Finland: Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Finland's multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population) fell 0.1 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.8% to 1.7%).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.5 percentage points in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.6 percentage points in 2018. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.08 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 48% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Finland had the 9th highest value of the 25 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 Finland in the 2023 ranking

• Italy — 6th of 25: 2.3%
• Greece — 7th of 25: 1.9%
• Portugal — 8th of 25: 1.9%
• Sweden — 10th of 25: 1.6%
• Bulgaria — 11th of 25: 1.3%
• France — 12th of 25: 1.3%

What this measures

The multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Multidimensional Poverty Measure. The Multidimensional Poverty Measure includes three dimensions – monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services – to capture a more complete picture of poverty.

Limitations: Despite progress in the last decade, the challenges of measuring poverty remain. The timeliness, frequency, quality, and comparability of household surveys need to increase substantially, particularly in the poorest countries. The availability and quality of poverty monitoring data remains low in small states, countries with fragile situations, and low-income countries and even some middle-income countries. The low frequency and lack of comparability of the data available in some countries create uncertainty over the magnitude of poverty reduction. Besides the frequency and timeliness of survey data, other data quality issues arise in measuring household living standards.

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

All 16 values

Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population) in nearby economies

• Armenia — 0.8% (2024)
• Austria — 0.6% (2022)
• Belgium — 0.6% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 1.3% (2023)
• Croatia — 0.4% (2023)
• Cyprus — 1% (2023)
• Czechia — 0% (2023)
• Denmark — 0.8% (2023)
• Estonia

More poverty data for Finland

• Income share held by second 20% — 14% (2023)
• Income share held by third 20% — 17.6% (2023)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.5% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 36.7% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 22.5% (2023)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 7.4% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 3.7% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 9.2% (2023)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0.2% (2023)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Finland's multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population)?

1.7% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2008?

It is up 0.9 percentage points from 0.8% in 2008. The highest value was 1.8% in 2022 and the lowest 0.7% in 2011.

How does Finland rank?

9th highest of 25 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population) unusual for Finland?

In 2023, Finland's multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population) fell 0.1 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.8% to 1.7%). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2022), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.26 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.MPWB, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. 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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