Czechia: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Czechia's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) rose 1.6 percentage points on 2020 (from 8.6% to 10.2%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2020), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.6 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 6% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2021, Czechia had the 11th highest value of the 11 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Czechia in the 2021 ranking

• Cyprus — 8th of 11: 13.9%
• Slovak Republic — 9th of 11: 13.7%
• Hungary — 10th of 11: 12.1%

What this measures

National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.

All 18 values

Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) in nearby economies

• Albania — 19.7% (2022)
• Armenia — 21.7% (2024)
• Austria — 14.8% (2021)
• Belarus — 3.5% (2024)
• Bulgaria — 21.2% (2024)
• Cyprus — 13.9% (2021)
• Estonia — 22.5% (2022)
• Finland — 12.2% (2022)
• Georgia

More poverty data for Czechia

• Income share held by second 20% — 14.7% (2023)
• Income share held by third 20% — 18.1% (2023)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.2% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 35.5% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 21.5% (2023)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 7% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 3.8% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 9.5% (2023)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0% (2023)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Czechia's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)?

10.2% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2004?

It is down 0.2 percentage points from 10.4% in 2004. The highest value was 10.4% in 2004 and the lowest 8.6% in 2008.

How does Czechia rank?

11th highest of 11 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) unusual for Czechia?

In 2021, Czechia's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) rose 1.6 percentage points on 2020 (from 8.6% to 10.2%). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2020), the average change was −0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.62 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.NAHC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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