Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany
Germany: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 66.79 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
66.79 million people
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
4th
of 120 countries
All-time high
68.77 million people
in 2020
All-time low
52.89 million people
in 1991
Years of data
32
1991–2022
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany, 1991–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany is 66.79 million people, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany peaked at 68.77 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 52.89 million people, in 1991.
Germany ranks 4th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 52.89 million people | — |
| 1992 | 55.31 million people | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 56.24 million people | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 55.22 million people | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 56.36 million people | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 57.34 million people | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 56.52 million people | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 58.25 million people | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 59.60 million people | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 60.92 million people | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 59.79 million people | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 60.63 million people | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 61.16 million people | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 61.06 million people | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 59.05 million people | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 60.30 million people | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 60.79 million people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 60.27 million people | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 61.18 million people | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 61.50 million people | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 60.45 million people | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 59.76 million people | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 60.00 million people | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 60.98 million people | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 62.82 million people | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 63.82 million people | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 64.97 million people | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 66.16 million people | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 67.06 million people | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 68.77 million people | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 67.47 million people | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 66.79 million people | -1.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 66.79 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 13.5× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Germany's 66.79 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.67 million people, 40.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.41 million people | 52.89 million people | 59.60 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 60.51 million people | 59.05 million people | 61.18 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.75 million people | 59.76 million people | 67.06 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.68 million people | 66.79 million people | 68.77 million people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More poverty & inequality data for Germany
- 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 1.44 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,007 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 -1.67 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 37.48 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 37.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Germany was 66.79 million people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 68.77 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.89 million people in 1991.
- How does Germany rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Germany ranks 4th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany 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 Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 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 $40 per day.