El Salvador vs Malaysia: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median
El Salvador
16.2%
in 2023
Malaysia
16.5%
in 2021
El Salvador rank
26th
Malaysia rank
23rd
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median over time
- El Salvador
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 16.5% against 16.2% in El Salvador, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1989 it was El Salvador ahead.
El Salvador ranks 26th and Malaysia ranks 23rd of 120 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, El Salvador averaged higher in 4 and Malaysia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | El Salvador | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.5% | 18.6% | 6.8% | El Salvador |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 20.8% | 0.3% | El Salvador |
| 2000s | 20.3% | 19.7% | 0.6% | El Salvador |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 17.0% | 1.5% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.5% | 0.5% | El Salvador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median, El Salvador or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 16.5% against 16.2% in El Salvador as of 2021.
- What is the difference in relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median between El Salvador and Malaysia?
- 0.3%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for El Salvador and Malaysia?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2021.
- How do El Salvador and Malaysia rank globally for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- El Salvador ranks 26th and Malaysia ranks 23rd 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 50% 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 50% of the median.