This statistic depicts the share of individuals living below the poverty line in Australia in the financial year 2016. That financial year, **** percent of individuals aged 15 years and under and **** percent of those aged between 25 and 64 were deemed to have been living in poverty. Of those aged 65 years and older, **** percent who were living in rented accommodation were below the poverty line, compared to **** percent of those that were not renting.

The most common poverty measures, including that used by the OECD, focus on income based approaches. One of the most common measures of income poverty is the proportion of households with income less than half median equivalised disposable household income (which is set as the poverty line); this is a relative income poverty measure as poverty is measured by reference to the income of others rather than in some absolute sense. Australia has one of the highest household disposable incomes in the world, which means that an Australian relative income poverty line is set at a high level of income compared to most other countries.

OECD statistics on Australian poverty 2015-16 (based on ABS Survey of Income and Housing data and applying a poverty line of 50% of median income) determined the Australian poverty rate was over 25% before taxes and transfers, but falls around 12% after taxes and transfers. Though measuring poverty through application of solely an income measure is not considered comprehensive for an Australian context, however, it does demonstrate that the Australian welfare system more than halves the number of Australians that would otherwise be considered as at risk of living in poverty under that measure.
It is important to consider a range of indicators of persistent disadvantage to understand poverty and hardship and its multidimensional nature. Different indicators point to different dimensions of poverty. While transient poverty is a problem, the experience of persistent poverty is of deeper concern, particularly where families experience intergenerational disadvantage and long-term welfare reliance. HILDA data from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research shows the Distribution of number of years in poverty 2001–2015. The figure focuses on the longer term experience of working age adults and shows that while people do fall into poverty, only a small proportion of people are persistently poor.

In 2022, ** percent of respondents receiving assistance from the Salvation Army and whose main income source was Centrelink payments were living below the poverty line in Australia. Around ** percent of respondents in full-time employment were living below the poverty line in the same year.

Australia: Poverty ratio, percent living on less than 1.90 USD a day: The latest value from 2018 is 0.5 percent, unchanged from 0.5 percent in 2016. In comparison, the world average is 5.22 percent, based on data from 91 countries. Historically, the average for Australia from 1981 to 2018 is 0.67 percent. The minimum value, 0.3 percent, was reached in 2010 while the maximum of 1 percent was recorded in 1981.

Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 12.700 % in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 12.200 % for 2016. Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 12.200 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2018, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.200 % in 1989 and a record low of 11.200 % in 2014. Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2017 U.S. dollars and defined as max($2.15, $1.15 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $2.15. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.

Australia Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data was reported at 2.200 % in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.000 % for 2016. Australia Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data is updated yearly, averaging 2.400 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2018, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.100 % in 2010 and a record low of 2.000 % in 2016. Australia Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Multidimensional Poverty Measure. The Multidimensional Poverty Measure includes three dimensions – monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services – to capture a more complete picture of poverty.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

0.70 (%) in 2018. Population below $3.1 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.1 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 13.400 % in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13.600 % for 2018. Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 13.500 % from Dec 2018 (Median) to 2020, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.600 % in 2018 and a record low of 13.400 % in 2020. Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line(s). National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. For economies for which the data are from EU-SILC, the reported year is the income reference year, which is the year before the survey year.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.;;This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

Using a poverty metric of 2.15 U.S. dollars per day, 38.7 percent of the women in Sub-Saharan Africa were living in extreme poverty in 2023. On the other hand, less than one percent of the population in Europe and North America as well as Australia and New Zealand were living in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, there are also many people in these regions struggling to make ends meet.

Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 0.700 % in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.500 % for 2016. Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.850 % from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2018, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.300 % in 1985 and a record low of 0.500 % in 2016. Australia Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.20 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from around 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

The Australian Standard of Living Study was designed to develop indicators of the standard of living in Australia that would allow better comparisons over time, and with other countries, than was previously possible. The study aimed to avoid the assumption that a poverty threshold can be adequately defined in terms of current (weekly or annual) income. The survey makes use of direct measures of standard of living such as housing, nourishment, transport and clothing, rather than indirect measures such as income which only indicate capacity to achieve a specified standard of living. The approach is based on the Level of Living Studies, a method of social accounting which has been used in Scandinavia since the 1960s. The survey includes self-assessment of financial well-being, money-saving behaviours, capacity to raise money, assets, debts, financial assistance from parents, health and health expenses, contact with relatives, marital history, expenditure for children, housing arrangements, work hours, income, leisure activities, social support, and life satisfaction. Background variables include parents' birthplace, parents' education level, parents' occupation, number of children, marital status, spouse's occupation, and respondent's education, qualifications, and employment history.

Australia Number of People Pushed Below the $1.90: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP data was reported at 0.000 Person in 2010. Australia Number of People Pushed Below the $1.90: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 Person from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2010, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 Person in 2010 and a record low of 0.000 Person in 2010. Australia Number of People Pushed Below the $1.90: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Number of people pushed below the $1.90 ($ 2011 PPP) poverty line by out-of-pocket health care expenditure. This indicator shows the number of people living in households experiencing impoverishing out-of-pocket health expenditures, defined as expenditures without which the household they live in would have been above the $1.90 poverty line, but because of the expenditures is below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).; ; World Health Organization and World Bank. 2021. Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2021.; Sum; This indicator is related to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Australia Proportion of Population Pushed Below the $3.20: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % data was reported at 0.000 % in 2015. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 2009. Australia Proportion of Population Pushed Below the $3.20: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 % from Dec 2009 (Median) to 2015, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 % in 2015 and a record low of 0.000 % in 2015. Australia Proportion of Population Pushed Below the $3.20: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Proportion of population pushed below the $3.20 ($2011 PPP) poverty line by out-of-pocket health care expenditure. This indicator shows the fraction of a country’s population experiencing out-of-pocket health impoverishing expenditures, defined as expenditures without which the household they live in would have been above the $3.20 poverty line, but because of the expenditures is below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).; ; World Health Organization and World Bank. 2021. Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2021.; Weighted Average; This indicator is related to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

This dataset contains estimates of the prevalence of homelessness on Census night 2016, derived from the Census of Population and Housing using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definition of homelessness. Prevalence is an estimate of how many people experienced homelessness at a particular point-in-time. The ABS uses six homeless operational groups to present the estimates of homelessness. Estimates are also presented for selected groups of people who may be marginally housed and whose living arrangements are close to the statistical boundary of homelessness and who may be at risk of homelessness. Data is by SA4 2016 boundaries. Periodicity: 5 yearly. For more information visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and five are in Asia, alongside the U.S. and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.