$3-a-Day Crisis: 4 Million Americans Live in Extreme Poverty While China Celebrates Zero

While China marks a historic achievement by dropping its extreme poverty rate (those living on under $3 a day) to zero from nearly a billion in 1990, the US faces a growing crisis. The number of Americans surviving on less than $3 a day has dramatically increased to over four million.
This US trend represents a tripling of the extreme poverty rate compared to 35 years ago, shattering the narrative that American wealth guarantees widespread well-being. The issue is deeply rooted in political choices that prioritize wealth concentration over equitable distribution, despite the nation’s immense productivity.
Income data confirms the severity, showing that the poorest 10% of Americans receive only 1.8% of the national income, a smaller share than low-income earners in several developing nations. Decades of policy decisions, from tax cuts to trade tariffs, have systematically favored the rich, worsening the plight of the working class.