China’s rapid transformation from a nation plagued by extreme poverty to one with none living under $3 a day is unprecedented. In 1990, more than 80% of the population lived in deep hardship. By 2019, the figure reached zero.
The United States tells a different story. Despite unmatched wealth, over 4 million Americans now survive on less than $3 a day, showing a dramatic rise in extreme poverty rather than a decline.
America’s productivity has soared, and technological leadership remains unmatched. But the distribution of economic success has been sharply uneven, benefiting only those at the top.
The poorest Americans capture just 1.8% of the nation’s income—worse than income shares for the poor in China, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Meanwhile, the top 90th percentile has seen its wealth accelerate dramatically.
Cuts to social programs, rising healthcare costs, and tariff-driven price hikes have worsened living conditions for low-income families. These are policy choices—not economic inevitabilities.