Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States
United States: Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices was 4.16 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
4.16 million people
Change on year
up 404.1%
World rank
23rd
of 119 countries
All-time high
4.16 million people
in 2022
All-time low
825,825 people
in 2021
Years of data
60
1963–2022
Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States, 1963–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
United States recorded 4.16 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in 2022. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 404.1% on the previous year and up 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States peaked at 4.16 million people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 825,825 people, in 2021.
That places United States 23rd out of 119 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 60 years of available data.
Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 2.36 million people | — |
| 1964 | 2.38 million people | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 1.94 million people | -18.5% |
| 1966 | 1.96 million people | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 1.49 million people | -24.2% |
| 1968 | 1.50 million people | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 1.01 million people | -32.5% |
| 1970 | 2.04 million people | +101.3% |
| 1971 | 1.55 million people | -23.8% |
| 1972 | 1.57 million people | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 1.59 million people | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 1.60 million people | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 1.07 million people | -32.8% |
| 1976 | 1.09 million people | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 1.10 million people | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 1.11 million people | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 1.12 million people | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 1.14 million people | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 1.15 million people | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 1.73 million people | +51.2% |
| 1983 | 1.17 million people | -32.5% |
| 1984 | 1.17 million people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.18 million people | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 1.19 million people | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 1.21 million people | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.22 million people | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 1.23 million people | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 1.24 million people | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 1.26 million people | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 1.28 million people | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 1.30 million people | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 1.32 million people | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 1.33 million people | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 1.34 million people | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 2.04 million people | +52.0% |
| 1998 | 2.07 million people | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 2.09 million people | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 2.12 million people | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.14 million people | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 2.15 million people | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 2.89 million people | +34.3% |
| 2004 | 2.93 million people | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 2.95 million people | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 2.98 million people | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 3.01 million people | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 3.04 million people | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 3.07 million people | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 3.09 million people | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 3.11 million people | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 3.13 million people | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 3.15 million people | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.98 million people | +26.4% |
| 2015 | 4.01 million people | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 3.23 million people | -19.4% |
| 2017 | 4.06 million people | +25.9% |
| 2018 | 3.27 million people | -19.6% |
| 2019 | 3.28 million people | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 828,693 people | -74.7% |
| 2021 | 825,825 people | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 4.16 million people | +404.1% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 4.16 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 14,837 people, 280.6× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +404.1% | 825,825 people | 4.16 million people |
| 1970 | +101.3% | 1.01 million people | 2.04 million people |
| 2020 | -74.7% | 3.28 million people | 828,693 people |
| 1997 | +52.0% | 1.34 million people | 2.04 million people |
| 1982 | +51.2% | 1.15 million people | 1.73 million people |
| 1975 | -32.8% | 1.60 million people | 1.07 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.81 million people | 1.01 million people | 2.38 million people | 7 |
| 1970s | 1.38 million people | 1.07 million people | 2.04 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.24 million people | 1.14 million people | 1.73 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.53 million people | 1.24 million people | 2.09 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.73 million people | 2.12 million people | 3.07 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.43 million people | 3.09 million people | 4.06 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.94 million people | 825,825 people | 4.16 million people | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 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 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,414 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 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.85 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.8% (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: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices in United States was 4.16 million people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 4.16 million people in 2022.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 825,825 people in 2021.
- How does United States rank for number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices?
- United States ranks 23rd out of 119 countries with data for 2022.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. 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 (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty: 2011 vs. 2017 prices. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $1.90 per day.