Poverty gap index at $3 a day in China
China: Poverty gap index at $3 a day was 0.0% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in China, 1981–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 0.0% for poverty gap index at $3 a day in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty gap index at $3 a day in China peaked at 56.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2019.
That places China 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 56.7% | — |
| 1984 | 44.0% | -22.4% |
| 1987 | 35.1% | -20.2% |
| 1990 | 38.4% | +9.3% |
| 1993 | 34.4% | -10.3% |
| 1996 | 24.2% | -29.8% |
| 1999 | 23.3% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | -21.7% |
| 2005 | 10.3% | -43.3% |
| 2008 | 8.2% | -20.9% |
| 2010 | 6.1% | -25.4% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | -29.4% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | -18.1% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | -69.6% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -32.7% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -51.5% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -38.9% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | -39.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0% | -72.5% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | — |
| 2021 | 0.0% | — |
| 2022 | 0.0% | — |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4%. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 0.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.4%. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.3% | 35.1% | 56.7% | 3 |
| 1990s | 30.1% | 23.3% | 38.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 12.2% | 8.2% | 18.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 0.0% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.999 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,418 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.5767 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 22.1 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 22.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty gap index at $3 a day in China?
- Poverty gap index at $3 a day in China was 0.0% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 56.7% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2019.
- How does China rank for poverty gap index at $3 a day?
- China ranks 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is poverty gap index at $3 a day rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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 Poverty gap index at $3 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The poverty gap index is a poverty measure that reflects both the prevalence and the depth of poverty. It is calculated as the share of population in poverty multiplied by the average shortfall from the poverty line (expressed as a % of the poverty line).