Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in China
China: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 89.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in China, 1981–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – 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 in China is 89.0%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in China peaked at 100.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 89.0%, in 2022.
China ranks 59th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 100.0% | — |
| 1984 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 100.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 100.0% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.6% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 99.2% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 98.5% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 97.7% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 97.4% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 96.8% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 95.8% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 95.1% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 94.3% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 93.2% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 92.1% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 90.9% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 89.9% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 91.6% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 89.0% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 89.0% | -0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 89.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 90.5%, 98% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 89.0% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 89.0%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 99.1% | 98.5% | 99.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 94.3% | 89.9% | 97.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 89.9% | 89.0% | 91.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
- 56 South Africa 90.8% compare
- 57 El Salvador 90.5% compare
- 58 Jordan 89.5% compare
- 60 Bhutan 88.7% compare
- 61 Bosnia and Herzegovina 88.4% compare
- 62 North Macedonia 88.4% compare
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 in China?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in China was 89.0% in 2022, 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 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 recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 89.0% in 2022.
- How does China rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- China ranks 59th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. 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 (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.