Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in United States
United States: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 was 19.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in United States, 1963–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in United States is 19.5%, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 34.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in United States peaked at 57.2% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 2021.
That places United States 106th out of 119 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 57.2% | — |
| 1964 | 54.2% | -5.2% |
| 1965 | 50.5% | -6.9% |
| 1966 | 50.0% | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 46.2% | -7.5% |
| 1968 | 43.0% | -7.0% |
| 1969 | 41.5% | -3.5% |
| 1970 | 41.5% | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 40.2% | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 35.7% | -11.2% |
| 1973 | 34.2% | -4.2% |
| 1974 | 35.7% | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 35.2% | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 33.7% | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 33.2% | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 32.5% | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 31.0% | -4.6% |
| 1980 | 34.0% | +9.7% |
| 1981 | 35.7% | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 36.0% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 35.0% | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 33.2% | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 32.5% | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 31.0% | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 29.2% | -5.7% |
| 1988 | 29.5% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 29.2% | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 30.5% | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 30.5% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 31.0% | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 32.0% | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 30.5% | -4.7% |
| 1995 | 29.7% | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 29.7% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 28.5% | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 26.5% | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 26.0% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 25.0% | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 25.5% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 25.5% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 25.2% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 24.5% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 24.2% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 24.0% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 24.5% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 25.5% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 26.0% | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 26.0% | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 26.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 24.2% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 22.5% | -7.2% |
| 2017 | 22.5% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 20.5% | -8.9% |
| 2019 | 18.5% | -9.8% |
| 2020 | 15.5% | -16.2% |
| 2021 | 14.5% | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 19.5% | +34.5% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 19.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.5%, 71% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day … 2011 in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +34.5% | 14.5% | 19.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 49.0% | 41.5% | 57.2% | 7 |
| 1970s | 35.3% | 31.0% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 32.5% | 29.2% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.5% | 26.0% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.8% | 24.0% | 25.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 18.5% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.5% | 14.5% | 19.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,414 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.85 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.8% (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 United States?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) in United States was 19.5% in 2022, 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 57.2% in 1963.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 2021.
- How does United States rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices)?
- United States ranks 106th out of 119 countries with data for 2022.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day (2011 prices) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.