The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 0.4% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1968–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 0.4% for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.0% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 0.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1973.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 83rd 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 0.2% | — |
| 1969 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1971 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1974 | 0.2% | — |
| 1975 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1977 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1978 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.3% | +200.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -66.7% |
| 1988 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 0.1% | -50.0% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 0.4% | +100.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -33.3% |
| 1997 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 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 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2011 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -50.0% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +100.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | -20.0% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 0.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 0.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 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)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.4% in 2021, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1973.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 83rd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.