Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Australia
Australia: Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Proportion of population below international poverty line in Australia, 1981–2020
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for proportion of population below international poverty line in Australia is 0.9%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 50.0% on the previous year and up 80.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population below international poverty line in Australia peaked at 1.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2008.
Australia ranks 74th of 133 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Proportion of population below international poverty line (%) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.1% | — |
| 1985 | 1.1% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.8% | -27.3% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | +25.0% |
| 2001 | 0.9% | -10.0% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +22.2% |
| 2004 | 0.7% | -36.4% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | -28.6% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +50.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 0.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%, 2.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Australia's 0.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 1.1% | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 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 proportion of population below international poverty line in Australia?
- Proportion of population below international poverty line in Australia was 0.9% in 2020, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest proportion of population below international poverty line recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for proportion of population below international poverty line?
- Australia ranks 74th out of 133 countries with data for 2020.
- Is proportion of population below international poverty line rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population below international poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).