Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in United States
United States: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 18.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in United States, 1963–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in United States is 18.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in United States peaked at 18.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2021.
United States ranks 13th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 15.6% | — |
| 1964 | 15.7% | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 15.9% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 16.6% | +4.4% |
| 1967 | 16.2% | -2.4% |
| 1968 | 15.7% | -3.1% |
| 1969 | 15.7% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 16.1% | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 16.1% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 17.0% | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 16.3% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 15.7% | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 16.3% | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 16.0% | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 15.7% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 15.6% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 15.4% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 15.8% | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 16.5% | +4.4% |
| 1982 | 17.6% | +6.7% |
| 1983 | 18.6% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 18.3% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 18.2% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 18.3% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 18.1% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 18.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 17.9% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 18.1% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 18.6% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 18.7% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 18.9% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 18.2% | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 17.7% | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 18.0% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 17.6% | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 17.9% | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 17.7% | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 17.3% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 17.5% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 18.1% | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 17.9% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 17.6% | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 17.7% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 17.9% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 18.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 17.4% | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 17.7% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 17.9% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 18.1% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 17.9% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 17.0% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 17.2% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 17.9% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 18.3% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 18.2% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 18.6% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 17.0% | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | -10.0% |
| 2022 | 18.3% | +19.6% |
| 2023 | 18.6% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 18.9% | +1.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 18.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.5%, 1.6× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.9% | 15.6% | 16.6% | 7 |
| 1970s | 16.0% | 15.4% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.7% | 15.8% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.1% | 17.6% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.8% | 17.3% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.9% | 17.0% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 15.3% | 18.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in United States?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in United States was 18.9% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2021.
- How does United States rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- United States ranks 13th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.