Proportion of population below international poverty line in United States of America
United States of America: Proportion of population below international poverty line was 1.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.1%
Change on year
down 8.3%
World rank
67th
of 132 countries
All-time high
1.6%
in 1963
All-time low
0.3%
in 2021
Years of data
62
1963–2024
Proportion of population below international poverty line in United States of America, 1963–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 1.1% for proportion of population below international poverty line in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.3% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population below international poverty line in United States of America peaked at 1.6% in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2021.
That places United States of America 67th out of 132 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Proportion of population below international poverty line in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1.6% | — |
| 1964 | 1.5% | -6.3% |
| 1965 | 1.3% | -13.3% |
| 1966 | 1.2% | -7.7% |
| 1967 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
| 1968 | 0.9% | -18.2% |
| 1969 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 1970 | 1.1% | +57.1% |
| 1971 | 0.9% | -18.2% |
| 1972 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.9% | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 1976 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1980 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | +33.3% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | -12.5% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 1985 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | +14.3% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | +12.5% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +14.3% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | +18.2% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +8.3% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -15.4% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -60.0% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +366.7% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -14.3% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.2% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 7 |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More poverty & inequality data for United States of America
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 9 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 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,414 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 24.85 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 24.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of population below international poverty line in United States of America?
- Proportion of population below international poverty line in United States of America was 1.1% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6% in 1963.
- What is the lowest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2021.
- How does United States of America rank for proportion of population below international poverty line?
- United States of America ranks 67th out of 132 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of population below international poverty line rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of 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 — 62 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).