Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in Canada
Canada: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 was 16.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in Canada, 1971–2019
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 16.7% for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 43 years on record.
The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in Canada peaked at 63.0% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2019.
Canada ranks 107th of 119 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 63.0% | — |
| 1973 | 55.0% | -12.7% |
| 1975 | 47.2% | -14.1% |
| 1977 | 43.2% | -8.5% |
| 1979 | 40.5% | -6.4% |
| 1981 | 37.5% | -7.4% |
| 1982 | 37.7% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 38.0% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 35.7% | -5.9% |
| 1986 | 35.0% | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 33.5% | -4.3% |
| 1988 | 31.5% | -6.0% |
| 1989 | 30.5% | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 30.7% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 33.5% | +8.9% |
| 1992 | 32.7% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 34.7% | +6.1% |
| 1994 | 33.0% | -5.0% |
| 1995 | 33.2% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 37.5% | +12.8% |
| 1997 | 37.2% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 34.7% | -6.7% |
| 1999 | 33.0% | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 29.7% | -6.3% |
| 2002 | 29.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 29.0% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 28.2% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 23.5% | -11.3% |
| 2008 | 22.7% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 23.0% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 22.0% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 20.7% | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 22.2% | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 21.2% | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 20.7% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 19.7% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 17.7% | -7.9% |
| 2019 | 16.7% | -5.5% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 16.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.5%, 61% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 49.8% | 40.5% | 63.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 34.9% | 30.5% | 38.0% | 8 |
| 1990s | 34.0% | 30.7% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.1% | 22.7% | 31.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.0% | 16.7% | 22.2% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More poverty & inequality data for Canada
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,695 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 -9.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.78 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in Canada?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in Canada was 16.7% in 2019, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 63.0% in 1971.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2019.
- How does Canada rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices)?
- Canada ranks 107th out of 119 countries with data for 2019.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.