Nicaragua vs United States: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income

Nicaragua
18.3%
in 2014
United States
18.9%
in 2024
Nicaragua rank
19th
United States rank
16th

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income over time

  • Nicaragua
  • United States
0102030196319932024

How they compare

United States currently reports 18.9% against 18.3% in Nicaragua, a difference of 0.6%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 6 shared years of data; in 1993 it was Nicaragua ahead.

Nicaragua ranks 19th and United States ranks 16th of 123 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Nicaragua United States Difference Ahead
1990s 24.1% 18.4% 5.7% Nicaragua
2000s 17.6% 17.5% 0.0% Nicaragua
2010s 18.3% 17.0% 1.3% Nicaragua

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, Nicaragua or United States?
United States, at 18.9% against 18.3% in Nicaragua as of 2024.
What is the difference in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income between Nicaragua and United States?
0.6%, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and United States?
6 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2014.
How do Nicaragua and United States rank globally for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
Nicaragua ranks 19th and United States ranks 16th of 123 countries.
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 Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nicaragua vs United States: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income. 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 18 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent/nicaragua/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Unit
%
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
123 places, 2,300 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

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 2021 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.