Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) by country
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the...
What the numbers show
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) is currently reported for 121 countries. The highest value is 81.4% in Mozambique; the lowest is 7.0% in Slovenia.
The median across all reporting countries is 20.3%, and the mean is 24.0%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 12.
Over the past decade 27 countries rose and 90 fell. The largest increase was in Montenegro (up 34.8%), and the largest decrease in Azerbaijan (down 74.4%).
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mozambique | 81.4% | 2022 | up 9.4% | falling |
| 2 | Malawi | 75.4% | 2019 | up 3.4% | rising |
| 3 | Burundi | 74.2% | 2020 | down 2.1% | falling |
| 4 | Zambia | 71.7% | 2022 | up 0.4% | rising |
| 5 | Madagascar | 69.2% | 2021 | up 6.0% | falling |
| 6 | Niger | 60.5% | 2021 | down 12.1% | falling |
| 7 | Uganda | 59.8% | 2019 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 8 | Tanzania | 51.3% | 2018 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 9 | Kenya | 45.5% | 2022 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 10 | Burkina Faso | 42.1% | 2021 | down 37.4% | falling |
| 11 | Nigeria | 41.8% | 2022 | up 3.7% | falling |
| 12 | Ghana | 41.2% | 2016 | down 32.3% | falling |
| 13 | Guinea-Bissau | 40.4% | 2021 | down 46.6% | falling |
| 14 | Rwanda | 39.9% | 2023 | down 38.8% | falling |
| 15 | Ethiopia | 39.7% | 2021 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 16 | Mali | 39.4% | 2021 | down 37.8% | falling |
| 17 | Togo | 38.9% | 2021 | down 40.6% | falling |
| 18 | Cameroon | 36.9% | 2021 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 19 | Botswana | 36.0% | 2015 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 20 | Benin | 35.0% | 2021 | down 48.8% | falling |
| 21 | South Africa | 33.8% | 2022 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 22 | Gambia | 33.6% | 2020 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 23 | Pakistan | 32.8% | 2024 | up 4.5% | falling |
| 24 | Cote d'Ivoire | 32.5% | 2021 | down 30.9% | rising |
| 25 | Honduras | 32.3% | 2024 | down 8.0% | falling |
| 26 | Senegal | 31.5% | 2021 | down 40.9% | falling |
| 27 | Colombia | 30.0% | 2024 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 28 | Syria | 29.9% | 2022 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 29 | Nicaragua | 29.2% | 2014 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 30 | Guatemala | 29.0% | 2023 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 31 | Venezuela | 28.6% | 2006 | down 11.5% | rising |
| 32 | Guinea | 28.3% | 2018 | down 35.7% | falling |
| 33 | Mauritania | 27.6% | 2019 | down 18.8% | falling |
| 34 | Panama | 27.0% | 2024 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 35 | Ecuador | 26.3% | 2025 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 36 | Brazil | 26.2% | 2024 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 37 | Tajikistan | 26.0% | 2024 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 38 | Peru | 25.4% | 2024 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 39 | Laos | 25.3% | 2024 | down 22.4% | falling |
| 39 | Philippines | 25.3% | 2023 | down 28.1% | falling |
| 41 | Argentina | 24.1% | 2024 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 42 | Jamaica | 23.7% | 2021 | — | falling |
| 43 | Costa Rica | 23.6% | 2025 | down 0.8% | falling |
| 43 | El Salvador | 23.6% | 2023 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 45 | Israel | 23.5% | 2022 | down 5.2% | rising |
| 46 | North Macedonia | 23.3% | 2019 | down 21.8% | flat |
| 47 | Bangladesh | 23.1% | 2022 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 47 | Morocco | 23.1% | 2013 | down 28.9% | falling |
| 47 | Palestine | 23.1% | 2023 | up 28.3% | rising |
| 50 | Sri Lanka | 22.8% | 2019 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 51 | Paraguay | 22.7% | 2024 | down 14.0% | falling |
| 52 | Georgia | 22.6% | 2024 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 53 | Bolivia | 22.5% | 2024 | down 14.8% | falling |
| 54 | Indonesia | 22.2% | 2025 | down 33.7% | falling |
| 55 | Belize | 22.1% | 2018 | — | falling |
| 55 | Mexico | 22.1% | 2024 | down 19.3% | falling |
| 57 | Iran | 21.8% | 2023 | up 5.3% | falling |
