Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China
China: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day was 21.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China, 1981–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China is 21.3%, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 3.2% on the previous year and down 62.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China peaked at 100.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 20.6%, in 2021.
China ranks 58th 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.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 100.0% | — |
| 1984 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 99.8% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 99.3% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 98.6% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 96.5% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 94.5% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 89.2% | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 81.6% | -8.5% |
| 2008 | 72.8% | -10.8% |
| 2010 | 66.1% | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 62.1% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 57.4% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 51.0% | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 46.1% | -9.6% |
| 2015 | 41.7% | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 38.0% | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 35.6% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 31.6% | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | -10.4% |
| 2020 | 29.0% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 20.6% | -28.8% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | +3.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 21.3% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.4%, 99% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 21.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21.3%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 99.9% | 99.8% | 100.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 97.2% | 94.5% | 99.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 81.2% | 72.8% | 89.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 45.8% | 28.3% | 66.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.6% | 20.6% | 29.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.999 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,418 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 0.5767 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 22.1 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 22.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day in China was 21.3% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.6% in 2021.
- How does China rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day?
- China ranks 58th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $8.30 a day rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $8.30 a day. 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 $8.30 per day.