poverty line

American  

noun

1. a minimum income level used as an official standard for determining the proportion of a population living in poverty.

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Example Sentences

Around half of the population of the oil-rich country lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

With more than nine in 10 people in the region living below the poverty line in 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, the effort may be only a drop in the bucket.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

The United Nations says 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

Many of the families live or work in or near the Vermont Vista neighborhood, where more than a quarter of residents live below the poverty line, according to 2023 census data.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025

Having stumbled upon a tolerable career, for the first time in my life I was actually living above the poverty line.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer