Thriller, Dystopian (I think). A number that encompasses a person's entire life.

[Jerry]

I started reading this book a few years ago (2015-2017ish), but the book is probably a lot older than that.

I only read the very start of the book (never got past probably 5-10% of it), and here is what I roughly remember of the plot in this early stage of the book:

There was a rich/powerful man walking(?) through a city(?). He was observing some homeless(?) person on the street. There was a number system in this society, a number which essentially fully encompasses any individual's existence (basically all that individual is/will ever be capable of). The man was observing that this homeless(?) person's number was really low, and he was explaining how this number describes how the homeless(?) man will never be or do anything significant in their life.

[Kris]

A long shot - Numbers Game by Rebecca Rode?

Is this book for adults or teens? Is the rich/ powerful man the main character?

Google search of Goodreads:
site:goodreads.com dystopia "a number represents" "homeless"

[Jerry]

No unfortunately. The character at the very start was a man, not a woman.

Is this book for adults or teens?

I'm not sure, as I mentioned, I really didn't get that far into the book at all.

Is the rich/ powerful man the main character

Again, I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say the way that the story was essentially told from this man's perspective at the start would mean that this man was a main character at the very least.

There may have also been a Sci-Fi element to the book. I recall the powerful man at the start might have looked up the social score of the homeless(?) man with some sort of futuristic technology(?). Actually, a Sci-Fi element is probably guaranteed in this society having the technological capabilities to define any person with a single number.