Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) was 0.2% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom, 1968–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom stood at 0.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.9% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom peaked at 0.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1970.
That places United Kingdom 84th out of 119 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 of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 0.2% | — |
| 1969 | 0.2% | +9.4% |
| 1970 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.2% | — |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1974 | 0.2% | — |
| 1975 | 0.2% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1977 | 0.2% | — |
| 1978 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.2% | — |
| 1986 | 0.2% | +13.2% |
| 1987 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1988 | 0.0% | — |
| 1989 | 0.2% | — |
| 1990 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 0.2% | — |
| 1993 | 0.2% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | +5.9% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 0.2% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | +100.0% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -50.9% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2%, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | -100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1973 | -100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1976 | -100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1978 | -100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1987 | -100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| 1990 | -100.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
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% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 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 of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom?
- Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) in United Kingdom was 0.2% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1970.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices)?
- United Kingdom ranks 84th out of 119 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. 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 (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in extreme poverty (2011 prices). 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 $1.90 per day.