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Aid, poverty & equality · Europe & Central Asia · High income
United Kingdom: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 0.4% (2021), 117th of 151 in the world and 24th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $4.20/day is 0.5% (2021), 122nd of 151 in the world and 28th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia. Poverty, $8.30/day is 0.9% (2021), 134th of 151 in the world and 34th of 47 in Europe & Central Asia.
Extreme poverty
United KingdomEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
United KingdomEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
11 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: United Kingdom in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.4%2021 | 117/151 | 24/47 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% | +0.1 ppsince 2011 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.5%2021 | 122/151 | 28/47 | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.6% | ±0.0 ppsince 2011 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.9%2021 | 134/151 | 34/47 | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.9% | +0.2 ppsince 2011 | 4.8% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 18.6%2017 | 87/145 | 18/47 | · | · | · | — | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 32.42021 | 101/151 | 20/47 | 38.9 | 33.7 | 32.7 | −2.4%since 2011 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 25.0%2021 | 101/151 | 18/47 | 31.2% | 26.4% | 24.9% | −0.9 ppsince 2011 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 7.6%2021 | 60/151 | 29/47 | 6.7% | 7.5% | 7.6% | ±0.0 ppsince 2011 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 164/167 | 46/47 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 7.4%2024 | 131/155 | 27/45 | · | · | 3.5% | — | 10.4% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 99.3%2024 | 4/145 | 4/46 | · | 97.2%2011 | 99.8%2021 | +0.4 ppsince 2014 | 89.6% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 40.5%2025 | 28/190 | 10/52 | 18.4% | 22.0% | 33.8% | +11.1 ppsince 2015 | 31.7% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Gini index−2.4%32.4 in 2021
- Top 10% income share−0.9 pp25.0% in 2021
- Account ownership+0.4 pp99.3% in 2024
- Women in parliament+11.1 pp40.5% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty+0.1 pp0.4% in 2021
- Poverty, $8.30/day+0.2 pp0.9% in 2021
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
United Kingdom and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with United Kingdom. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | United Kingdom | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 0.4%2021 | 0.1%2023 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 0.5%2021 | 0.1%2023 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 0.9%2021 | 0.3%2023 |
| National poverty rate | 18.6%2017 | 14.0%2021 |
| Gini index | 32.42021 | 29.02023 |
| Top 10% income share | 25.0%2021 | 24.1%2023 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 7.6%2021 | 9.2%2023 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 7.4%2024 | 6.2%2024 |