Botswana vs United States: Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median
Botswana
12.8%
in 2015
United States
12.1%
in 2024
Botswana rank
12th
United States rank
14th
Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median over time
- Botswana
- United States
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 12.8% against 12.1% in United States, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes Botswana's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
Across all 5 years both countries report, Botswana has been ahead every year.
Botswana ranks 12th and United States ranks 14th of 120 countries.
Botswana has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.4% | 12.3% | 4.1% | Botswana |
| 1990s | 16.3% | 12.9% | 3.4% | Botswana |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 11.4% | 3.5% | Botswana |
| 2010s | 12.8% | 10.7% | 2.1% | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median, Botswana or United States?
- Botswana, at 12.8% against 12.1% in United States as of 2015.
- What is the difference in relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median between Botswana and United States?
- 0.7%, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and United States?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2015.
- How do Botswana and United States rank globally for relative poverty: share of population below 40% of the median?
- Botswana ranks 12th and United States ranks 14th 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 40% of the median. 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% of the median.