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Highest extreme poverty rates

In DR Congo, 85.3% of people lived on under $3 a day in 2020, the highest extreme poverty rate in the data, followed by Mozambique at 81.4%.

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What the data shows

  • DR Congo ranks #1 with 85.3%, ahead of Mozambique (81.4%) and South Sudan (76.5%).

About this chart

DR Congo has the highest extreme poverty rate in the dataset: 85.3% of the population lived below the international poverty line in 2020. Mozambique follows at 81.4% (2022), then South Sudan at 76.5% (2016), Malawi at 75.4% (2019) and Burundi at 74.2% (2020). Zambia (71.7%), the Central African Republic (71.6%) and Madagascar (69.2%) also exceed two in three. All 15 countries listed are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The measure is the World Bank poverty headcount ratio at the international poverty line, set at $3 a day in 2021 purchasing power parity prices, which adjusts for local price differences. It comes from household surveys, which are not run every year, so each country appears at its most recent value from the last ten years and the years range from 2016 to 2022. Comparing rows therefore compares different years. Only countries with more than 1 million people are included.

The data

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SI.POV.DDAY), poverty headcount ratio at the international poverty line, % of population; countries over 1 million people. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each country's most recent value from the last ten years.

Highest extreme poverty rates, % living on under $3 a day (2021 PPP), Latest
Date🇨🇩 DR Congo🇲🇿 Mozambique🇸🇸 South Sudan🇲🇼 Malawi🇧🇮 Burundi🇿🇲 Zambia🇨🇫 Central African Republic🇲🇬 Madagascar🇷🇼 Rwanda🇳🇪 Niger🇺🇬 Uganda🇹🇿 Tanzania🇿🇼 Zimbabwe🇰🇪 Kenya🇸🇿 Eswatini
Latest85.3%81.4%76.5%75.4%74.2%71.7%71.6%69.2%63.8%60.5%59.8%51.3%49.2%45.5%44.5%

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Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest poverty rate?

DR Congo has the highest extreme poverty rate in the latest data, with 85.3% of people living on under $3 a day in 2020. Mozambique is second at 81.4% in 2022 and South Sudan third at 76.5% in 2016.

How is extreme poverty defined?

Extreme poverty here means living below the World Bank's international poverty line of $3 a day, measured in 2021 purchasing power parity prices. It is the share of the population, not the number of people.

Why are the survey years different?

Poverty rates come from household surveys that countries run every few years. The chart shows each country's most recent value from the last ten years, so South Sudan and Rwanda are 2016 readings while Mozambique and Kenya are 2022.

Where does this data come from?

World Bank, World Development Indicators (SI.POV.DDAY), poverty headcount ratio at the international poverty line, % of population; countries over 1 million people. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each country's most recent value from the last ten years. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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