Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about how the tool works, where the data comes from, and how to interpret the results.
What is How Poor Am I?
It is a free tool that shows roughly where you stand in your country's wealth distribution, and how your position compares with both the median person and the very richest.
How is my percentile calculated?
The calculator uses WID.world wealth-share data and interpolates between known percentile boundaries to estimate where your net wealth would fall.
What counts as net wealth?
Net wealth means total assets minus total debts. Property, savings, investments, and pension pots count as assets; mortgages, loans, and credit card balances count as debts.
Is my data stored?
No. The calculations run locally in your browser. Your financial inputs are not uploaded to a server.
Should I enter pre-tax or post-tax income?
Use gross pre-tax income. The underlying comparison data is based on pre-tax national income, so tax-before figures are closer to the dataset.
How accurate is the income-to-wealth estimate?
It is an estimate, not a statement of fact. The refinement factors narrow the range, but if you know your net wealth directly, that will always be more reliable.
Where does the data come from?
The site mainly uses WID.world, OECD, World Bank, FRED, and Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, with exchange-rate conversion layered on top where needed.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is an educational visualization tool for understanding wealth inequality, not personal financial, tax, or investment advice.