Australia vs China: Share of population living in extreme poverty
Australia
2.0%
in 2018
China
5.0%
in 2018
Australia rank
9th
China rank
7th
Share of population living in extreme poverty over time
- Australia
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 5.0% against 2.0% in Australia, a difference of 3.0%.
That makes China's figure about 2.5 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 21 shared years of data; in 1820 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 9th and China ranks 7th of 25 countries.
Across the 20 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and China in 19.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 87.0% | 76.0% | 11.0% | Australia |
| 1830s | 69.0% | 76.0% | 7.0% | China |
| 1840s | 45.0% | 77.0% | 32.0% | China |
| 1850s | 28.0% | 78.0% | 50.0% | China |
| 1860s | 15.0% | 78.0% | 63.0% | China |
| 1870s | 17.0% | 77.0% | 60.0% | China |
| 1880s | 7.0% | 76.0% | 69.0% | China |
| 1890s | 3.0% | 73.0% | 70.0% | China |
| 1900s | 5.0% | 74.0% | 69.0% | China |
| 1910s | 4.0% | 77.0% | 73.0% | China |
| 1920s | 4.0% | 76.0% | 72.0% | China |
| 1930s | 1.0% | 77.0% | 76.0% | China |
| 1940s | 0.0% | 79.0% | 79.0% | China |
| 1950s | 0.0% | 84.0% | 84.0% | China |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 73.0% | 73.0% | China |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 75.0% | 75.0% | China |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 53.0% | 53.0% | China |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 42.0% | 41.0% | China |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 33.0% | 32.0% | China |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 12.0% | 10.5% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in extreme poverty, Australia or China?
- China, at 5.0% against 2.0% in Australia as of 2018.
- What is the difference in share of population living in extreme poverty between Australia and China?
- 3.0%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and China?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 1820 to 2018.
- How do Australia and China rank globally for share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Australia ranks 9th and China ranks 7th of 25 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Michalis Moatsos (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population unable to meet basic needs (including minimal nutrition and adequately heated shelter) according to prices of locally-available goods and services at the time..