Prosperity gap in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Prosperity gap was 0.8854 in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
0.8854
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
102nd
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.48
in 1969
All-time low
0.7949
in 2013
Years of data
54
1968–2021
Prosperity gap in United Kingdom, 1968–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 0.8854 for prosperity gap in 2021.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prosperity gap in United Kingdom peaked at 1.48 in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0.7949, in 2013.
United Kingdom ranks 102nd of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Prosperity gap in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1.47 | — |
| 1969 | 1.48 | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 1.44 | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 1.48 | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 1.45 | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 1.28 | -11.8% |
| 1974 | 1.34 | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 1.36 | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 1.37 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 1.45 | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 1.27 | -12.0% |
| 1979 | 1.26 | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 1.26 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 1.28 | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 1.17 | -8.1% |
| 1983 | 1.22 | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 1.18 | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 1.17 | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 1.19 | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1.06 | -10.5% |
| 1988 | 1.02 | -4.2% |
| 1989 | 1.01 | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 1 | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 0.9867 | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 1.05 | +5.9% |
| 1993 | 1.03 | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 1.07 | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 1.06 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 0.9864 | -6.5% |
| 1997 | 0.9445 | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 0.9548 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.9519 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.917 | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 0.8737 | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 0.8972 | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 0.8605 | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8865 | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.9054 | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 0.8337 | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 0.8215 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.8332 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 0.8801 | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8233 | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 0.8213 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.881 | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 0.7949 | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 0.8474 | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 0.8002 | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 0.8727 | +9.1% |
| 2017 | 0.8806 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.9307 | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 0.8856 | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 0.9007 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 0.8854 | -1.7% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.8854 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.08, 82% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.8854 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.29, 68% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.47 | 1.47 | 1.48 | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.37 | 1.26 | 1.48 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.16 | 1.01 | 1.28 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 0.9445 | 1.07 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8709 | 0.8215 | 0.917 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8538 | 0.7949 | 0.9307 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8931 | 0.8854 | 0.9007 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prosperity gap in United Kingdom?
- Prosperity gap in United Kingdom was 0.8854 in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prosperity gap recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.48 in 1969.
- What is the lowest prosperity gap recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7949 in 2013.
- How does United Kingdom rank for prosperity gap?
- United Kingdom ranks 102nd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prosperity gap rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 Prosperity gap. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average factor by which incomes need to be multiplied to bring everyone to the prosperity standard of $28 per person per day.