Venezuela, RB: Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2015, Venezuela, RB's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) rose 3.6 percentage points on 2014 (from 29.5% to 33.1%).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2014), the average change was −1.54 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.42 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above 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 12.9 percentage points in 2003 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.7 percentage points in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2006 to 2015 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% 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.

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 19 values

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

• Argentina — 28.2% (2025)
• Bolivia — 44.7% (2025)
• Chile — 6.5% (2022)
• Colombia — 31.8% (2024)
• Costa Rica — 17.1% (2025)
• Dominican Republic — 17.3% (2025)
• Ecuador — 21.4% (2025)
• Jamaica — 7.8% (2024)
• Panama

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Questions people ask

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

33.1% in 2015, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is down 22.5 percentage points from 55.6% in 1997. The highest value was 55.6% in 1997 and the lowest 26.4% in 2009.

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

In 2015, Venezuela, RB's poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) rose 3.6 percentage points on 2014 (from 29.5% to 33.1%). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2014), the average change was −1.54 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.42 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above 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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