Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in Australia

Australia: Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data was 230,843 people in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
230,843 people
Change on year
up 54.1%
World rank
59th
of 120 countries
All-time high
230,843 people
in 2020
All-time low
106,246 people
in 2008
Years of data
13
1981–2020

Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data in Australia, 1981–2020

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k1981200020201981: 164.2k people1985: 173.7k people1989: 134.5k people1995: 180.0k people2001: 173.5k people2003: 216.9k people2004: 139.5k people2008: 106.2k people2010: 110.2k people2014: 140.9k people2016: 121.0k people2018: 149.8k people2020: 230.8k people

Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Australia recorded 230,843 people for number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in 2020. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 54.1% on the previous year and up 109.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Australia peaked at 230,843 people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 106,246 people, in 2008.

That places Australia 59th out of 120 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 157,447 people 134,515 people 173,671 people 3
1990s 180,049 people 180,049 people 180,049 people 1
2000s 159,044 people 106,246 people 216,928 people 4
2010s 130,437 people 110,159 people 149,780 people 4
2020s 230,843 people 230,843 people 230,843 people 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 56 El Salvador 292,567 people compare
  2. 57 United Kingdom 267,936 people compare
  3. 58 Bolivia 254,499 people compare
  4. 60 Kyrgyzstan 157,989 people compare
  5. 61 Georgia 156,464 people compare
  6. 62 Turkey 149,369 people compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Australia?
Number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data in Australia was 230,843 people in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 230,843 people in 2020.
What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 106,246 people in 2008.
How does Australia rank for number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data?
Australia ranks 59th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
Is number of people living in extreme poverty: september 2024 data vs. latest data rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 109.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data. 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

Indicator
Number of people living in extreme poverty: September 2024 data vs. latest data
Unit
people
Source
World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,148 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Number of people living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.