Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China
Taiwan, China: Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median was 15.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China, 1981–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China stood at 15.3%.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China peaked at 17.8% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 1986.
That places Taiwan, China 90th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 14.3% | — |
| 1986 | 13.4% | -6.3% |
| 1991 | 14.1% | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 16.2% | +14.9% |
| 1997 | 15.7% | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 15.5% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 16.2% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +11.9% |
| 2013 | 16.3% | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 15.3% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 15.5% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 15.2% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 15.1% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 15.3% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 13.9% | 13.4% | 14.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.3% | 14.1% | 16.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 15.9% | 15.5% | 16.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 15.9% | 15.2% | 17.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 15.2% | 15.1% | 15.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Taiwan, China
More poverty & inequality data for Taiwan, China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.87 live births per woman (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 17.4% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0807 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1054 (2023)
- Three metrics of inequality 60.86 (2017)
- Gini coefficient (before tax) 0.6086 (2017)
- Total shortfall from extreme poverty 3.36 million international-$ in 2021 prices (2021)
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in Taiwan, China was 15.3% in 2021, 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 60% of the median recorded in Taiwan, China?
- The highest recorded value was 17.8% in 2010.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median recorded in Taiwan, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 1986.
- How does Taiwan, China rank for relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median?
- Taiwan, China ranks 90th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median rising or falling in Taiwan, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Taiwan, China 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 60% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 60% of the median.