The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in China
China: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.0% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme 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 0.0% for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in China peaked at 97.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2019.
That places China 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 97.0% | — |
| 1984 | 91.3% | -5.9% |
| 1987 | 81.1% | -11.1% |
| 1990 | 83.1% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 77.3% | -7.0% |
| 1996 | 62.6% | -19.0% |
| 1999 | 58.5% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 47.8% | -18.3% |
| 2005 | 32.9% | -31.1% |
| 2008 | 26.1% | -20.8% |
| 2010 | 20.6% | -21.0% |
| 2011 | 15.3% | -25.7% |
| 2012 | 12.9% | -15.8% |
| 2013 | 6.0% | -53.1% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | -23.8% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | -38.0% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -26.8% |
| 2017 | 1.6% | -24.7% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | -52.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | — |
| 2021 | 0.0% | — |
| 2022 | 0.0% | — |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 89.8% | 81.1% | 97.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 70.4% | 58.5% | 83.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 35.6% | 26.1% | 47.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 0.0% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 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 the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in China?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in China was 0.0% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 1981.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2019.
- How does China rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- China ranks 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. 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 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.