Countries in South America by extreme poverty
The share of people living on less than $3.00 a day — the international poverty line, at 2021 prices adjusted for what money buys in each country. 10 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2024
Median country
2.2%
half above, half below| # | Country | % under $3.00 a day | Year | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Colombia | 8.5% | 2024 | South America |
| 2 |  Peru | 5.1% | 2024 | South America |
| 3 |  Ecuador | 3.4% | 2025 | South America |
| 4 |  Brazil | 3.0% | 2024 | South America |
| 5 |  Suriname | 2.2% | 2022 | South America |
| =6 |  Bolivia | 2.1% | 2024 | South America |
| =6 |  Paraguay | 2.1% | 2024 | South America |
| 8 |  Argentina | 1.0% | 2024 | South America |
| 9 |  Chile | 0.4% | 2024 | South America |
| 10 |  Uruguay | 0.2% | 2024 | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the most extreme poverty?
- Colombia has the most extreme poverty in South America: 8.5% under $3.00 a day (2024). Next come Peru (5.1% under $3.00 a day) and Ecuador (3.4% under $3.00 a day).
- Which country in South America has the least extreme poverty?
- Uruguay, with 0.2% under $3.00 a day (2024).
- What is the typical extreme poverty of a country in South America?
- The median of the 10 countries in South America is 2.2% under $3.00 a day: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- The share of people living on less than $3.00 a day — the international poverty line, at 2021 prices adjusted for what money buys in each country. Source: World Bank, mostly 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 10 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.