Poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Poverty gap index at $3 a day was 0.3% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom, 1968–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom is 0.3%, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 15.5% on the previous year and up 55.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom peaked at 0.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.
United Kingdom ranks 73rd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 0.1% | — |
| 1969 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1970 | 0.1% | -25.2% |
| 1971 | 0.1% | -3.6% |
| 1972 | 0.1% | +72.7% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | — |
| 1975 | 0.1% | -16.6% |
| 1976 | 0.0% | -52.5% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | +172.5% |
| 1978 | 0.0% | -92.4% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | +143.3% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +145.9% |
| 1981 | 0.0% | -78.2% |
| 1982 | 0.0% | +259.3% |
| 1983 | 0.0% | -24.7% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | +43.4% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +31.5% |
| 1986 | 0.2% | +143.4% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | -98.8% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | +2548.3% |
| 1989 | 0.1% | +30.9% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -19.9% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +6.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +36.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -30.3% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +250.6% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | -9.9% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | -29.3% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | +27.0% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +18.5% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -5.2% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +9.1% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | +12.8% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -16.4% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | +20.9% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -19.5% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | -9.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | +39.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -38.0% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +44.1% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | -10.7% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | +23.3% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +7.6% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +15.7% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | -7.7% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | +17.1% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -15.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2%, 1.4× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1%, 2.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +2548.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1982 | +259.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1994 | +250.6% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 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 -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (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 United Kingdom?
- Poverty gap index at $3 a day in United Kingdom was 0.3% in 2021, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
- How does United Kingdom rank for poverty gap index at $3 a day?
- United Kingdom ranks 73rd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty gap index at $3 a day rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 54 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).