Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index was 1.1% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
1.1%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
105th
of 120 countries
All-time high
5.0%
in 1971
All-time low
0.7%
in 2013
Years of data
54
1968–2021
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index 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 of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in United Kingdom stood at 1.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in United Kingdom peaked at 5.0% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2013.
That places United Kingdom 105th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 3.6% | — |
| 1969 | 4.0% | +11.1% |
| 1970 | 3.7% | -7.5% |
| 1971 | 5.0% | +35.1% |
| 1972 | 4.8% | -4.0% |
| 1973 | 2.6% | -45.8% |
| 1974 | 3.2% | +23.1% |
| 1975 | 3.3% | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 3.6% | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 3.8% | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 2.6% | -31.6% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | -11.5% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | +21.7% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +17.9% |
| 1982 | 1.9% | -42.4% |
| 1983 | 2.1% | +10.5% |
| 1984 | 2.0% | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | +5.0% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | -14.3% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -22.2% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | +14.3% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | +11.8% |
| 1991 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.9% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +21.1% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | -26.1% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.3% | -23.5% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | -7.7% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | -25.0% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +22.2% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -27.3% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +25.0% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +22.2% |
| 2009 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +28.6% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +37.5% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | -18.2% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +10.0% |
| 2020 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.8%, 62% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.0%, 27% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 2.3% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.4% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 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 the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in United Kingdom?
- Share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index in United Kingdom was 1.1% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 5.0% in 1971.
- What is the lowest share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index?
- United Kingdom ranks 105th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of the population in poverty vs. electoral democracy index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.2%. 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 of the population in poverty vs. Electoral Democracy Index. 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 $10 per day.