Poverty Rate by Country2020 World Rankings

Population living on less than $2.15/day (%). International poverty line.

Updated May 2026 · Source: World Bank

In 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.

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Countries
109
Highest
85.3%
Congo, Dem. Rep.
Lowest
0.0%
China
Latest Year
2020
Poverty Rate by Country109 countries ranked by poverty at $2.15/day (%) (2020). Source: World Bank.
#CountryPoverty at $2.15/day (%)Year
1Congo, Dem. Rep.85.3%2020
2Mozambique81.4%2022
3Burundi74.2%2020
4Zambia71.7%2022
5Central African Republic71.6%2021
6Madagascar69.2%2021
7Niger60.5%2021
8Kenya46.9%2022
9Burkina Faso42.1%2021
10Nigeria41.8%2022
11Guinea-Bissau39.9%2021
12Chad39.5%2022
13Rwanda38.6%2023
14Ethiopia38.6%2021
15Mali36.1%2021
16Togo34.4%2021
17Benin27.2%2021
18Cameroon26.7%2021
19Gambia, The22.0%2020
20Cote d'Ivoire20.9%2021
21Senegal17.9%2021
22Syrian Arab Republic16.5%2022
23Honduras15.7%2024
24Kosovo10.0%2022
25Guatemala9.7%2023
26Equatorial Guinea8.8%2022
27Colombia7.7%2023
28Ecuador7.3%2024
29Tajikistan6.1%2024
30Lebanon5.9%2022
31Bangladesh5.9%2022
32Indonesia5.4%2024
33India5.3%2022
34Philippines5.3%2023
35Peru5.1%2024
36El Salvador4.6%2023
37Georgia4.2%2024
38Brazil3.8%2023
39Panama3.1%2024
40Bolivia2.8%2023
41Kyrgyz Republic2.7%2023
42Uzbekistan2.7%2024
43Iran, Islamic Rep.2.5%2023
44Montenegro2.5%2021
45Nepal2.4%2022
46Mexico2.3%2022
47Suriname2.2%2022
48West Bank and Gaza2.1%2023
49Paraguay2.1%2024
50Serbia2.0%2022
51Armenia1.9%2023
52Viet Nam1.6%2022
53Egypt, Arab Rep.1.4%2021
54Jamaica1.4%2021
55Costa Rica1.3%2024
56Japan1.2%2020
57United States1.2%2023
58Lithuania1.1%2023
59Argentina1.0%2024
60Australia1.0%2020
61Bulgaria1.0%2023
62Italy0.9%2023
63Spain0.8%2023
64Sweden0.8%2023
65Dominican Republic0.8%2024
66Tunisia0.7%2021
67Romania0.7%2023
68Israel0.7%2021
69Greece0.6%2023
70Slovak Republic0.5%2023
71Iraq0.5%2023
72Turkiye0.5%2022
73United Kingdom0.5%2021
74Austria0.5%2023
75Chile0.5%2022
76Portugal0.4%2023
77Mongolia0.4%2022
78Latvia0.4%2023
79Denmark0.4%2023
80Tonga0.4%2021
81Albania0.3%2020
82Croatia0.3%2023
83Estonia0.3%2023
84Norway0.2%2023
85Poland0.2%2023
86Uruguay0.2%2024
87Korea, Rep.0.2%2021
88Germany0.2%2020
89Switzerland0.2%2022
90Finland0.2%2023
91Canada0.2%2021
92Belgium0.1%2023
93Ireland0.1%2023
94Russian Federation0.1%2023
95Netherlands0.1%2021
96France0.1%2023
97Moldova0.1%2023
98Malta0.1%2022
99Luxembourg0.1%2023
100Thailand0.0%2023
101Belarus0.0%2020
102Ukraine0.0%2020
103Kazakhstan0.0%2021
104Malaysia0.0%2021
105Slovenia0.0%2023
106Czechia0.0%2023
107Bhutan0.0%2022
108Cyprus0.0%2023
109China0.0%2022
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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).

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