Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in China
China: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 was 92.2% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in China, 1981–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in China stood at 92.2%. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in China peaked at 100.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 92.2%, in 2021.
China ranks 63rd of 119 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 100.0% | — |
| 1984 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 100.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 100.0% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.8% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 99.5% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 99.0% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 98.4% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 98.2% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 97.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 97.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 96.6% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 96.0% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 95.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 94.4% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 93.6% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 92.8% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 94.0% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 92.2% | -1.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 92.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.3%, 97% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 92.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 94.5%, 98% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 99.4% | 99.0% | 99.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 96.0% | 92.8% | 98.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 93.1% | 92.2% | 94.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in China?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in China was 92.2% in 2021, 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.2% in 2021.
- How does China rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices)?
- China ranks 63rd out of 119 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China 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.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.