The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 5.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Bangladesh, 1983–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 5.9% for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 76.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Bangladesh peaked at 51.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2022.
That places Bangladesh 37th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 47.1% | — |
| 1985 | 41.4% | -12.2% |
| 1988 | 51.1% | +23.4% |
| 1991 | 51.2% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 43.4% | -15.3% |
| 2000 | 41.4% | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 32.3% | -21.9% |
| 2010 | 25.1% | -22.3% |
| 2016 | 19.5% | -22.3% |
| 2022 | 5.9% | -69.7% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 5.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.7%, 61% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 5.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.7%, 2.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.6% | 41.4% | 51.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 47.3% | 43.4% | 51.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.8% | 32.3% | 41.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 22.3% | 19.5% | 25.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 34 Lao People's Democratic Republic 7.1% compare
- 35 Nicaragua 6.6% compare
- 36 Tajikistan 6.1% compare
- 38 India 5.3% compare
- 39 Peru 5.1% compare
- 40 El Salvador 4.6% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Bangladesh
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 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 2.16 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,408 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1.64 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 7.29 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 7.3% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Bangladesh?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Bangladesh was 5.9% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2022.
- How does Bangladesh rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Bangladesh ranks 37th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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 The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.