Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Australia
Australia: Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day was 1.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Australia, 1981–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Australia is 1.1%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 83.3% on the previous year and up 83.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Australia peaked at 1.3% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2008.
Australia ranks 74th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 3 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Australia?
- Poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day in Australia was 1.1% in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 1981.
- What is the lowest poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2008.
- How does Australia rank for poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day?
- Australia ranks 74th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is poverty: share of population living on less than $4.20 a day rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 83.3%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty: Share of population living on less than $4.20 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $4.20 per day.