Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%) in United States
United States: Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%) was 0.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) in United States, 1963–2024
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) in United States stood at 0.9%.
That represents a change of down 10.0% on the previous year and down 18.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) in United States peaked at 1.2% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2020.
United States ranks 63rd of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%) in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1.2% | — |
| 1964 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.0% | -16.7% |
| 1966 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 1967 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 1968 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 1969 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | +50.0% |
| 1971 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
| 1981 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 1982 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
| 1989 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1995 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +33.3% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +28.6% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +25.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | +22.2% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 0.9% | -18.2% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -66.7% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +300.0% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | -16.7% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 0.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3%, 3.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%) in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +300.0% | 0.3% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 7 |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.3% | 1.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) in United States?
- Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) in United States was 0.9% in 2024, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 1963.
- What is the lowest poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2020.
- How does United States rank for poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp)?
- United States ranks 63rd out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
- Is poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 ppp) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. 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. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $4.20 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.