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Aid, poverty & equality · North America · High income
United States: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 1.1% (2024), 86th of 151 in the world and 1st of 2 in North America. Poverty, $4.20/day is 1.2% (2024), 103rd of 151 in the world and 1st of 2 in North America. Poverty, $8.30/day is 1.8% (2024), 125th of 151 in the world and 1st of 2 in North America.
Extreme poverty
United StatesNorth AmericaHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
United StatesNorth AmericaHigh incomeWorld
10 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: United States in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within North America; 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 | 1.1%2024 | 86/151 | 1/2 | 0.8% | 1.1% | 0.4% | −0.2 ppsince 2014 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.2%2024 | 103/151 | 1/2 | 0.9% | 1.3% | 0.5% | −0.3 ppsince 2014 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.8%2024 | 125/151 | 1/2 | 1.7% | 2.2% | 1.4% | −0.5 ppsince 2014 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 41.82024 | 30/151 | 1/2 | 40.1 | 40.2 | 40.0 | +0.2%since 2014 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 30.7%2024 | 40/151 | 1/2 | 30.3% | 29.4% | 29.7% | −0.1 ppsince 2014 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 5.1%2024 | 132/151 | 2/2 | 5.5% | 5.3% | 5.6% | −0.1 ppsince 2014 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 165/167 | 2/2 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 2.5% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 10.7%2024 | 108/155 | 1/2 | · | · | 8.0% | — | 10.7% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 97.0%2024 | 25/145 | 2/2 | · | 88.0%2011 | 95.0%2021 | +3.4 ppsince 2014 | 95.5% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 28.9%2025 | 83/190 | 2/2 | 14.0%2001 | 16.8% | 27.5% | +9.6 ppsince 2015 | 29.5% | 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
- Extreme poverty−0.2 pp1.1% in 2024
- Poverty, $4.20/day−0.3 pp1.2% in 2024
- Poverty, $8.30/day−0.5 pp1.8% in 2024
- Top 10% income share−0.1 pp30.7% in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Gini index+0.2%41.8 in 2024
- Bottom 20% income share−0.1 pp5.1% in 2024
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
United States and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with United States. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | United States | Mexico | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 1.1%2024 | 1.6%2024 | 0.3%2022 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 1.2%2024 | 4.1%2024 | 0.3%2022 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 1.8%2024 | 21.4%2024 | 0.6%2022 |
| Gini index | 41.82024 | 42.62024 | 31.52022 |
| Top 10% income share | 30.7%2024 | 33.4%2024 | 24.6%2022 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 5.1%2024 | 5.6%2024 | 7.7%2022 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 3.1%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 10.7%2024 | 16.5%2024 | 10.5%2024 |
| Account ownership | 97.0%2024 | 53.0%2024 | 98.4%2024 |