Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan
Taiwan: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 19.5% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan, 1981–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan stood at 19.5%.
The figure is up 4.8% on the previous year and down 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan peaked at 88.9% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 18.6%, in 2020.
That places Taiwan 99th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 88.9% | — |
| 1986 | 77.9% | -12.4% |
| 1991 | 40.0% | -48.7% |
| 1995 | 29.8% | -25.5% |
| 1997 | 26.4% | -11.4% |
| 2000 | 22.3% | -15.5% |
| 2005 | 24.2% | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 27.5% | +13.6% |
| 2010 | 33.1% | +20.4% |
| 2013 | 31.1% | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 25.7% | -17.4% |
| 2017 | 23.8% | -7.4% |
| 2018 | 23.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 21.5% | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 18.6% | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 19.5% | +4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 83.4% | 77.9% | 88.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 32.1% | 26.4% | 40.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 24.7% | 22.3% | 27.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 26.5% | 21.5% | 33.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 18.6% | 19.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Taiwan
More poverty & inequality data for Taiwan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.87 live births per woman (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 17.4% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1054 (2023)
- Three metrics of inequality 60.86 (2017)
- Gini coefficient (before tax) 0.6086 (2017)
- Total shortfall from extreme poverty 3.36 million international-$ in 2021 prices (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in Taiwan was 19.5% in 2021, 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 Taiwan?
- The highest recorded value was 88.9% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in Taiwan?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.6% in 2020.
- How does Taiwan rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- Taiwan ranks 99th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in Taiwan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Taiwan 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.