Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) by country

The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some...

Countries reporting
123
Highest
23.4%
Honduras
Lowest
0.9%
Azerbaijan
Median
11.5%
Years covered
63
1963–2025
Data points
2,300

What the numbers show

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) is currently reported for 123 countries. The highest value is 23.4% in Honduras; the lowest is 0.9% in Azerbaijan.

The median across all reporting countries is 11.5%, and the mean is 12.3%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 26.

Over the past decade 39 countries rose and 76 fell. The largest increase was in Kosovo (up 167.1%), and the largest decrease in Azerbaijan (down 92.8%).

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Honduras 23.4% 2024 down 5.6% flat
2 Panama 23.2% 2024 up 0.4% falling
3 Colombia 22.7% 2024 down 3.8% rising
4 Zambia 21.9% 2022 up 12.3% falling
5 Brazil 21.2% 2024 down 4.9% falling
6 Kosovo 21.1% 2022 up 167.1% volatile
6 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 21.1% 2022 up 167.1% volatile
8 Israel 21.0% 2022 down 4.1% rising
9 Ghana 20.6% 2016 up 14.4% rising
10 Botswana 20.4% 2015 down 7.3% falling
10 South Africa 20.4% 2022 down 10.1% falling
12 Costa Rica 20.0% 2025 up 7.5% falling
13 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 19.9% 2006 down 2.9% falling
14 Argentina 19.6% 2024 down 3.4% flat
15 Guatemala 19.1% 2023 down 2.6% falling
16 United States of America 18.9% 2024 up 11.2% rising
17 Cameroon 18.8% 2021 down 13.4% rising
18 North Macedonia 18.4% 2019 down 15.2% rising
19 Nicaragua 18.3% 2014 up 7.0% falling
20 Ecuador 18.1% 2025 down 4.7% falling
21 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 17.8% 2024 down 17.6% falling
22 Uruguay 17.4% 2024 down 2.2% falling
23 Jamaica 17.2% 2021 flat
24 Mozambique 17.0% 2022 unchanged rising
24 Peru 17.0% 2024 down 17.1% falling
26 Malaysia 16.5% 2021 down 10.8% falling
27 Paraguay 16.3% 2024 down 17.7% falling
27 Türkiye 16.3% 2023 unchanged flat
29 El Salvador 16.2% 2023 down 0.6% falling
30 Belize 16.0% 2018 falling
31 Montenegro 15.9% 2021 up 60.6% rising
32 Mexico 15.7% 2024 down 6.5% falling
33 Dominican Republic 15.3% 2024 down 14.0% falling
34 Spain 14.9% 2023 down 16.3% rising
35 Palestine, State of 14.7% 2023 up 50.0% rising
35 Romania 14.7% 2023 down 29.7% rising
37 Bulgaria 14.6% 2023 down 8.8% rising
38 Italy 14.5% 2023 down 2.0% rising
39 Luxembourg 14.4% 2023 up 13.4% rising
40 Serbia 14.3% 2023 down 28.5% rising
41 Chile 13.9% 2024 down 0.7% falling
42 Japan 13.4% 2020 up 10.7% flat
42 Tajikistan 13.4% 2024 up 14.5% rising
42 Uganda 13.4% 2019 up 5.5% falling
42 Viet Nam 13.4% 2022 up 4.7% rising
46 Lithuania 13.3% 2023 up 2.3% rising
47 Togo 13.2% 2021 down 33.3% falling
48 Greece 12.9% 2023 down 25.0% flat
49 Gambia 12.8% 2020 down 15.8% falling
50 Iran, Islamic Republic of 12.6% 2023 up 20.0% falling
50 Korea 12.6% 2021 up 2.4% rising
52 Germany 12.5% 2022 up 28.9% rising
53 Georgia 12.3% 2024 down 18.5% falling
53 Latvia 12.3% 2023 down 10.9% rising
53 Uzbekistan 12.3% 2025 flat
56 Croatia 12.1% 2023 down 11.7% rising
57 China 12.0% 2022 down 33.7% rising
58 Switzerland 11.9% 2022 up 25.3% rising
