Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan
Taiwan: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 14.42 million people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan, 1981–2021
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 Taiwan is 14.42 million people, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan peaked at 14.67 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 847,409 people, in 1981.
Taiwan ranks 17th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 847,409 people | — |
| 1986 | 2.04 million people | +140.5% |
| 1991 | 7.71 million people | +278.2% |
| 1995 | 10.48 million people | +35.9% |
| 1997 | 11.43 million people | +9.0% |
| 2000 | 12.59 million people | +10.2% |
| 2005 | 12.66 million people | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 11.82 million people | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 10.76 million people | -9.0% |
| 2013 | 11.11 million people | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 12.51 million people | +12.6% |
| 2017 | 13.05 million people | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 13.15 million people | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 13.75 million people | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 14.67 million people | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 14.42 million people | -1.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +278.2% | 2.04 million people | 7.71 million people |
| 1986 | +140.5% | 847,409 people | 2.04 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.44 million people | 847,409 people | 2.04 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 9.87 million people | 7.71 million people | 11.43 million people | 3 |
| 2000s | 12.36 million people | 11.82 million people | 12.66 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.39 million people | 10.76 million people | 13.75 million people | 6 |
| 2020s | 14.55 million people | 14.42 million people | 14.67 million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Taiwan
More poverty & inequality data for Taiwan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.87 live births per woman (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 17.4% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1054 (2023)
- Three metrics of inequality 60.86 (2017)
- Gini coefficient (before tax) 0.6086 (2017)
- Total shortfall from extreme poverty 3.36 million international-$ in 2021 prices (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Taiwan was 14.42 million people in 2021, 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 Taiwan?
- The highest recorded value was 14.67 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Taiwan?
- The lowest recorded value was 847,409 people in 1981.
- How does Taiwan rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Taiwan ranks 17th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Taiwan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Taiwan 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 — 16 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.