Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines was 0.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
0.4%
Change on year
down 20.0%
World rank
83rd
of 120 countries
All-time high
0.5%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1973
Years of data
54
1968–2021
Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom, 1968–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom stood at 0.4%.
The figure is down 20.0% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom peaked at 0.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.
That places United Kingdom 83rd out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 0.2% | — |
| 1969 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1971 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1974 | 0.2% | — |
| 1975 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1977 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +200.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -66.7% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | +100.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -33.3% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -50.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +100.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom?
- Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines in United Kingdom was 0.4% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share in poverty relative to different poverty lines recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share in poverty relative to different poverty lines recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share in poverty relative to different poverty lines?
- United Kingdom ranks 83rd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share in poverty relative to different poverty lines rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 Share in poverty relative to different poverty lines. 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 $3 per day.