Number of people living in extreme poverty in China
China: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 1.41 billion people in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in extreme poverty in China, 1981–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
China recorded 1.41 billion people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2022.
That represents a change of up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in China peaked at 1.41 billion people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 29.78 million people, in 1981.
China ranks 1st of 120 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 29.78 million people | — |
| 1984 | 90.67 million people | +204.5% |
| 1987 | 205.00 million people | +126.1% |
| 1990 | 191.74 million people | -6.5% |
| 1993 | 267.70 million people | +39.6% |
| 1996 | 455.06 million people | +70.0% |
| 1999 | 520.21 million people | +14.3% |
| 2002 | 668.46 million people | +28.5% |
| 2005 | 874.70 million people | +30.9% |
| 2008 | 979.43 million people | +12.0% |
| 2010 | 1.06 billion people | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 1.14 billion people | +7.3% |
| 2012 | 1.18 billion people | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 1.28 billion people | +8.6% |
| 2014 | 1.31 billion people | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 1.34 billion people | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.36 billion people | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 1.37 billion people | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 1.39 billion people | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.41 billion people | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.41 billion people | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.41 billion people | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1.41 billion people | -0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 1.41 billion people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.37 million people, 86.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 1.41 billion people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 71.66 million people, 19.7× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people living in extreme poverty in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +204.5% | 29.78 million people | 90.67 million people |
| 1987 | +126.1% | 90.67 million people | 205.00 million people |
| 1996 | +70.0% | 267.70 million people | 455.06 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 108.48 million people | 29.78 million people | 205.00 million people | 3 |
| 1990s | 358.68 million people | 191.74 million people | 520.21 million people | 4 |
| 2000s | 840.86 million people | 668.46 million people | 979.43 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.28 billion people | 1.06 billion people | 1.41 billion people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.41 billion people | 1.41 billion people | 1.41 billion people | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.999 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,418 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.5767 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 22.1 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 22.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in China?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in China was 1.41 billion people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 1.41 billion people in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.78 million people in 1981.
- How does China rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- China ranks 1st out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.