China vs India: Share of population living in extreme poverty
China
5.0%
in 2018
India
9.0%
in 2018
China rank
7th
India rank
5th
Share of population living in extreme poverty over time
- China
- India
How they compare
India currently reports 9.0% against 5.0% in China, a difference of 4.0%.
That makes India's figure about 1.8 times China's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 21 shared years of data; in 1820 it was China ahead.
China ranks 7th and India ranks 5th of 25 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, China averaged higher in 18 and India in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 76.0% | 65.0% | 11.0% | China |
| 1830s | 76.0% | 65.0% | 11.0% | China |
| 1840s | 77.0% | 65.0% | 12.0% | China |
| 1850s | 78.0% | 65.0% | 13.0% | China |
| 1860s | 78.0% | 67.0% | 11.0% | China |
| 1870s | 77.0% | 70.0% | 7.0% | China |
| 1880s | 76.0% | 68.0% | 8.0% | China |
| 1890s | 73.0% | 63.0% | 10.0% | China |
| 1900s | 74.0% | 61.0% | 13.0% | China |
| 1910s | 77.0% | 51.0% | 26.0% | China |
| 1920s | 76.0% | 57.0% | 19.0% | China |
| 1930s | 77.0% | 48.0% | 29.0% | China |
| 1940s | 79.0% | 53.0% | 26.0% | China |
| 1950s | 84.0% | 61.0% | 23.0% | China |
| 1960s | 73.0% | 66.0% | 7.0% | China |
| 1970s | 75.0% | 67.0% | 8.0% | China |
| 1980s | 53.0% | 49.0% | 4.0% | China |
| 1990s | 42.0% | 47.0% | 5.0% | India |
| 2000s | 33.0% | 32.0% | 1.0% | China |
| 2010s | 12.0% | 16.0% | 4.0% | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in extreme poverty, China or India?
- India, at 9.0% against 5.0% in China as of 2018.
- What is the difference in share of population living in extreme poverty between China and India?
- 4.0%, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2018.
- How do China and India rank globally for share of population living in extreme poverty?
- China ranks 7th and India ranks 5th of 25 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Michalis Moatsos (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population unable to meet basic needs (including minimal nutrition and adequately heated shelter) according to prices of locally-available goods and services at the time..