Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in United States

United States: Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data was 3.74 million people in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
3.74 million people
Change on year
down 7.4%
World rank
27th
of 120 countries
All-time high
4.68 million people
in 2022
All-time low
996,299 people
in 2021
Years of data
62
1963–2024

Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in United States, 1963–2024

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M196319932024

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in United States stood at 3.74 million people.

That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in United States peaked at 4.68 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 996,299 people, in 2021.

That places United States 27th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.31 million people 1.42 million people 3.03 million people 7
1970s 1.67 million people 1.32 million people 2.26 million people 10
1980s 1.44 million people 1.22 million people 1.85 million people 10
1990s 1.81 million people 1.25 million people 2.48 million people 10
2000s 2.92 million people 2.26 million people 3.35 million people 10
2010s 3.68 million people 3.30 million people 4.25 million people 10
2020s 2.96 million people 996,299 people 4.68 million people 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 24 Rwanda 5.47 million people compare
  2. 25 Colombia 4.50 million people compare
  3. 26 Syria 4.03 million people compare
  4. 28 Benin 3.72 million people compare
  5. 29 Senegal 3.14 million people compare
  6. 30 Togo 3.12 million people compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in United States?
Number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in United States was 3.74 million people in 2024, 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: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 4.68 million people in 2022.
What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 996,299 people in 2021.
How does United States rank for number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data?
United States ranks 27th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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: September 2024 data vs. latest data. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data
Unit
people
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.