Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax (Luxembourg) in Australia
Australia: Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax (Luxembourg) was 0.325 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax in Australia, 1981–2020
Source: Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Australia stood at 0.325.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Australia peaked at 0.3354 in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.2818, in 1981.
Australia ranks 20th of 48 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax (Luxembourg) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.2818 | — |
| 1985 | 0.2928 | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 0.3038 | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 0.3106 | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 0.3197 | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 0.3156 | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.3156 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.3354 | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 0.3333 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.329 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.3264 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.3285 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.325 | -1.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.325 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.2989, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.325 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.3315, 98% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.2928 | 0.2818 | 0.3038 | 3 |
| 1990s | 0.3106 | 0.3106 | 0.3106 | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.3216 | 0.3156 | 0.3354 | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.3293 | 0.3264 | 0.3333 | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.325 | 0.325 | 0.325 | 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 income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Australia?
- Income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax in Australia was 0.325 in 2020, according to Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3354 in 2008.
- What is the lowest income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2818 in 1981.
- How does Australia rank for income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax?
- Australia ranks 20th out of 48 countries with data for 2020.
- Is income inequality: gini coefficient before and after tax rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income inequality: Gini coefficient before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income after taxes and benefits.