Prosperity gap in United States
United States: Prosperity gap was 1.32 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prosperity gap in United States, 1963–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, prosperity gap in United States stood at 1.32.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.8% on the previous year and down 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prosperity gap in United States peaked at 1.96 in 1964 and was at its lowest, 0.7934, in 2021.
That places United States 88th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Prosperity gap in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 1.95 | — |
| 1964 | 1.96 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 1.75 | -10.9% |
| 1966 | 1.64 | -6.0% |
| 1967 | 1.56 | -5.1% |
| 1968 | 1.46 | -6.1% |
| 1969 | 1.29 | -11.9% |
| 1970 | 1.57 | +22.1% |
| 1971 | 1.41 | -10.5% |
| 1972 | 1.39 | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 1.36 | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 1.32 | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 1.25 | -5.3% |
| 1976 | 1.24 | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 1.14 | -8.1% |
| 1978 | 1.15 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 1.19 | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 1.1 | -7.4% |
| 1981 | 1.16 | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 1.26 | +9.0% |
| 1983 | 1.23 | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 1.14 | -6.8% |
| 1985 | 1.14 | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 1.14 | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 1.03 | -9.3% |
| 1988 | 0.987 | -4.6% |
| 1989 | 0.9759 | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 0.9977 | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 1.03 | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 1.06 | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 1.13 | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 1.13 | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 1.13 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.17 | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 1.19 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 1.21 | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 1.14 | -6.2% |
| 2000 | 1.17 | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 1.3 | +11.6% |
| 2002 | 1.25 | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 1.38 | +10.3% |
| 2004 | 1.43 | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 1.4 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.42 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 1.41 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 1.46 | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 1.33 | -9.2% |
| 2010 | 1.46 | +10.2% |
| 2011 | 1.44 | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 1.45 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.43 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.59 | +11.2% |
| 2015 | 1.48 | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 1.44 | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 1.54 | +7.3% |
| 2018 | 1.38 | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 1.26 | -8.4% |
| 2020 | 0.8357 | -33.9% |
| 2021 | 0.7934 | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 1.56 | +96.9% |
| 2023 | 1.43 | -8.2% |
| 2024 | 1.32 | -7.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1.32 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.08, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Prosperity gap in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +96.9% | 0.7934 | 1.56 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.66 | 1.29 | 1.96 | 7 |
| 1970s | 1.3 | 1.14 | 1.57 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.12 | 0.9759 | 1.26 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.12 | 0.9977 | 1.21 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.35 | 1.17 | 1.46 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.45 | 1.26 | 1.59 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 | 0.7934 | 1.56 | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prosperity gap in United States?
- Prosperity gap in United States was 1.32 in 2024, 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 1.96 in 1964.
- What is the lowest prosperity gap recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7934 in 2021.
- How does United States rank for prosperity gap?
- United States ranks 88th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prosperity gap rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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 — 62 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.