Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in China
China: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day was 31.3% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in China, 1981–2022
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in China is 31.3%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and down 52.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in China peaked at 100.0% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 30.8%, in 2021.
That places China 57th out of 120 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 100.0% | — |
| 1984 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 99.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 99.2% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 97.9% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 96.6% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 93.1% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 87.6% | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 80.4% | -8.2% |
| 2010 | 74.3% | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 70.9% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 66.5% | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 61.1% | -8.2% |
| 2014 | 56.5% | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 52.3% | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 48.6% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 46.0% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 41.9% | -8.8% |
| 2019 | 38.7% | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 40.1% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 30.8% | -23.3% |
| 2022 | 31.3% | +1.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 31.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 31.3%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- China's 31.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 31.1%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 3 |
| 1990s | 98.4% | 96.6% | 99.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 87.0% | 80.4% | 93.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 55.7% | 38.7% | 74.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.1% | 30.8% | 40.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 49.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 75.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 18.8 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 303.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 165.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 206.2 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 350.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,480 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 102.37 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in China?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day in China was 31.3% in 2022, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.8% in 2021.
- How does China rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day?
- China ranks 57th out of 120 countries with data for 2022.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $10 a day rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Poverty: Share of population living on less than $10 a day. 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 $10 per day.