Share of population living in extreme poverty in Australia
Australia: Share of population living in extreme poverty was 2.0% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in extreme poverty in Australia, 1820–2018
Source: Michalis Moatsos (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 2.0% for share of population living in extreme poverty in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in extreme poverty in Australia peaked at 87.0% in 1820 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1940.
Australia ranks 9th of 25 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in extreme poverty in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 87.0% | — |
| 1830 | 69.0% | -20.7% |
| 1840 | 45.0% | -34.8% |
| 1850 | 28.0% | -37.8% |
| 1860 | 15.0% | -46.4% |
| 1870 | 17.0% | +13.3% |
| 1880 | 7.0% | -58.8% |
| 1890 | 3.0% | -57.1% |
| 1900 | 5.0% | +66.7% |
| 1910 | 4.0% | -20.0% |
| 1920 | 4.0% | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 1.0% | -75.0% |
| 1940 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1990 | 1.0% | — |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.0% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | +100.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 87.0% | 87.0% | 87.0% | 1 |
| 1830s | 69.0% | 69.0% | 69.0% | 1 |
| 1840s | 45.0% | 45.0% | 45.0% | 1 |
| 1850s | 28.0% | 28.0% | 28.0% | 1 |
| 1860s | 15.0% | 15.0% | 15.0% | 1 |
| 1870s | 17.0% | 17.0% | 17.0% | 1 |
| 1880s | 7.0% | 7.0% | 7.0% | 1 |
| 1890s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
| 1910s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1920s | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% | 1 |
| 1930s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 1940s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 2.0% | 2 |
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 share of population living in extreme poverty in Australia?
- Share of population living in extreme poverty in Australia was 2.0% in 2018, according to Michalis Moatsos (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 1820.
- What is the lowest share of population living in extreme poverty recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1940.
- How does Australia rank for share of population living in extreme poverty?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 25 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of population living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Michalis Moatsos (2021) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population unable to meet basic needs (including minimal nutrition and adequately heated shelter) according to prices of locally-available goods and services at the time..