| 58 | India | 21.3% | 2022 | down 36.2% | falling |
| 59 | Montenegro | 20.9% | 2021 | up 34.8% | rising |
| 60 | Uruguay | 20.5% | 2024 | down 2.8% | falling |
| 61 | Dominican Republic | 20.3% | 2024 | down 21.0% | falling |
| 62 | Nepal | 20.2% | 2022 | down 40.1% | falling |
| 62 | United States | 20.2% | 2024 | up 8.0% | rising |
| 64 | Malaysia | 19.9% | 2021 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 65 | Vietnam | 19.7% | 2022 | down 16.5% | falling |
| 66 | Turkey | 19.6% | 2023 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 67 | China | 19.4% | 2022 | down 37.8% | volatile |
| 67 | Kyrgyzstan | 19.4% | 2024 | down 18.5% | falling |
| 69 | Tunisia | 17.9% | 2021 | down 22.5% | falling |
| 70 | Serbia | 17.8% | 2023 | down 33.6% | rising |
| 71 | Mongolia | 17.7% | 2022 | down 16.1% | falling |
| 72 | Chile | 17.6% | 2024 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 73 | Romania | 17.5% | 2023 | down 36.4% | flat |
| 74 | Uzbekistan | 17.2% | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 75 | Bulgaria | 17.0% | 2023 | down 13.7% | rising |
| 76 | Spain | 16.6% | 2023 | down 17.0% | rising |
| 77 | Armenia | 16.5% | 2024 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 78 | Albania | 16.4% | 2020 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 79 | Egypt | 16.3% | 2021 | down 8.4% | falling |
| 80 | Italy | 16.2% | 2023 | down 1.2% | rising |
| 81 | Thailand | 16.0% | 2024 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 82 | Greece | 15.9% | 2023 | down 22.1% | flat |
| 83 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 15.7% | 2021 | down 15.1% | rising |
| 84 | Japan | 15.4% | 2020 | up 6.2% | flat |
| 85 | Hungary | 15.1% | 2017 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 85 | Lithuania | 15.1% | 2023 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 87 | Luxembourg | 15.0% | 2023 | up 7.9% | rising |
| 88 | Jordan | 14.6% | 2010 | down 27.4% | falling |
| 89 | Bhutan | 14.2% | 2022 | down 41.8% | falling |
| 89 | South Korea | 14.2% | 2021 | down 2.1% | flat |
| 91 | Latvia | 14.0% | 2023 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 92 | Croatia | 13.9% | 2023 | down 24.9% | rising |
| 93 | Russia | 13.7% | 2023 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 94 | Germany | 13.3% | 2022 | up 22.0% | rising |
| 94 | United Kingdom | 13.3% | 2021 | unchanged | rising |
| 96 | France | 13.2% | 2023 | up 15.8% | falling |
| 97 | Portugal | 13.1% | 2023 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 98 | Switzerland | 12.8% | 2022 | up 20.8% | rising |
| 99 | Australia | 12.6% | 2020 | up 5.9% | flat |
| 100 | Malta | 12.4% | 2023 | up 7.8% | falling |
| 100 | Sweden | 12.4% | 2023 | up 7.8% | rising |
| 102 | Austria | 12.2% | 2023 | up 16.2% | rising |
| 102 | Canada | 12.2% | 2022 | down 21.8% | falling |
| 102 | Slovakia | 12.2% | 2023 | down 10.3% | rising |
| 105 | Moldova | 11.4% | 2023 | down 21.9% | volatile |
| 106 | Poland | 10.6% | 2023 | down 35.8% | falling |
| 107 | Estonia | 10.3% | 2023 | down 27.0% | falling |
| 107 | Ukraine | 10.3% | 2020 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 109 | Belgium | 9.5% | 2023 | down 19.5% | rising |
| 110 | Netherlands | 8.8% | 2021 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 111 | Cyprus | 8.7% | 2023 | down 13.9% | rising |
| 111 | Finland | 8.7% | 2023 | up 11.5% | rising |
| 113 | Ireland | 8.6% | 2023 | down 40.3% | falling |
| 114 | Norway | 8.5% | 2023 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 115 | Belarus | 8.4% | 2020 | down 43.6% | falling |
| 116 | Czechia | 8.3% | 2023 | down 8.8% | flat |
| 116 | Kazakhstan | 8.3% | 2021 | down 35.7% | falling |
| 118 | Azerbaijan | 8.1% | 2005 | down 74.4% | volatile |
| 119 | Denmark | 7.4% | 2023 | down 7.5% | rising |
| 119 | Iceland | 7.4% | 2019 | down 6.3% | rising |
| 121 | Slovenia | 7.0% | 2023 | down 30.7% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Low income 55.1%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 48.3%
- IDA total 42.2%
- Kosovo 28.3%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 27.0%
- Low & middle income 26.9%
- Lower middle income 26.0%
- Latin America & Caribbean 25.5%
- World 24.9%
- Upper middle income 20.9%
- South Asia 20.0%
- East Asia & Pacific 19.8%
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.