Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Spain
Spain: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 29.67 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Spain, 1980–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Spain recorded 29.67 million people for distribution of population between different poverty lines in 2023. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 31.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Spain peaked at 29.67 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.12 million people, in 1985.
That places Spain 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.39 million people | — |
| 1985 | 4.12 million people | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 7.62 million people | +85.1% |
| 1993 | 10.63 million people | +39.5% |
| 1994 | 10.60 million people | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 10.17 million people | -4.1% |
| 1996 | 10.69 million people | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 11.66 million people | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 13.60 million people | +16.6% |
| 1999 | 14.78 million people | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 16.59 million people | +12.2% |
| 2003 | 19.19 million people | +15.6% |
| 2004 | 19.21 million people | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 20.89 million people | +8.7% |
| 2006 | 21.06 million people | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 26.37 million people | +25.2% |
| 2008 | 27.37 million people | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 27.42 million people | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 25.72 million people | -6.2% |
| 2011 | 24.81 million people | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 23.54 million people | -5.1% |
| 2013 | 22.54 million people | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 22.56 million people | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 23.41 million people | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 24.71 million people | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 25.30 million people | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 25.41 million people | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 27.30 million people | +7.4% |
| 2020 | 27.21 million people | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 28.09 million people | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 28.55 million people | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 29.67 million people | +3.9% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 29.67 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 6.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Spain's 29.67 million people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.67 million people, 17.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Spain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | +85.1% | 4.12 million people | 7.62 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.25 million people | 4.12 million people | 4.39 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 11.22 million people | 7.62 million people | 14.78 million people | 8 |
| 2000s | 22.26 million people | 16.59 million people | 27.42 million people | 8 |
| 2010s | 24.53 million people | 22.54 million people | 27.30 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.38 million people | 27.21 million people | 29.67 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More poverty & inequality data for Spain
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 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 1.21 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,786 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 72.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 36.42 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 36.4% (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 Spain?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Spain was 29.67 million people in 2023, 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 29.67 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.12 million people in 1985.
- How does Spain rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Spain ranks 11th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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.
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.