Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt
Egypt: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 16.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt, 1990–2021
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 % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt is 16.3%, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 11.9% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt peaked at 25.4% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2012.
Egypt ranks 81st of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 25.4% | — |
| 1995 | 23.1% | -9.1% |
| 1999 | 20.6% | -10.8% |
| 2004 | 21.4% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 19.9% | -7.0% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | -10.6% |
| 2012 | 15.7% | -11.8% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 19.5% | +17.5% |
| 2019 | 18.5% | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 16.3% | -11.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.0% | 20.6% | 25.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 20.6% | 19.9% | 21.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 15.7% | 19.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
More poverty & inequality data for Egypt
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 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 2.75 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,402 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 4.55 % change on previous year (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via -25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.398 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 8.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Egypt was 16.3% in 2021, 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 headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4% in 1990.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2012.
- How does Egypt rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Egypt ranks 81st out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Egypt 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 headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.