The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Canada
Canada: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.3% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Canada, 1971–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Canada stood at 0.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 50.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Canada peaked at 2.5% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2020.
Canada ranks 90th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.5% | — |
| 1973 | 1.8% | -28.0% |
| 1975 | 1.7% | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 1.5% | -11.8% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | -13.3% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | -30.8% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | +42.9% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | -40.0% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | +16.7% |
| 1989 | 1.3% | +85.7% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | -15.4% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +18.2% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -38.5% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +50.0% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -25.0% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -50.0% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
| 2000 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2002 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -33.3% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | +66.7% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -40.0% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | -75.0% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More poverty & inequality data for Canada
- 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 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,695 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 -9.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.78 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.8% (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 Canada?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Canada was 0.3% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1971.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Canada ranks 90th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada 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.
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.