Total population in extreme poverty in United States
United States: Total population in extreme poverty was 3.74 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Total population in extreme poverty in United States, 1963–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total population in extreme poverty in United States is 3.74 million, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 7.4% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in extreme poverty in United States peaked at 4.68 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 996,299, in 2021.
That places United States 27th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.31 million | 1.42 million | 3.03 million | 7 |
| 1970s | 1.67 million | 1.32 million | 2.26 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.44 million | 1.22 million | 1.85 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.81 million | 1.25 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.92 million | 2.26 million | 3.35 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.68 million | 3.30 million | 4.25 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.96 million | 996,299 | 4.68 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More poverty & inequality data for United States
- Data deprivation poverty surveys per decade 9 (2025)
- Fertility rate vs the share living in extreme poverty 1.62 (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty 8,414 (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality 24.85 (2023)
- Gender inequality index from the human development report 0.169 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in gdp vs share in extreme poverty 11.68 (2023)
- Gini coefficient of lifespan inequality in females 0.0958 (2023)
- Gini coefficient of lifespan inequality by sex 0.0958 (2023)
- Gini coefficient of lifespan inequality in males 0.1179 (2023)
- Income inequality atkinson index undp 0.2393 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in extreme poverty in United States?
- Total population in extreme poverty in United States was 3.74 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total population in extreme poverty recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 4.68 million in 2022.
- What is the lowest total population in extreme poverty recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 996,299 in 2021.
- How does United States rank for total population in extreme poverty?
- United States ranks 27th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total population in extreme poverty rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Total population in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 62 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).