Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China
China: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines was 0.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China, 2000–2020
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2020, poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China stood at 0.0%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 100.0% on the previous year and down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China peaked at 49.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2020.
China ranks 70th of 70 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 49.8% | — |
| 2005 | 30.2% | -39.4% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | -43.0% |
| 2011 | 12.7% | -26.2% |
| 2012 | 10.2% | -19.7% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | -15.3% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | -20.8% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | -21.1% |
| 2017 | 3.1% | -31.1% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -45.2% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -64.7% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.0% | 30.2% | 49.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 7.1% | 0.6% | 17.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
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 headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China?
- Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in China was 0.0% in 2020, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2020.
- How does China rank for poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines?
- China ranks 70th out of 70 countries with data for 2020.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines 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. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines., World Bank (W, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.