China vs United States: Number of people living in extreme poverty
China
1.41 billion people
in 2022
United States
336.37 million people
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Number of people living in extreme poverty over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 1.41 billion people against 336.37 million people in United States, a difference of 1.08 billion people.
That makes China's figure about 4.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 23 shared years of data; in 1981 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 120 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 108.48 million people | 234.44 million people | 125.96 million people | United States |
| 1990s | 358.68 million people | 262.83 million people | 95.84 million people | China |
| 2000s | 840.86 million people | 292.78 million people | 548.08 million people | China |
| 2010s | 1.28 billion people | 316.62 million people | 967.83 million people | China |
| 2020s | 1.41 billion people | 330.23 million people | 1.08 billion people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in extreme poverty, China or United States?
- China, at 1.41 billion people against 336.37 million people in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in number of people living in extreme poverty between China and United States?
- 1.08 billion people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2022.
- How do China and United States rank globally for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.