Aid, poverty & equality · East Asia & Pacific · High income
Australia: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 0.9% (2020), 90th of 151 in the world and 10th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific. Poverty, $4.20/day is 1.1% (2020), 104th of 151 in the world and 13th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific. Poverty, $8.30/day is 1.5% (2020), 127th of 151 in the world and 16th of 17 in East Asia & Pacific.
Extreme poverty
AustraliaEast Asia & PacificHigh incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
AustraliaEast Asia & PacificHigh incomeWorld
10 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Australia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within East Asia & Pacific; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 0.9%2020 | 90/151 | 10/17 | 0.9%2001 | 0.5% | 0.9% | +0.4 ppsince 2010 | 2.0% | 0.6% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.1%2020 | 104/151 | 13/17 | 1.1%2001 | 0.6% | 1.1% | +0.5 ppsince 2010 | 5.5% | 0.7% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 1.5%2020 | 127/151 | 16/17 | 1.8%2001 | 1.0% | 1.5% | +0.5 ppsince 2010 | 26.4% | 1.7% | 46.2% | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 33.82020 | 85/151 | 8/17 | 33.52001 | 34.7 | 33.8 | −2.6%since 2010 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 25.9%2020 | 88/151 | 9/17 | 25.1%2001 | 26.5% | 25.9% | −0.6 ppsince 2010 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 7.2%2020 | 71/151 | 12/17 | 7.4%2001 | 7.3% | 7.2% | −0.1 ppsince 2010 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 2.5%2024 | 106/167 | 17/23 | 2.5%2001 | 2.5% | 2.5% | ±0.0 ppsince 2014 | 3.5% | 2.6% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 15.1%2024 | 97/155 | 15/23 | · | · | 11.9% | — | 8.8% | 7.9% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 98.0%2024 | 21/145 | 3/16 | · | 99.1%2011 | 99.3%2021 | −0.8 ppsince 2014 | 82.8% | 94.9% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 46.0%2025 | 10/190 | 1/30 | 23.0% | 24.7% | 30.5% | +19.3 ppsince 2015 | 23.3% | 31.2% | 27.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Gini index−2.6%33.8 in 2020
- Top 10% income share−0.6 pp25.9% in 2020
- Women in parliament+19.3 pp46.0% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty+0.4 pp0.9% in 2020
- Poverty, $4.20/day+0.5 pp1.1% in 2020
- Poverty, $8.30/day+0.5 pp1.5% in 2020
- Bottom 20% income share−0.1 pp7.2% in 2020
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Australia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Australia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Australia | Indonesia | Papua New Guinea | New Zealand | Timor-Leste | Solomon Islands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 0.9%2020 | 3.7%2025 | 52.2%2009 | — | 44.0%2014 | 40.3%2012 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 1.1%2020 | 15.5%2025 | 69.4%2009 | — | 71.4%2014 | 62.9%2012 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 1.5%2020 | 64.1%2025 | 92.1%2009 | — | 96.0%2014 | 90.7%2012 |
| Gini index | 33.82020 | 34.42025 | 41.92009 | — | 28.72014 | 37.12012 |
| Top 10% income share | 25.9%2020 | 28.7%2025 | 31.0%2009 | — | 24.0%2014 | 29.2%2012 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 7.2%2020 | 8.3%2025 | 5.1%2009 | — | 9.4%2014 | 7.0%2012 |
| Undernourishment | 2.5%2024 | 6.3%2024 | 30.5%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 16.9%2024 | 27.0%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 15.1%2024 | 4.2%2024 | 57.3%2019 | 17.9%2024 | 53.7%2021 | — |
| Account ownership | 98.0%2024 | 56.3%2024 | — | 97.9%2024 | — | — |