than the specified threshold (0.6) were given a value of 1 (YES response)

The 2020 Global MPI data and publication "Charting pathways out of multidimensional poverty: Achieving the SDGs" released on 16 July 2020 by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford and the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The global MPI measures the complexities of poor people’s lives, individually and collectively, each year. This report focuses on how multidimensional poverty has declined. It provides a comprehensive picture of global trends in multidimensional poverty, covering 5 billion people. It probes patterns between and within countries and by indicator, showcasing different ways of making progress. Together with data on the $1.90 a day poverty rate, the trends monitor global poverty in different forms.

Data revision: 2020-07-16

Contact points:

Contact: Admir Jahic UNDP

Metadata contact: OCB Environment FAO-UN

Resource constraints:

license

Online resources:

Global Multidimensional Poverty Index

Charting pathways out of multidimensional poverty: Achieving the SDGs

The database (version August 2022) is built upon the released Global Subnational Atlas of Poverty (GSAP) (World Bank, 2021). In this database, we assemble a new panel dataset that provides (headcount) poverty rates using the daily poverty lines of US $1.90, $3.20, and $5.50 (based on the revised 2011 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) dollars). This database is generated using household income and consumption surveys from the World Bank’s Global Monitoring Database (GMD), which underlie country official poverty statistics, and offers the most detailed subnational poverty data on a global scale to date. The Global Subnational Atlas of Poverty (GSAP) is produced by the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice, coordinated by the Data for Goals (D4G) team, and supported by the six regional statistics teams in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice, and Global Poverty & Inequality Data Team (GPID) in Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) at the World Bank. The Global Monitoring Database (GMD) is the World Bank’s repository of multitopic income and expenditure household surveys used to monitor global poverty and shared prosperity. The household survey data are typically collected by national statistical offices in each country, and then compiled, processed, and harmonized. The process is coordinated by the Data for Goals (D4G) team and supported by the six regional statistics teams in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice. Global Poverty & Inequality Data Team (GPID) in Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) also contributed historical data from before 1990, and recent survey data from Luxemburg Income Studies (LIS). Selected variables have been harmonized to the extent possible such that levels and trends in poverty and other key sociodemographic attributes can be reasonably compared across and within countries over time. The GMD’s harmonized microdata are currently used in Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), World Bank’s Multidimensional Poverty Measures (WB MPM), the Global Database of Shared Prosperity (GDSP), and Poverty and Shared Prosperity Reports. Reference: World Bank. (2021). World Bank estimates based on data from the Global Subnational Atlas of Poverty, Global Monitoring Database. World Bank: Washington. https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/search/dataset/0042041

Thailand poverty rate for 2023 was 10.10%, a 2.8% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Thailand poverty rate for 2022 was <strong>12.90%</strong>, a <strong>1.2% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Thailand poverty rate for 2021 was <strong>14.10%</strong>, a <strong>1% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Thailand poverty rate for 2020 was <strong>15.10%</strong>, a <strong>0.1% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>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.

Bulgaria poverty rate for 2022 was 5.50%, a 1% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Bulgaria poverty rate for 2021 was <strong>6.50%</strong>, a <strong>0.7% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Bulgaria poverty rate for 2020 was <strong>5.80%</strong>, a <strong>2.4% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Bulgaria poverty rate for 2019 was <strong>8.20%</strong>, a <strong>0.9% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>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.

Chile Poverty Statistics: Female data was reported at 836,009.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,115,809.000 Person for 2015. Chile Poverty Statistics: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 1,715,728.500 Person from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2017, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,455,020.000 Person in 2006 and a record low of 836,009.000 Person in 2017. Chile Poverty Statistics: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Social Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Chile – Table CL.H020: National Socio-Economic Characterization Survey: Poverty Situation.

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.

Egypt poverty rate for 2021 was 58.50%, a 3.7% decline from 2019.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Egypt poverty rate for 2019 was <strong>62.20%</strong>, a <strong>4.6% decline</strong> from 2017.</li>
<li>Egypt poverty rate for 2017 was <strong>66.80%</strong>, a <strong>10% increase</strong> from 2015.</li>
<li>Egypt poverty rate for 2015 was <strong>56.80%</strong>, a <strong>3.8% decline</strong> from 2012.</li>
</ul>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.

AM: Proportion of People Living Below 50 Percent Of Median Income: % data was reported at 6.900 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.300 % for 2021. AM: Proportion of People Living Below 50 Percent Of Median Income: % data is updated yearly, averaging 7.300 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.800 % in 2016 and a record low of 4.600 % in 2020. AM: Proportion of People Living Below 50 Percent Of Median Income: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Armenia – Table AM.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

China poverty rate for 2021 was 21.00%, a 8.5% decline from 2020.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>China poverty rate for 2020 was <strong>29.50%</strong>, a <strong>0.6% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>China poverty rate for 2019 was <strong>28.90%</strong>, a <strong>3.3% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>China poverty rate for 2018 was <strong>32.20%</strong>, a <strong>4.1% decline</strong> from 2017.</li>
</ul>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.

The eradication of poverty and the provision of equitable and inclusive quality education for all are two intricately linked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As this year’s High Level Political Forum focuses on prosperity and poverty reduction, this paper, jointly released by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, shows why education is so central to the achievement of the SDGs and presents the latest estimates on out-of school children, adolescents and youth to demonstrate how much is at stake. The out-of school rate has not budged since 2008 at the primary level, since 2012 at the lower secondary level and since 2013 at the upper secondary level. The consequences are grave: if all adults completed secondary school, the global poverty rate would be more than halved.

Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data was reported at 3.490 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.850 % for 2020. Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data is updated yearly, averaging 2.170 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2021, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.130 % in 2019 and a record low of 1.070 % in 2006. Proportion of Population Pushed Below the 60% Median Consumption Poverty Line By Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Armenia – Table AM.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. This indicator shows the fraction of a country’s population experiencing out-of-pocket health impoverishing expenditures, defined as expenditures without which the household they live in would have been above the 60% median consumption but because of the expenditures is below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).;Global Health Observatory. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/financial-protection);Weighted average;This indicator is related to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

South Korea poverty rate for 2021 was 0.50%, a 0% increase from 2020.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>South Korea poverty rate for 2020 was <strong>0.50%</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>South Korea poverty rate for 2019 was <strong>0.50%</strong>, a <strong>0.5% decline</strong> from 2018.</li>
<li>South Korea poverty rate for 2018 was <strong>1.00%</strong>, a <strong>0.2% decline</strong> from 2017.</li>
</ul>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.