Prosperity gap in Australia

Australia: Prosperity gap was 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day
Change on year
up 20.0%
World rank
93rd
of 121 countries
All-time high
1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day
in 1995
All-time low
0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day
in 2008
Years of data
13
1981–2020

Prosperity gap in Australia, 1981–2020

00.511.51981200020201981: 1.3 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day1985: 1.4 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day1989: 1.3 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day1995: 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2001: 1.4 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2003: 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2004: 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2008: 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2010: 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2014: 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2016: 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2018: 1 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day2020: 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day

Source: 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 econ. Measured in average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day.

Analysis

Australia recorded 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day for prosperity gap in 2020.

That represents a change of up 20.0% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prosperity gap in Australia peaked at 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day, in 2008.

That places Australia 93rd out of 121 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.33 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.3 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.4 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 3
1990s 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1
2000s 1.25 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 4
2010s 0.925 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 4
2020s 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 93 Israel 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day compare
  2. 93 Japan 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day compare
  3. 93 Malaysia 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day compare

See the full ranking of 136 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prosperity gap in Australia?
Prosperity gap in Australia was 1.2 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day in 2020, according to 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 econ.
What is the highest prosperity gap recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 1.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day in 1995.
What is the lowest prosperity gap recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day in 2008.
How does Australia rank for prosperity gap?
Australia ranks 93rd out of 121 countries with data for 2020.
Is prosperity gap rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. 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. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)
Unit
average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day
Source
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 econ
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
136 places, 2,849 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

The average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28 per day (adjusted for differences in purchasing power parity across countries). It is measured as the average factor by which incomes fall short of $28.