Three metrics of inequality in Australia
Australia: Three metrics of inequality was 49.23 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
49.23
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
82nd
of 113 countries
All-time high
60.99
in 1910
All-time low
40.94
in 1957
Years of data
76
1910–2022
Three metrics of inequality in Australia, 1910–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for three metrics of inequality in Australia is 49.23, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, three metrics of inequality in Australia peaked at 60.99 in 1910 and was at its lowest, 40.94, in 1957.
That places Australia 82nd out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Three metrics of inequality in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 60.99 | — |
| 1930 | 48.34 | -20.7% |
| 1940 | 49.7 | +2.8% |
| 1950 | 48.79 | -1.8% |
| 1951 | 43.21 | -11.4% |
| 1952 | 42.87 | -0.8% |
| 1953 | 42.63 | -0.6% |
| 1954 | 42.39 | -0.6% |
| 1955 | 42.19 | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 42.34 | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 40.94 | -3.3% |
| 1958 | 46.7 | +14.1% |
| 1959 | 45.41 | -2.8% |
| 1960 | 45.26 | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 45.37 | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 45.82 | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 46.12 | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 45.44 | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 45.17 | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 44.48 | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 44.63 | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 44.32 | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 43.96 | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 43.72 | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 44.2 | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 43.7 | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 43.01 | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 42.23 | -1.8% |
| 1975 | 41.73 | -1.2% |
| 1976 | 41.31 | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 41.34 | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 41.23 | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 41.59 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 42 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 42.03 | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 42.54 | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 42.1 | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 42.35 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 42.63 | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 43.4 | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 44.83 | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 46.05 | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 44.25 | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 43.8 | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 44.97 | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 44.45 | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 45.11 | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 45.53 | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 45.81 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 45.62 | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 45.46 | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 46.2 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 46.5 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 46.77 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 46.07 | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 47.51 | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 47.01 | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 47.45 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 48.13 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 48.23 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 48.1 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 48.76 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 48.81 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 48.66 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 48.63 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 48.73 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 48.75 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 48.8 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 48.93 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 48.3 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 48.75 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 47.98 | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 48.17 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 48.19 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 49.21 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 49.23 | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 49.23 is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.06, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Australia's 49.23 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.06, 88% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 60.99 | 60.99 | 60.99 | 1 |
| 1930s | 48.34 | 48.34 | 48.34 | 1 |
| 1940s | 49.7 | 49.7 | 49.7 | 1 |
| 1950s | 43.75 | 40.94 | 48.79 | 10 |
| 1960s | 45.06 | 43.96 | 46.12 | 10 |
| 1970s | 42.41 | 41.23 | 44.2 | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.22 | 42 | 46.05 | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.34 | 43.8 | 46.5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.68 | 46.07 | 48.81 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.57 | 47.98 | 48.93 | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.88 | 48.19 | 49.23 | 3 |
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 three metrics of inequality in Australia?
- Three metrics of inequality in Australia was 49.23 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest three metrics of inequality recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 60.99 in 1910.
- What is the lowest three metrics of inequality recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.94 in 1957.
- How does Australia rank for three metrics of inequality?
- Australia ranks 82nd out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is three metrics of inequality rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Three metrics of inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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 before taxes and benefits.