Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median was 18.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1968–2021
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 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 18.7%, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 20.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 1968.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 53rd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 10.6% | — |
| 1969 | 12.1% | +14.2% |
| 1970 | 11.1% | -8.3% |
| 1971 | 13.1% | +18.0% |
| 1972 | 13.6% | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 11.2% | -17.6% |
| 1974 | 13.0% | +16.1% |
| 1975 | 12.4% | -4.6% |
| 1976 | 12.3% | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 11.5% | -6.5% |
| 1978 | 13.2% | +14.8% |
| 1979 | 12.5% | -5.3% |
| 1980 | 13.1% | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 14.8% | +13.0% |
| 1982 | 15.1% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 15.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 15.4% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 15.2% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 16.5% | +8.6% |
| 1987 | 17.4% | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 16.9% | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 17.9% | +5.9% |
| 1990 | 18.9% | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 19.2% | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 19.6% | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 20.1% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 20.0% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 19.7% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 19.8% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 20.0% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 20.1% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 20.1% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 19.7% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 19.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 19.9% | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 19.4% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 19.9% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 19.6% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 19.3% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 18.7% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 19.0% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 18.8% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 18.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 19.2% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 19.8% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 19.6% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 19.9% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 19.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 19.4% | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 18.7% | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.3% | 10.6% | 12.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 12.4% | 11.1% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.7% | 13.1% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.8% | 18.9% | 20.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.4% | 19.1% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 18.7% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.0% | 18.7% | 19.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 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 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 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 -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 18.7% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 20.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 1968.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 53rd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 60% of the median rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 60% of the median.