Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Australia
Australia: Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Australia, 1981–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 0.9% for extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time 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, extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Australia peaked at 1.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2008.
That places Australia 68th 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.
Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | 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%, 2.3× the median. (42 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 extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Australia?
- Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time in Australia was 0.9% in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1981.
- What is the lowest extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time?
- Australia ranks 68th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time 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 World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Extreme monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty over time. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.