Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day was 15.2% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $30 a day in United Kingdom, 1968–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 15.2% for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is down 7.3% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in United Kingdom peaked at 77.0% in 1968 and was at its lowest, 15.2%, in 2021.
That places United Kingdom 101st 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 77.0% | — |
| 1969 | 76.5% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 74.9% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 74.9% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 71.9% | -4.0% |
| 1973 | 67.2% | -6.5% |
| 1974 | 67.3% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 69.6% | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 71.1% | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 73.0% | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 66.5% | -8.9% |
| 1979 | 65.9% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 65.2% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 64.7% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 58.0% | -10.4% |
| 1983 | 61.1% | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 58.0% | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 56.5% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 51.5% | -8.8% |
| 1987 | 49.3% | -4.3% |
| 1988 | 45.0% | -8.7% |
| 1989 | 43.2% | -4.0% |
| 1990 | 42.4% | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 40.8% | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 42.2% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 42.0% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 38.6% | -8.1% |
| 1995 | 38.0% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 35.1% | -7.6% |
| 1997 | 33.3% | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 31.2% | -6.3% |
| 1999 | 29.9% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 26.9% | -10.0% |
| 2001 | 24.3% | -9.7% |
| 2002 | 23.5% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 22.3% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 20.8% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 20.0% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 19.1% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 18.8% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 19.7% | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 19.6% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 19.2% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 17.0% | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 17.3% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 17.6% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 16.4% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 15.2% | -7.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 15.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.3%, 79% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 15.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 40.5%, 38% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.8% | 76.5% | 77.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 70.2% | 65.9% | 74.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.2% | 43.2% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.4% | 29.9% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.6% | 19.1% | 26.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.1% | 16.0% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.8% | 15.2% | 16.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 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 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 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 -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (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 United Kingdom?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day in United Kingdom was 15.2% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 77.0% in 1968.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.2% in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day?
- United Kingdom ranks 101st out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $30 a day rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $30 per day.