Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in China
China: Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share was 0.5% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in China, 1981–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 0.5% for share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 68.0% on the previous year and down 98.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in China peaked at 99.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2021.
China ranks 92nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 99.7% | — |
| 1984 | 97.8% | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 93.9% | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 93.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 89.3% | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 79.9% | -10.5% |
| 1999 | 74.7% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 63.7% | -14.7% |
| 2005 | 50.5% | -20.7% |
| 2008 | 41.3% | -18.1% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | -15.5% |
| 2011 | 29.1% | -16.5% |
| 2012 | 25.1% | -13.7% |
| 2013 | 16.7% | -33.5% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | -17.8% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | -22.7% |
| 2016 | 8.4% | -21.0% |
| 2017 | 7.5% | -11.0% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -26.5% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | -44.8% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -45.5% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -81.5% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | +68.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 12% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 0.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.6%, 32% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +68.0% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 97.1% | 93.9% | 99.7% | 3 |
| 1990s | 84.3% | 74.7% | 93.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 51.8% | 41.3% | 63.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 15.5% | 3.0% | 34.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ 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 share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in China?
- Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty in China was 0.5% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 1981.
- What is the lowest share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2021.
- How does China rank for share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty?
- China ranks 92nd out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 98.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Share of population living on less than $4.20 per day vs. share in multidimensional poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 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 $4.20 per day.