Poverty Rate by Country — 2020 World Rankings
Population living on less than $2.15/day (%). International poverty line.
Updated May 2026 · Source: World BankIn 2020, Congo, Dem. Rep. leads the world in poverty at $2.15/day (%) with 85.3%, followed by Mozambique (81.4%), Burundi (74.2%), Zambia (71.7%), Central African Republic (71.6%). At the other end, China ranks last at 0.0%. The global median is 1.3% (Costa Rica). This ranking covers 109 countries and is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators, one of the most authoritative sources for international economic statistics.
The top 10 countries are: 1. Congo, Dem. Rep., 2. Mozambique, 3. Burundi, 4. Zambia, 5. Central African Republic, 6. Madagascar, 7. Niger, 8. Kenya, 9. Burkina Faso, 10. Nigeria. All data is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators and updated regularly. Free API access is available for developers and researchers.
| # | Country | Poverty at $2.15/day (%) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85.3% | 2020 | |
| 2 | 81.4% | 2022 | |
| 3 | 74.2% | 2020 | |
| 4 | 71.7% | 2022 | |
| 5 | 71.6% | 2021 | |
| 6 | 69.2% | 2021 | |
| 7 | 60.5% | 2021 | |
| 8 | 46.9% | 2022 | |
| 9 | 42.1% | 2021 | |
| 10 | 41.8% | 2022 | |
| 11 | 39.9% | 2021 | |
| 12 | 39.5% | 2022 | |
| 13 | 38.6% | 2023 | |
| 14 | 38.6% | 2021 | |
| 15 | 36.1% | 2021 | |
| 16 | 34.4% | 2021 | |
| 17 | 27.2% | 2021 | |
| 18 | 26.7% | 2021 | |
| 19 | 22.0% | 2020 | |
| 20 | 20.9% | 2021 | |
| 21 | 17.9% | 2021 | |
| 22 | 16.5% | 2022 | |
| 23 | 15.7% | 2024 | |
| 24 | 10.0% | 2022 | |
| 25 | 9.7% | 2023 | |
| 26 | 8.8% | 2022 | |
| 27 | 7.7% | 2023 | |
| 28 | 7.3% | 2024 | |
| 29 | 6.1% | 2024 | |
| 30 | 5.9% | 2022 | |
| 31 | 5.9% | 2022 | |
| 32 | 5.4% | 2024 | |
| 33 | 5.3% | 2022 | |
| 34 | 5.3% | 2023 | |
| 35 | 5.1% | 2024 | |
| 36 | 4.6% | 2023 | |
| 37 | 4.2% | 2024 | |
| 38 | 3.8% | 2023 | |
| 39 | 3.1% | 2024 | |
| 40 | 2.8% | 2023 | |
| 41 | 2.7% | 2023 | |
| 42 | 2.7% | 2024 | |
| 43 | 2.5% | 2023 | |
| 44 | 2.5% | 2021 | |
| 45 | 2.4% | 2022 | |
| 46 | 2.3% | 2022 | |
| 47 | 2.2% | 2022 | |
| 48 | 2.1% | 2023 | |
| 49 | 2.1% | 2024 | |
| 50 | 2.0% | 2022 | |
| 51 | 1.9% | 2023 | |
| 52 | 1.6% | 2022 | |
| 53 | 1.4% | 2021 | |
| 54 | 1.4% | 2021 | |
| 55 | 1.3% | 2024 | |
| 56 | 1.2% | 2020 | |
| 57 | 1.2% | 2023 | |
| 58 | 1.1% | 2023 | |
| 59 | 1.0% | 2024 | |
| 60 | 1.0% | 2020 | |
| 61 | 1.0% | 2023 | |
| 62 | 0.9% | 2023 | |
| 63 | 0.8% | 2023 | |
| 64 | 0.8% | 2023 | |
| 65 | 0.8% | 2024 | |
| 66 | 0.7% | 2021 | |
| 67 | 0.7% | 2023 | |
| 68 | 0.7% | 2021 | |
| 69 | 0.6% | 2023 | |
| 70 | 0.5% | 2023 | |
| 71 | 0.5% | 2023 | |
| 72 | 0.5% | 2022 | |
| 73 | 0.5% | 2021 | |
| 74 | 0.5% | 2023 | |
| 75 | 0.5% | 2022 | |
| 76 | 0.4% | 2023 | |
| 77 | 0.4% | 2022 | |
| 78 | 0.4% | 2023 | |
| 79 | 0.4% | 2023 | |
| 80 | 0.4% | 2021 | |
| 81 | 0.3% | 2020 | |
| 82 | 0.3% | 2023 | |
| 83 | 0.3% | 2023 | |
| 84 | 0.2% | 2023 | |
| 85 | 0.2% | 2023 | |
| 86 | 0.2% | 2024 | |
| 87 | 0.2% | 2021 | |
| 88 | 0.2% | 2020 | |
| 89 | 0.2% | 2022 | |
| 90 | 0.2% | 2023 | |
| 91 | 0.2% | 2021 | |
| 92 | 0.1% | 2023 | |
| 93 | 0.1% | 2023 | |
| 94 | 0.1% | 2023 | |
| 95 | 0.1% | 2021 | |
| 96 | 0.1% | 2023 | |
| 97 | 0.1% | 2023 | |
| 98 | 0.1% | 2022 | |
| 99 | 0.1% | 2023 | |
| 100 | 0.0% | 2023 | |
| 101 | 0.0% | 2020 | |
| 102 | 0.0% | 2020 | |
| 103 | 0.0% | 2021 | |
| 104 | 0.0% | 2021 | |
| 105 | 0.0% | 2023 | |
| 106 | 0.0% | 2023 | |
| 107 | 0.0% | 2022 | |
| 108 | 0.0% | 2023 | |
| 109 | 0.0% | 2022 |
Use this data programmatically
Fetch the same 109-country ranking as JSON or CSV — fresh on every request, drop-in for dashboards, scripts, and notebooks. 1,000 free requests/day, no signup needed; sign up for usage tracking and 50,000/day on Pro.
curl 'https://statisticsoftheworld.com/api/v1/rankings/SI.POV.DDAY?format=csv' \ -o poverty-rate.csv
Understanding Poverty Rate by Country
The international poverty rate measures the share of population living on less than $2.15 per day in 2017 PPP terms — the World Bank's "extreme poverty line." This threshold represents the minimum needed to meet basic nutritional needs. The data comes from the World Bank's PovcalNet database.
Global extreme poverty has declined from roughly 36% in 1990 to under 9% today — one of the most remarkable achievements in human history, driven primarily by China's growth (800 million people lifted above the poverty line). However, poverty reduction has stalled in sub-Saharan Africa, which now accounts for over 60% of the world's extreme poor.
The COVID-19 pandemic reversed years of progress, pushing an estimated 70 million additional people into extreme poverty. Measuring poverty through income alone also misses important dimensions: access to healthcare, education, clean water, and social protection can make the real experience of poverty better or worse than the income threshold suggests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the highest poverty at $2.15/day (%) in 2020?
Congo, Dem. Rep. has the highest poverty at $2.15/day (%) at 85.3% as of 2020, according to World Bank data.
Which country has the lowest poverty at $2.15/day (%) in 2020?
China has the lowest poverty at $2.15/day (%) at 0.0% as of 2020.
How many countries are ranked by poverty at $2.15/day (%)?
109 countries have reported data for poverty at $2.15/day (%). The data is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators.
What is the median poverty at $2.15/day (%) across all countries?
The median poverty at $2.15/day (%) is 1.3% (Costa Rica, ranked #55 out of 109 countries).