Poverty Line by Country
Central African Republic has the highest poverty rate in the world at 68.8%.
Analysis
Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands have very low poverty rates, while Nigeria and Madagascar have some of the highest. Poverty is linked to unemployment, low education, and limited services. Social safety nets help reduce poverty in developed countries, but rural and marginalized groups are often most affected. Recent global crises have reversed progress in some regions. This ranking highlights the persistent challenge of eradicating poverty.
Global Rankings
| Rank | Country | Poverty Line (%) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Central African Republic
|
68.8% | 2021 |
| 2 |
Zambia
|
60.0% | 2022 |
| 3 |
Swaziland
|
58.9% | 2016 |
| 4 |
Sierra Leone
|
56.8% | 2018 |
| 5 |
Sao Tome and Principe
|
55.5% | 2017 |
| 6 |
Afghanistan
|
54.5% | 2017 |
| 7 |
Somalia
|
54.4% | 2022 |
| 8 |
Gambia
|
53.4% | 2020 |
| 9 |
Liberia
|
50.9% | 2016 |
| 10 |
Malawi
|
50.7% | 2019 |
| 11 |
Lesotho
|
49.7% | 2017 |
| 12 |
Honduras
|
48.0% | 2019 |
| 13 |
Guinea-Bissau
|
47.7% | 2018 |
| 14 |
Togo
|
45.5% | 2018 |
| 15 |
Mali
|
44.6% | 2021 |
| 16 |
Guinea
|
43.7% | 2018 |
| 17 |
Burkina Faso
|
43.2% | 2021 |
| 18 |
Chad
|
42.3% | 2018 |
| 19 |
Niger
|
40.8% | 2018 |
| 20 |
Nigeria
|
40.1% | 2018 |
| 21 |
Argentina
|
39.2% | 2022 |
| 22 |
Benin
|
38.5% | 2019 |
| 23 |
Zimbabwe
|
38.3% | 2019 |
| 24 |
Rwanda
|
38.2% | 2016 |
| 25 |
Cote d'Ivoire
|
37.5% | 2021 |
| 26 |
Colombia
|
36.6% | 2022 |
| 27 |
Bolivia
|
36.4% | 2021 |
| 28 |
Mexico
|
36.3% | 2022 |
| 29 |
Kenya
|
36.1% | 2016 |
| 30 |
Gabon
|
33.4% | 2017 |
| 31 |
Kyrgyzstan
|
33.3% | 2021 |
| 32 |
Angola
|
32.3% | 2018 |
| 33 |
Mauritania
|
31.8% | 2019 |
| 34 |
Moldova
|
31.1% | 2022 |
| 35 |
Egypt
|
29.7% | 2019 |
| 36 |
Mongolia
|
27.8% | 2020 |
| 37 |
Peru
|
27.5% | 2022 |
| 38 |
El Salvador
|
26.6% | 2022 |
| 39 |
Tanzania
|
26.4% | 2018 |
| 40 |
Costa Rica
|
25.5% | 2022 |
| 41 |
Seychelles
|
25.3% | 2018 |
| 42 |
Ecuador
|
25.2% | 2022 |
| 43 |
Grenada
|
25.0% | 2018 |
| 44 |
Saint Lucia
|
25.0% | 2016 |
| 45 |
Nicaragua
|
24.9% | 2016 |
| 46 |
Burma
|
24.8% | 2017 |
| 47 |
Armenia
|
24.8% | 2022 |
| 48 |
Paraguay
|
24.7% | 2022 |
| 49 |
Fiji
|
24.1% | 2019 |
| 50 |
Dominican Republic
|
23.9% | 2021 |
| 51 |
Ghana
|
23.4% | 2016 |
| 52 |
Tajikistan
|
22.5% | 2022 |
| 53 |
Estonia
|
22.5% | 2022 |
| 54 |
Latvia
|
22.5% | 2022 |
| 55 |
Albania
|
22.0% | 2020 |
| 56 |
Kiribati
|
21.9% | 2020 |
| 57 |
Samoa
|
21.9% | 2018 |
| 58 |
Pakistan
|
21.9% | 2018 |
| 59 |
Macedonia
|
21.8% | 2019 |
| 60 |
Panama
|
21.5% | 2019 |
| 61 |
Montenegro
|
21.2% | 2020 |
| 62 |
Romania
|
21.2% | 2021 |
| 63 |
Serbia
|
21.2% | 2020 |
| 64 |
Djibouti
|
21.1% | 2017 |
| 65 |
Lithuania
|
20.9% | 2021 |
| 66 |
Tonga
|
20.6% | 2021 |
| 67 |
Bulgaria
|
20.6% | 2022 |
| 68 |
Uganda
|
20.3% | 2019 |
| 69 |
Spain
|
20.2% | 2022 |
| 70 |
Italy
|
20.1% | 2021 |
| 71 |
Hong Kong
|
19.9% | 2016 |
| 72 |
Greece
|
18.8% | 2021 |
