North America vs Rwanda: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line

North America
19.3%
in 2024
Rwanda
39.9%
in 2023
North America rank
12th
Rwanda rank
14th

Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line over time

  • North America
  • Rwanda
20406080198120022024

How they compare

Rwanda currently reports 39.9% against 19.3% in North America, a difference of 20.6%.

That makes Rwanda's figure about 2.1 times North America's.

Across all 6 years both countries report, Rwanda has been ahead every year.

North America ranks 12th and Rwanda ranks 14th of 14 groups.

Rwanda has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade North America Rwanda Difference Ahead
2000s 18.6% 78.2% 59.6% Rwanda
2010s 19.0% 66.4% 47.4% Rwanda
2020s 19.1% 39.9% 20.8% Rwanda

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line, North America or Rwanda?
Rwanda, at 39.9% against 19.3% in North America as of 2023.
What is the difference in poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line between North America and Rwanda?
20.6%, with Rwanda ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North America and Rwanda?
6 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
How do North America and Rwanda rank globally for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
North America ranks 12th and Rwanda ranks 14th of 14 groups.
Where does this data come from?
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 econ, published as Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

North America vs Rwanda: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line. Statizoid, drawing on 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 econ. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/poverty-headcount-ratio-at-societal-poverty-line-percent-of-population/north-america/rwanda/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/poverty-headcount-ratio-at-societal-poverty-line-percent-of-population/north-america/rwanda/">North America vs Rwanda: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population)
Unit
% of population
Source
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 econ
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
137 places, 2,860 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

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 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.