Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia
Australia: Distribution of population between different poverty lines was 19.80 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia, 1981–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2020, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia stood at 19.80 million people. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.0% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia peaked at 19.80 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.13 million people, in 1981.
That places Australia 14th out of 120 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 6.13 million people | — |
| 1985 | 6.68 million people | +8.9% |
| 1989 | 7.50 million people | +12.3% |
| 1995 | 7.02 million people | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 9.17 million people | +30.7% |
| 2003 | 9.72 million people | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 10.96 million people | +12.8% |
| 2008 | 14.41 million people | +31.4% |
| 2010 | 15.11 million people | +4.9% |
| 2014 | 17.58 million people | +16.3% |
| 2016 | 17.78 million people | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 18.50 million people | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 19.80 million people | +7.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 19.80 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.96 million people, 4.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Australia's 19.80 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.83 million people, 4.1× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.77 million people | 6.13 million people | 7.50 million people | 3 |
| 1990s | 7.02 million people | 7.02 million people | 7.02 million people | 1 |
| 2000s | 11.07 million people | 9.17 million people | 14.41 million people | 4 |
| 2010s | 17.24 million people | 15.11 million people | 18.50 million people | 4 |
| 2020s | 19.80 million people | 19.80 million people | 19.80 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More poverty & inequality data for Australia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,690 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -0.0446 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 30.36 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 30.4% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia?
- Distribution of population between different poverty lines in Australia was 19.80 million people in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.80 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest distribution of population between different poverty lines recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.13 million people in 1981.
- How does Australia rank for distribution of population between different poverty lines?
- Australia ranks 14th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is distribution of population between different poverty lines rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution of population between different poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $40 per day.