Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita in Australia

Australia: Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita was 0.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
0.9%
Change on year
up 50.0%
World rank
68th
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.1%
in 1981
All-time low
0.5%
in 2008
Years of data
13
1981–2020

Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita in Australia, 1981–2020

00.250.50.7511981200020201981: 1.1 %1985: 1.1 %1989: 0.8 %1995: 1 %2001: 0.9 %2003: 1.1 %2004: 0.7 %2008: 0.5 %2010: 0.5 %2014: 0.6 %2016: 0.5 %2018: 0.6 %2020: 0.9 %

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

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita in Australia stood at 0.9%.

The figure is up 50.0% on the previous year and up 80.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita 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.

Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita in Australia, 1981 to 2020.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 65 Bulgaria 1.0% compare
  2. 66 Italy 0.9% compare
  3. 67 Hungary 0.9% compare
  4. 69 Sweden 0.8% compare
  5. 70 Spain 0.8% compare
  6. 71 Armenia 0.8% compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita in Australia?
Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita 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 share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 1981.
What is the lowest share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2008.
How does Australia rank for share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita?
Australia ranks 68th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in extreme poverty vs. gdp per capita 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 Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/the-share-of-people-living-in-extreme-poverty-vs-gdp-per-capita/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in extreme poverty vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
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

Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.