Our World in Data

Oxford-based research publication that compiles and visualizes long-run data on global development. - Primary source for historical poverty statistics

In 1820, more than 80% of the world's population lived in extreme poverty. By 2019, that figure had fallen to 8.9% at the then-$2.15/day line—a decline of roughly 0.35 percentage points per year sustained across two centuries. In June 2025, the World Bank adopted 2021 purchasing power parities (PPPs), raising the extreme poverty line to $3.00/day; this revised the 2022 rate upward to 10.5% (838 million people) but projects a decline to 9.9% (808 million) by 2025, continuing the historic trend through post-pandemic recovery.

Updated Feb 5

Open-access scientific publication tracking long-term global changes in health, poverty, and development. - Active

For most of human history, the average person could expect to live about 30 years. Two centuries of accumulated advances—clean water, sanitation, vaccines, antibiotics, nutrition, and poverty reduction—have more than doubled that figure to 72 years globally. The change is so comprehensive that the global average today exceeds what the healthiest country achieved in 1950.

Updated Jan 22