Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Belgium
Belgium: Total shortfall from extreme poverty was 4.73 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Belgium, 1985–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in international-$ in 2021 prices.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total shortfall from extreme poverty in Belgium is 4.73 million international-$ in 2021 prices, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 225.7% on the previous year and down 69.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total shortfall from extreme poverty in Belgium peaked at 86.23 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 1992 and was at its lowest, 1.45 million international-$ in 2021 prices, in 2022.
That places Belgium 96th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.81 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 22.65 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 52.97 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 2 |
| 1990s | 54.55 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 34.42 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 86.23 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 3 |
| 2000s | 14.07 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 3.19 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 30.53 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 8 |
| 2010s | 10.77 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 6.54 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 16.00 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.41 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 1.45 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 4.73 million international-$ in 2021 prices | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
- 93 Latvia 6.33 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 94 Croatia 6.00 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 95 Ukraine 5.61 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 97 Armenia 4.39 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
- 99 Taiwan 3.36 million international-$ in 2021 prices compare
More poverty & inequality data for Belgium
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.38 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 8,486 kg per hectare (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 42.6% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.031 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0781 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0781 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.0919 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 20.6% (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.1132 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total shortfall from extreme poverty in Belgium?
- Total shortfall from extreme poverty in Belgium was 4.73 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total shortfall from extreme poverty recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 86.23 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 1992.
- What is the lowest total shortfall from extreme poverty recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.45 million international-$ in 2021 prices in 2022.
- How does Belgium rank for total shortfall from extreme poverty?
- Belgium ranks 96th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total shortfall from extreme poverty rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Belgium 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 Total shortfall from extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This is the amount of money that would be theoretically needed to lift the income or consumption of all people in poverty up to $3 per day. However, this is not a measure of the actual cost of eliminating poverty, since it does not take into account the costs involved in making the necessary transfers nor any changes in behavior they would bring about.