United Kingdom vs United States: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day
United Kingdom
15.2%
in 2021
United States
13.1%
in 2024
United Kingdom rank
101st
United States rank
104th
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 15.2% against 13.1% in United States, a difference of 2.1%.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1968 it was United Kingdom ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 101st and United States ranks 104th of 120 countries.
United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.8% | 31.5% | 45.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 70.2% | 25.7% | 44.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 55.2% | 24.3% | 30.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 37.4% | 22.0% | 15.4% | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 21.6% | 18.3% | 3.3% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 18.1% | 17.4% | 0.8% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 15.8% | 9.8% | 6.0% | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day, United Kingdom or United States?
- United Kingdom, at 15.2% against 13.1% in United States as of 2021.
- What is the difference in poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day between United Kingdom and United States?
- 2.1%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1968 to 2021.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- United Kingdom ranks 101st and United States ranks 104th 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 $30 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 $30 per day.