Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Get in touch with us nowPoverty gap worldwide at 3.65 U.S. dollars a day 1990-2019, by region
Overall, all the world regions saw a drop in the poverty gap over the past three decades. However, it was fluctuating more in some regions than in others. East Asia & The Pacific saw the most dramatic fall, from 48 percent in 1990 to less than two percent in 2019. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest poverty gap in the world at 28 percent. The poverty gap measures how far the average poor family is below the poverty line, here set at 3.65 U.S. dollars a day in terms of 2017 Purchasing Power Parities. Hence, it not only measures general poverty, but also the intensity of poverty.
