Sweden vs United States: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $40 a day
Sweden
24.5%
in 2023
United States
22.6%
in 2024
Sweden rank
107th
United States rank
109th
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $40 a day over time
- Sweden
- United States
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 24.5% against 22.6% in United States, a difference of 1.9%.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Sweden ahead.
Sweden ranks 107th and United States ranks 109th of 120 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Sweden averaged higher in 5 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 78.1% | 41.0% | 37.1% | Sweden |
| 1980s | 72.1% | 38.0% | 34.1% | Sweden |
| 1990s | 58.5% | 35.1% | 23.4% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 44.1% | 29.8% | 14.3% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 27.8% | 28.9% | 1.1% | United States |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 21.6% | 2.2% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher poverty: share of population living on less than $40 a day, Sweden or United States?
- Sweden, at 24.5% against 22.6% in United States as of 2023.
- What is the difference in poverty: share of population living on less than $40 a day between Sweden and United States?
- 1.9%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United States?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2023.
- How do Sweden and United States rank globally for poverty: share of population living on less than $40 a day?
- Sweden ranks 107th and United States ranks 109th of 120 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Poverty: Share of population living on less than $40 a day. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $40 per day.