Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in China
China: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) was 12.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in China, 1981–2022
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. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in China is 12.2%, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and down 34.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in China peaked at 19.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 1981.
China ranks 56th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 8.7% | — |
| 1984 | 9.0% | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 11.5% | +27.8% |
| 1990 | 8.8% | -23.5% |
| 1993 | 9.5% | +8.0% |
| 1996 | 11.7% | +23.2% |
| 1999 | 14.0% | +19.7% |
| 2002 | 17.2% | +22.9% |
| 2005 | 16.2% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 19.0% | +17.3% |
| 2010 | 19.5% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 18.2% | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 15.5% | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 15.2% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 14.9% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 14.0% | -6.0% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 11.7% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 12.2% | +4.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 12.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 82% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- China's 12.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.3%, 1.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.7% | 8.7% | 11.5% | 3 |
| 1990s | 11.0% | 8.8% | 14.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 17.5% | 16.2% | 19.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 14.0% | 19.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 11.7% | 12.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
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 proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in China?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in China was 12.2% in 2022, according to 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.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 19.5% in 2010.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 1981.
- How does China rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- China ranks 56th out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from 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, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.