As of 2025, the World Bank has updated the international extreme poverty line to $3.00 per person per day (in 2021 purchasing power adjusted USD). This threshold accounts for inflation and represents the median national poverty line of 23 low-income countries. Previously, the line was set at $2.15 (2017 prices).
The current international poverty line, capturing extreme poverty, is set at $3.00 a day in 2021 PPP terms, which represents the median national poverty line of 23 low-income countries.
The World Bank has revised its international poverty line from $2.15 per person per day in 2017 purchasing power adjusted US dollars to $3.00 in 2021 purchasing power adjusted US dollars. The revision in part reflects inflation between 2017 and 2021, which increases the line from $2.15 to about $2.50.
According to the June 2025 update, 817 million people lived in extreme poverty in 2024 under the new $3 a day line. This is 125 million more than the previous estimate based on the old $2.15 definition. This chart compares the September 2024 data with the latest World Bank data.
Consumption-based definition
Extreme poverty is defined by the international community as living below $1.90 a day, as measured in 2011 international prices (equivalent to $2.12 in 2018).
Around a quarter — 24% — of the world lives on less than $5 a day. Around half — 52% — of the world lives on less than $10 a day. 81% live on less than $30 a day — a threshold similar to the poverty lines adopted in many of the world's richest countries.
Mississippi consistently ranks as the state with the highest poverty rate in the U.S., often followed by states like Louisiana, New Mexico, and West Virginia, according to World Population Review data from late 2024/early 2025 and U.S. Census data cited by FCNL and Visual Capitalist. Factors contributing to Mississippi's high poverty include low median household income, lower educational attainment, and higher rates of child poverty, though rates have seen some improvement over the years.
Nearly half of the world's population currently lives in poverty, defined as income of less than US $2 per day, including one billion children. Of those living in poverty, over 800 million people live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than US $1.25 a day.
If you are a single person in Los Angeles making around $70,000 a year, you are still considered low-income, according to a new statewide study. The California Department of Housing and Community Development released the report in June and found that income limits have increased in most counties across California.
In 2025, an estimated 808 million people will be living in extreme poverty—up from the previous estimate of 677 million—representing 9.9 per cent of the world's population, or 1 in 10 people.
New data from a report shows that people can make over $100,000 a year in four Bay Area counties and still be considered low income. Ian Cull reports. New data from a state report shows that people can make over $100,000 a year in four Bay Area counties and still be considered "low income."
20 jobs that pay at least $40,000
If you are an individual living on $40,000 a year in an area with a low to moderate cost of living, you can afford typical monthly expenses like food, housing, and utilities and still have enough for some fun expenditures, like entertainment.
In this analysis, we require that a child report at least three months during a calendar year with a household income below the threshold of less than $2 per person per day (approximated as $60 per person per month) to be counted as experiencing a spell of $2-a-day poverty.
Home > Who we are > FAQ > How many people living in poverty are there? Some figures from the United Nations Development Programme: More than a billion people live with less than a dollar per day. 2.8 billion people, that is to say almost half of the global population, live with less than 2 dollars per day.
Poverty refers to a lack of the necessities of life—food, shelter and clothing.
Poverty statistics exclude people living in hidden poverty, which occurs when an individual earns above the poverty line, but cannot afford adequate food, hydro bills, childcare, or other basic necessities.
“Why are poor countries poor?” Cate distilled the reasons into the 5 Ps of Poverty: Place, Past, People, Politics, and Peace. She then illustrated each P by asking a series of questions to construct a case study comparing a wealthy nation (the US) and a LDC (Chad, in Central Africa).