Number of people living in poverty worldwide by region

Number of people living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day worldwide in 2021 PPP from 1990 to 2024, by region (in millions)

Characteristic	Sub-Saharan Africa	Middle East & North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan	East Asia & The Pacific	South Asia	Europe & Central Asia	Latin America & The Caribbean
2024	368.36	-	13.7	8.51	2.81	15.7
2023	363.91	-	15.36	10.82	3.33	16.16
2022	357.92	-	17.16	14.8	3.62	18.03
2021	353.76	-	19.19	19.57	3.78	23.07
2020	347.41	-	19.17	24.31	3.93	19.69
2019	320.93	18.67	17.78	-	3.48	21.64
2018	314.86	30.22	20.46	-	3.76	21.01
2017	310.98	28.97	22.88	-	4.65	21.11
2016	304.41	28.32	27.22	-	4.71	20.56
2015	297.05	28.01	33.27	-	5.52	18.87
2014	290.41	26.18	47.37	64.64	5.6	20.51
2013	287.15	23.69	61.04	76.72	4.55	21.73
2012	287.16	23.26	129.01	89.35	23.63	24.09
2011	291.06	23.83	154.22	102.34	23.74	25.59
2010	291.14	25.13	198.29	119.78	24.66	27.75
2009	298.37	24.83	229.5	147.42	24.49	31.07
2008	294.29	29.77	253.49	162.16	24.33	32.07
2007	298.38	27.68	269.31	168.98	25.89	35.04
2006	299.31	32.83	303.59	185.42	27.71	40.74
2005	303.88	36.39	312.23	205.11	29.96	48.73
2004	309.47	39.96	382.91	216.07	29.35	50.36
2003	322.79	42.56	438.87	218.68	33.52	54.58
2002	323.18	49.21	508.07	219.07	34.21	55.79
2001	319.87	57.66	578.92	-	37.42	59.4
2000	320.64	54.77	617.85	-	40.22	59.8
1999	317.73	52.51	652.1	-	42.98	64.45
1998	314.83	49.22	705.79	-	34.23	62.36
1997	308.32	42.91	672.56	-	33.81	62.11
1996	303.36	42.96	665.92	203.21	34.57	61.7
1995	300.16	51.82	723.18	202.34	34.78	55
1994	294.33	51.57	795.35	201.14	33.72	58.27
1993	285.25	61.99	886.12	205.52	26.56	59.55
1992	274.21	61.3	906.12	211.91	23.42	58.48
1991	259.87	75.04	925.85	217.73	18.19	57.5
1990	244.1	86.97	933.11	218.09	16.06	58.78

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Release date

February 2026

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Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

1990 to 2024

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Over the past three decades, the number of people living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in terms of 2021 Purchasing Power Parities either dropped or remained stable across all regions except for Sub-Saharan Africa. On the continent, the number of people living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day increased from 244.1 million in 1990 to nearly 369 million in 2024. East Asia & The Pacific saw the most significant poverty reduction, where 13.7 million lived in poverty in 2024 compared to more than 900 million in 1990. Even though the absolute number of people living in poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa increased, the share fell during the same period, indicating that there has been poverty reduction in the region as well.