Number of people living in extreme poverty in China
China: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 0 people in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0 people
World rank
116th
of 120 countries
All-time high
964.11 million people
in 1981
All-time low
0 people
in 2019
Years of data
23
1981–2022
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 people.
Analysis
In 2022, number of people living in extreme poverty in China stood at 0 people. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in China peaked at 964.11 million people in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 2019.
China ranks 116th 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.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in China, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 964.11 million people | — |
| 1984 | 946.15 million people | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 879.03 million people | -7.1% |
| 1990 | 943.45 million people | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 910.74 million people | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 762.49 million people | -16.3% |
| 1999 | 732.52 million people | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 611.94 million people | -16.5% |
| 2005 | 429.02 million people | -29.9% |
| 2008 | 345.22 million people | -19.5% |
| 2010 | 275.35 million people | -20.2% |
| 2011 | 205.64 million people | -25.3% |
| 2012 | 174.36 million people | -15.2% |
| 2013 | 82.36 million people | -52.8% |
| 2014 | 63.18 million people | -23.3% |
| 2015 | 39.43 million people | -37.6% |
| 2016 | 29.02 million people | -26.4% |
| 2017 | 21.99 million people | -24.2% |
| 2018 | 10.52 million people | -52.2% |
| 2019 | 0 people | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 0 people | — |
| 2021 | 0 people | — |
| 2022 | 0 people | — |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 88,601 people. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 0 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 230,843 people. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 929.76 million people | 879.03 million people | 964.11 million people | 3 |
| 1990s | 837.30 million people | 732.52 million people | 943.45 million people | 4 |
| 2000s | 462.06 million people | 345.22 million people | 611.94 million people | 3 |
| 2010s | 90.18 million people | 0 people | 275.35 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 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 number of people living in extreme poverty in China?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in China was 0 people in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 964.11 million people in 1981.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 2019.
- How does China rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- China ranks 116th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is 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 Number of people living in extreme 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
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.