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World Bank Group · Poverty Headcount at National Poverty Lines
Poverty rate (national poverty lines) by country
What share of people live below their own country's poverty line?
Of the 144 countries compared in the 2025 edition, South Sudan had the highest reading, 82.3%, and China had the lowest reading, 0.0%. In the middle country the figure was 21.3%. 16 readings from before 2015 are listed but not compared.
Part ofPoverty & Inequality
Poverty rate (national poverty lines) · the 2025 edition
Context statistic
Highest of 144South Sudan
82.3%01the 2025 edition · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 144 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Highest on each continent
- AfricaSouth Sudan82.3%
- Americas
Honduras60.1% - Asia
Afghanistan47.1% - Europe
Moldova31.6% - Oceania
Fiji24.1% - Every region
02Every measured country
Poverty rate (national poverty lines) on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.0–13.7%
- 13.9–18.7%
- 18.8–24.9%
- 25.0–39.8%
- 41.2–82.3%
- Hatched: a reading from before 2015, listed but not compared (16)
- No reading in the 2025 edition
- Africa
40.5%
the middle country, of 48 measured · 55 members
South Sudan82.3%
Morocco3.9%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Americas
25.0%
the middle country, of 23 measured · 48 members
Honduras60.1%
Chile6.5%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
18.3%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
Fiji24.1%
Kiribati5.5%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Europe
16.5%
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Moldova31.6%
Belarus3.5%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Asia
15.0%
the middle country, of 27 measured · 52 members
Afghanistan47.1%
China0.0%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Middle Africa
47.8%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members
Central African Republic68.8%
Angola32.3%Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
43.5%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Sierra Leone56.8%
Ghana23.4%Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
39.1%
the middle country, of 16 measured · 19 members
South Sudan82.3%
Mauritius8.4%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Southern Africa
37.9%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Eswatini58.9%
Botswana16.1%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Central America
28.4%
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Honduras60.1%
Costa Rica17.1%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Caribbean
25.0%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 24 members
Barbados25.7%
Jamaica8.2%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- South America
24.5%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 12 members
Argentina38.1%Chile6.5%Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Europe
19.7%
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
North Macedonia21.9%
Slovenia12.7%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Southern Asia
18.7%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Afghanistan47.1%
Maldives5.4%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Asia
15.7%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 19 members
Palestine32.8%
Georgia9.4%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Northern Europe
15.1%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
2 share 22.5%
Iceland8.8%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
14.8%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Luxembourg17.3%
Belgium12.3%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Eastern Europe
13.5%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Moldova31.6%Belarus3.5%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- South-eastern Asia
9.0%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 11 members
Myanmar24.8%
Vietnam4.2%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan25.7%
Kazakhstan5.0%Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Asia
2 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: China, Mongolia.
Mongolia27.1%China0.0%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Melanesia
2 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Vanuatu.
Fiji24.1%
Vanuatu15.9%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Micronesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati, Marshall Islands.
Marshall Islands7.2%Kiribati5.5%Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern Africa
3 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia.
Egypt33.5%Morocco3.9%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Polynesia
2 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Samoa, Tonga.
Samoa21.9%
Tonga20.6%Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
144 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 21.3%; a quarter are above 36.5%, and a quarter below 15.4%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 160 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Do not read this table as an ordering. Every country draws its own line, and a richer country’s is far higher than a poorer one’s, so a low figure here does not mean fewer poor people by any shared standard. For a comparison between countries, use the $3.00-a-day poverty headcount, which applies one line to everyone.
Showing 25 of 160 countries
Values for the 2025 edition.
05In this edition
Poverty rate (national poverty lines) in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading
82.3%
Population below the national poverty line (%)
Lowest reading
0.0%
Population below the national poverty line (%)
06The measure
About poverty rate (national poverty lines)
This is the share of people living below their own country’s poverty line — the line each government draws for itself. It is what each government counts as poor, which makes it the figure most national debates are about.
What the number is: Population below the national poverty line (%).
What it does not measure
Every country sets its own line, so the figures do not compare between countries. It is what each government counts as poor, not a common standard.
07Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Poverty & Inequality, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where poverty rate (national poverty lines) is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Working Poverty RateILO · 97 countries in commonρ 0.69
- Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 138 countries in commonρ 0.68
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 135 countries in commonρ 0.67
Moves against
Where poverty rate (national poverty lines) is higher, these tend to be lower.
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 85 countries in commonρ −0.71
- Access to ElectricityWorld Bank Group · 143 countries in commonρ −0.70
- Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 138 countries in commonρ −0.69
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 179 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
08Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The data, edition by edition
The countries at either end
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- Adjusted Net Savings
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)
- Average Time to Clear Exports Through Customs
- Business Ready: Operational Efficiency
- Business Ready: Public Services
- Business Ready: Regulatory Framework
- All statistics
09Questions
Poverty rate (national poverty lines): questions and answers
Which country has the highest poverty rate (national poverty lines)?
South Sudan, at 82.3%, among the 144 countries compared in the 2025 edition.
Which country has the lowest poverty rate (national poverty lines)?
China, at 0.0%, among the 144 countries compared in the 2025 edition.
How many countries does the Poverty Headcount at National Poverty Lines cover?
144 in the 2025 edition, and 160 at least once across all editions.
What is the world average poverty rate (national poverty lines)?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 144 compared in the 2025 edition, the figure was 21.3%.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. World Bank Group publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Poverty Headcount at National Poverty Lines published?
This site holds one edition, describing 2025.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. Compiled by the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform from national statistics offices, through the Bank’s indicator API (SI.POV.NAHC), stored to the one decimal the national offices publish. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
10Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty Lines — World Bank Group
Compiled by the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform from national statistics offices, through the Bank’s indicator API (SI.POV.NAHC), stored to the one decimal the national offices publish.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year not recorded
Cite the source as: World Bank. Poverty and Inequality Platform, compiled from official government sources. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: World Bank Group publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- The file gives each country’s most recent reading, so the rows are from different years. Readings from before 2015 are listed but left out of every comparison on this page.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Poverty rate (national poverty lines) by country: Poverty Headcount at National Poverty Lines, data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/national-poverty-rate