Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Belgium
Belgium: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 7.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Belgium, 1985–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Belgium stood at 7.0%.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 41.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Belgium peaked at 34.0% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 2022.
That places Belgium 113th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 34.0% | — |
| 1988 | 30.3% | -10.9% |
| 1992 | 23.4% | -22.8% |
| 1995 | 17.3% | -26.1% |
| 1997 | 15.9% | -8.1% |
| 2000 | 12.4% | -22.0% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | +20.5% |
| 2004 | 13.7% | -8.4% |
| 2005 | 12.3% | -9.9% |
| 2006 | 12.7% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 12.4% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 11.7% | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 11.3% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 12.0% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 11.1% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | -4.9% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 11.3% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 9.9% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | -18.2% |
| 2020 | 7.5% | -7.5% |
| 2021 | 7.1% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 7.0% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 7.0% | +0.6% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 7.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.3%, 36% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 7.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.5%, 17% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 32.1% | 30.3% | 34.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 18.9% | 15.9% | 23.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 12.7% | 11.5% | 14.9% | 8 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 8.1% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.2% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More poverty & inequality data for Belgium
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.38 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,486 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 -1.37 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 42.58 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 42.6% (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 in Belgium?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Belgium was 7.0% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 34.0% in 1985.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 2022.
- How does Belgium rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- Belgium ranks 113th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day. 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.