Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia
Australia: Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 35.2% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia, 1910–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia is 35.2%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia peaked at 50.0% in 1910 and was at its lowest, 24.0%, in 1978.
That places Australia 88th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 50.0% | — |
| 1930 | 32.5% | -34.9% |
| 1940 | 34.4% | +5.6% |
| 1950 | 33.4% | -2.8% |
| 1951 | 27.4% | -18.1% |
| 1952 | 26.9% | -1.5% |
| 1953 | 26.6% | -1.2% |
| 1954 | 26.3% | -1.2% |
| 1955 | 26.0% | -1.2% |
| 1956 | 26.2% | +1.0% |
| 1957 | 24.1% | -8.1% |
| 1958 | 30.4% | +26.0% |
| 1959 | 28.6% | -5.7% |
| 1960 | 28.4% | -0.7% |
| 1961 | 28.5% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 28.9% | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 29.4% | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 28.7% | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 28.4% | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 27.5% | -2.9% |
| 1967 | 27.8% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 27.4% | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 27.1% | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 26.9% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 27.1% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 26.7% | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 26.1% | -2.3% |
| 1974 | 25.3% | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 24.5% | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 24.1% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 24.1% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 24.0% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 24.4% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 24.9% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 24.8% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 25.1% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 24.8% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 25.3% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 25.5% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 26.3% | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 27.9% | +6.0% |
| 1988 | 29.5% | +5.8% |
| 1989 | 27.5% | -6.6% |
| 1990 | 26.9% | -2.3% |
| 1991 | 29.6% | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 29.3% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 29.9% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 30.3% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 30.9% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 30.9% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 30.3% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 31.1% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 31.1% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 31.9% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 31.7% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 32.6% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 32.6% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 33.3% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 33.7% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 33.8% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 34.1% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 34.3% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 35.1% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 35.1% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 34.8% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 34.5% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 33.7% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 34.4% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 33.8% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 32.9% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 34.1% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 35.4% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 35.2% | -0.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 35.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 35.3%, 100% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Australia's 35.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 44.6%, 79% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | -34.9% | 50.0% | 32.5% |
| 1958 | +26.0% | 24.1% | 30.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 50.0% | 50.0% | 50.0% | 1 |
| 1930s | 32.5% | 32.5% | 32.5% | 1 |
| 1940s | 34.4% | 34.4% | 34.4% | 1 |
| 1950s | 27.6% | 24.1% | 33.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 28.2% | 27.1% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.3% | 24.0% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.2% | 24.8% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.0% | 26.9% | 31.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.3% | 31.7% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.4% | 32.9% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 34.1% | 35.4% | 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 income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia?
- Income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in Australia was 35.2% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.0% in 1910.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.0% in 1978.
- How does Australia rank for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Australia ranks 88th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. 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 Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 10% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.