58 France 11.9% 2023 up 21.4% flat
60 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 11.7% 2021 up 1.7% rising
60 Morocco 11.7% 2013 down 6.4% falling
62 Hungary 11.5% 2017 up 19.8% rising
63 Burundi 11.4% 2020 up 1.8% falling
64 Australia 11.3% 2020 up 7.6% flat
64 Nigeria 11.3% 2022 down 11.0% falling
66 Senegal 11.2% 2021 down 23.3% falling
67 Madagascar 11.1% 2021 down 14.6% falling
67 Malawi 11.1% 2019 down 26.0% rising
69 Austria 11.0% 2023 up 14.6% rising
69 Portugal 11.0% 2023 down 23.6% falling
69 Sweden 11.0% 2023 up 8.9% rising
72 Canada 10.9% 2022 down 22.7% falling
73 Russian Federation 10.8% 2023 down 13.6% falling
73 Tunisia 10.8% 2021 down 28.0% falling
75 Mauritania 10.6% 2019 down 28.9% falling
75 Philippines 10.6% 2023 down 34.6% falling
75 Slovakia 10.6% 2023 unchanged rising
78 Benin 10.5% 2021 down 10.3% rising
78 Burkina Faso 10.5% 2021 down 9.5% falling
80 Malta 10.4% 2023 up 7.2% flat
81 Côte d'Ivoire 10.1% 2021 down 42.0% falling
82 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.0% 2021 down 20.6% rising
83 Guinea 9.7% 2018 down 29.2% falling
83 Mongolia 9.7% 2022 down 11.8% falling
83 Tanzania, United Republic of 9.7% 2018 down 26.5% falling
86 Albania 9.6% 2020 up 33.3% rising
86 Thailand 9.6% 2024 down 15.0% falling
88 Sri Lanka 9.4% 2019 up 20.5% rising
88 Mali 9.4% 2021 up 6.8% falling
90 Guinea-Bissau 9.1% 2021 down 46.5% falling
90 Kenya 9.1% 2022 down 34.5% falling
92 Ethiopia 8.9% 2021 down 5.3% rising
93 Bhutan 8.8% 2022 down 28.5% falling
93 Poland 8.8% 2023 down 34.8% rising
95 Estonia 8.7% 2023 down 26.9% falling
96 Belgium 8.3% 2023 down 17.8% rising
97 Lao People's Democratic Republic 8.1% 2024 down 16.5% rising
97 Rwanda 8.1% 2023 down 33.6% falling
99 Netherlands 7.9% 2021 up 6.8% rising
99 Nepal 7.9% 2022 up 9.7% rising
99 Syrian Arab Republic 7.9% 2022 down 49.0% falling
102 Norway 7.6% 2023 up 7.0% rising
102 Pakistan 7.6% 2024 up 85.4% falling
104 Cyprus 7.5% 2023 down 5.1% rising
104 Jordan 7.5% 2010 down 28.6% falling
106 Finland 7.4% 2023 up 10.4% rising
107 Ireland 7.3% 2023 down 36.0% falling
108 Czechia 7.0% 2023 unchanged rising
109 Bangladesh 6.8% 2022 up 33.3% rising
110 Indonesia 6.7% 2025 down 23.0% rising
111 Denmark 6.6% 2023 down 1.5% rising
112 Iceland 6.3% 2019 down 10.0% flat
113 Armenia 6.2% 2024 down 26.2% falling
114 Slovenia 5.9% 2023 down 30.6% falling
115 Ukraine 5.1% 2020 up 15.9% falling
116 Niger 4.9% 2021 down 14.0% falling
117 Kyrgyzstan 4.6% 2024 up 35.3% volatile
118 Egypt 4.4% 2021 unchanged falling
119 Republic of Moldova 4.3% 2023 down 36.8% falling
120 Belarus 3.9% 2020 down 54.1% falling
121 India 3.4% 2022 down 8.1% falling
122 Kazakhstan 3.1% 2021 down 36.7% volatile
123 Azerbaijan 0.9% 2005 down 92.8% volatile

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Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income by country. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-people-living-below-50-percent-of-median-income-percent/

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About this data

Indicator
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)
Unit
%
Source
World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
123 places, 2,300 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.