Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 13.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1968–2021
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
In 2021, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 13.3%.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 16.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1968.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 96th out of 123 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 8.0% | — |
| 1969 | 9.2% | +15.0% |
| 1970 | 8.6% | -6.5% |
| 1971 | 9.6% | +11.6% |
| 1972 | 10.6% | +10.4% |
| 1973 | 8.5% | -19.8% |
| 1974 | 9.8% | +15.3% |
| 1975 | 9.2% | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 9.1% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 8.9% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 10.0% | +12.4% |
| 1979 | 9.1% | -9.0% |
| 1980 | 10.0% | +9.9% |
| 1981 | 11.7% | +17.0% |
| 1982 | 11.5% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 11.5% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 11.8% | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 11.6% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 12.9% | +11.2% |
| 1987 | 13.3% | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 12.8% | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 13.5% | +5.5% |
| 1990 | 14.2% | +5.2% |
| 1991 | 14.4% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 15.5% | +7.6% |
| 1993 | 16.0% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 15.4% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 15.0% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 15.2% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 15.4% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 15.2% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 14.4% | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 14.2% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 13.7% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 13.9% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 13.5% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 14.4% | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 14.2% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 14.5% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 13.9% | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 13.1% | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 13.3% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 13.8% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 13.7% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 14.1% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 14.3% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 14.5% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 13.1% | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 13.3% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.6% | 8.0% | 9.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 9.3% | 8.5% | 10.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.1% | 10.0% | 13.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 14.2% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 13.5% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 13.0% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.2% | 13.1% | 13.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 13.3% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 16.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1968.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 96th out of 123 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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 — 54 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.