Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Northern America
Northern America: Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) was 0.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Proportion of population below international poverty line in Northern America, 1981–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of population below international poverty line in Northern America is 0.9%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 18.2% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population below international poverty line in Northern America peaked at 1.2% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2020.
Northern America ranks 32nd of 41 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Northern America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.6% | — |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | +14.3% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +14.3% |
| 2002 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | +12.5% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.2% | +20.0% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | -66.7% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +300.0% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | -18.2% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Northern America changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +300.0% | 0.3% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Northern America
- 29 South Africa 17.4% compare
- 30 Honduras 15.7% compare
- 31 Guinea 11.7% compare
- 32 Caribbean 11.6% compare
- 33 Mauritania 10.2% compare
- 34 Guatemala 9.7% compare
- 34 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 9.7% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Northern America
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of population below international poverty line in Northern America?
- Proportion of population below international poverty line in Northern America was 0.9% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Northern America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.2% in 2014.
- What is the lowest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Northern America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2020.
- How does Northern America rank for proportion of population below international poverty line?
- Northern America ranks 32nd out of 41 groups with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of population below international poverty line rising or falling in Northern America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Northern America data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population below international poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).