| 73 |
Bangladesh
|
18.7% | 2022 |
| 74 |
United Kingdom
|
18.6% | 2017 |
| 75 |
Laos
|
18.3% | 2018 |
| 76 |
Philippines
|
18.1% | 2021 |
| 77 |
Croatia
|
18.0% | 2021 |
| 78 |
Luxembourg
|
17.3% | 2021 |
| 79 |
Jamaica
|
17.1% | 2016 |
| 80 |
Malta
|
16.7% | 2021 |
| 81 |
South Africa
|
16.6% | 2016 |
| 82 |
Tunisia
|
16.6% | 2021 |
| 83 |
Cambodia
|
16.5% | 2016 |
| 84 |
Portugal
|
16.4% | 2021 |
| 85 |
Sweden
|
16.1% | 2022 |
| 86 |
Vanuatu
|
15.9% | 2020 |
| 87 |
Jordan
|
15.7% | 2018 |
| 88 |
France
|
15.6% | 2021 |
| 89 |
Georgia
|
15.6% | 2022 |
| 90 |
Austria
|
14.8% | 2021 |
| 91 |
Germany
|
14.7% | 2021 |
| 92 |
Switzerland
|
14.7% | 2020 |
| 93 |
Netherlands
|
14.5% | 2021 |
| 94 |
South Korea
|
14.4% | 2016 |
| 95 |
Turkey
|
14.4% | 2020 |
| 96 |
Sri Lanka
|
14.3% | 2019 |
| 97 |
Uzbekistan
|
14.0% | 2016 |
| 98 |
Ireland
|
14.0% | 2021 |
| 99 |
Cyprus
|
13.9% | 2021 |
| 100 |
Slovakia
|
13.7% | 2021 |
| 101 |
Australia
|
13.4% | 2020 |
| 102 |
Slovenia
|
12.7% | 2022 |
| 103 |
Denmark
|
12.4% | 2021 |
| 104 |
Bhutan
|
12.4% | 2022 |
| 105 |
Belgium
|
12.3% | 2022 |
| 106 |
Finland
|
12.2% | 2022 |
| 107 |
Norway
|
12.2% | 2021 |
| 108 |
Hungary
|
12.1% | 2021 |
| 109 |
Poland
|
11.8% | 2022 |
| 110 |
Russia
|
11.0% | 2021 |
| 111 |
Chile
|
10.8% | 2020 |
| 112 |
Mauritius
|
10.3% | 2017 |
| 113 |
Czech Republic
|
10.2% | 2021 |
| 114 |
Uruguay
|
9.9% | 2022 |
| 115 |
Indonesia
|
9.4% | 2023 |
| 116 |
Iceland
|
8.8% | 2017 |
| 117 |
Marshall Islands
|
7.2% | 2019 |
| 118 |
Thailand
|
6.3% | 2021 |
| 119 |
Malaysia
|
6.2% | 2021 |
| 120 |
Maldives
|
5.4% | 2019 |
| 121 |
Kazakhstan
|
5.2% | 2022 |
| 122 |
Vietnam
|
4.8% | 2020 |
| 123 |
Belarus
|
4.8% | 2020 |
| 124 |
Brazil
|
4.2% | 2016 |
| 125 |
Ukraine
|
1.6% | 2020 |
| 126 |
China
|
0.0% | 2020 |
The Far-Reaching Effects of Poverty Rates
Poverty rates reveal the extent of economic hardship and social exclusion in a country. High poverty undermines health, education, and social stability. Reducing poverty is central to achieving sustainable development and equality. Tracking this statistic helps target social programs and measure progress. Addressing poverty requires coordinated efforts across sectors and levels of government.Sources
Rankings are based on the most recent data available and may vary over time as new data is released. This list uses the latest available data from The World Factbook.More Quality of Life (by country) rankings
HIV/AIDs Rate
This ranking provides a table of countries by HIV/AIDs prevalence.
Adult Obesity Rate
This ranking provides a table of countries by adult obesity rate.
Life Expectancy
This ranking provides a table of countries by life expectancy.
Maternal Mortality Rate
This ranking provides a table of countries by maternal mortality rate (deaths per 100,000 live births).
Infant Mortality Rate
This ranking provides a table of countries by infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births).
Literacy Rate
This ranking provides a table of countries by literacy rate.