Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of)

China (People’s Republic of): Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line was 21.28 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
21.28
Change on year
up 3.2%
World rank
57th
of 120 countries
All-time high
100
in 1981
All-time low
20.62
in 2021
Years of data
23
1981–2022

Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of), 1981–2022

204060801001981200120221981: 1001984: 1001987: 99.81990: 99.31993: 98.61996: 96.51999: 94.52002: 89.22005: 81.62008: 72.82010: 66.12011: 62.12012: 57.42013: 512014: 46.12015: 41.72016: 382017: 35.62018: 31.62019: 28.32020: 292021: 20.62022: 21.3

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of) is 21.28, measured in 2022.

The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 62.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 100 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 20.62, in 2021.

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 57th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of), year by year

Annual values for Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of), 1981 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1981 100
1984 100 +0.0%
1987 99.82 -0.2%
1990 99.25 -0.6%
1993 98.56 -0.7%
1996 96.48 -2.1%
1999 94.47 -2.1%
2002 89.17 -5.6%
2005 81.62 -8.5%
2008 72.82 -10.8%
2010 66.1 -9.2%
2011 62.07 -6.1%
2012 57.38 -7.6%
2013 51.04 -11.1%
2014 46.14 -9.6%
2015 41.71 -9.6%
2016 37.97 -8.9%
2017 35.6 -6.3%
2018 31.57 -11.3%
2019 28.28 -10.4%
2020 28.96 +2.4%
2021 20.62 -28.8%
2022 21.28 +3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 99.94 99.82 100 3
1990s 97.19 94.47 99.25 4
2000s 81.2 72.82 89.17 3
2010s 45.79 28.28 66.1 10
2020s 23.62 20.62 28.96 3

Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)

  1. 54 Jamaica 22.85 compare
  2. 55 Viet Nam 21.5 compare
  3. 56 Mexico 21.4 compare
  4. 58 Tunisia 20.67 compare
  5. 59 Brazil 20.65 compare
  6. 60 North Macedonia 20.5 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for China (People’s Republic of)

All data for China (People’s Republic of) →

Frequently asked questions

What is share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of)?
Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of) was 21.28 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share living with less than upper middle income poverty line recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The highest recorded value was 100 in 1981.
What is the lowest share living with less than upper middle income poverty line recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The lowest recorded value was 20.62 in 2021.
How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for share living with less than upper middle income poverty line?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 57th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
Is share living with less than upper middle income poverty line rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
Over the last ten years it is down 62.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line in China (People’s Republic of). Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/share-living-with-less-than-upper-middle-income-poverty-line/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Share living with less than upper middle income poverty line
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed