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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Greece's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) fell 0.8 percentage points on 2020 (from 19.6% to 18.8%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2020), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.97 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 1.9 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.7 percentage points in 2017. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.52 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 73% 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 2021, Greece had the 3rd 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 Greece in the 2021 ranking

• Lithuania — 1st of 11: 20.9%
• Italy — 2nd of 11: 20.1%
• Malta — 4th of 11: 16.7%
• Portugal — 5th of 11: 16.4%
• Switzerland — 6th of 11: 15.8%

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 20 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)
• Czechia — 10.2% (2021)
• Estonia — 22.5% (2022)
• Finland

More poverty data for Greece

• Income share held by second 20% — 12.6% (2023)
• Income share held by third 20% — 16.9% (2023)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.5% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 40.8% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 26% (2023)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 12.9% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.7% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 7.2% (2023)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0.6% (2023)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

18.8% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is down 1.9 percentage points from 20.7% in 2002. The highest value was 23.1% in 2011 and the lowest 17.7% in 2019.

How does Greece rank?

3rd highest of 11 economies with data for 2021.

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

In 2021, Greece's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) fell 0.8 percentage points on 2020 (from 19.6% to 18.8%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2020), the average change was −0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.97 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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.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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