Median income

Short description: Macroeconomic indicator

The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. The median can be calculated for household income, personal income or disposable income.

## Contents

* 1 Measure
* 2 Median equivalised household disposable income
* 3 Median per person income
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## Measure

The median income differs from the national average salary or GDP per capita due to the income distribution.[1] The median income is an economic indicator of the standard of living for the median person in a country.[2][3] In line with the median voter theorem the median income growth is a democratic indicator of economic growth.[4]

The measurement of income from individuals and households, which is necessary to produce statistics such as the median, can pose challenges and can yield results inconsistent with aggregate national accounts data. For example, an academic study on the Census income data claims that when correcting for underreporting, U.S. median gross household income was 15% higher in 2010.[5]

## Median equivalised household disposable income

Annual median equivalised disposable income, in 2021, USD at PPP rates, by OECD country[6]

The median equivalised household disposable income is the median of the disposable income which is equivalised by dividing household income by the square root of household size; the square root is used to acknowledge that people sharing accommodation benefit from pooling at least some of their living costs.[7][8] The median equivalised disposable income for individual countries corrected for purchasing power parity (PPP) for 2021 in United States dollars is shown in the below table.[6] Template:Sticky table start

Median equivalised household disposable income  Location  | 2021 (USD PPP)

|

Luxembourg | 49,748
United States | 46,625
Norway | 41,621
Switzerland | 39,698
Canada | 39,388
Austria | 37,715
Belgium | 37,110
Iceland | 36,853
Australia | 36,835
Netherlands | 35,891
Germany | 35,537
Denmark | 34,061
Sweden | 33,472
New Zealand | 32,158
South Korea | 31,882
Ireland | 31,392
Finland | 30,727
France | 30,622
Slovenia | 28,698
Italy | 27,949
United Kingdom | 26,884
Spain | 26,630
Estonia | 26,075
Poland | 24,264
Czech Republic | 23,802
Israel | 21,366
Japan | 21,282
Lithuania | 20,856
Latvia | 19,908
Croatia | 19,680
Portugal | 19,147
Greece | 16,774
Slovak Republic | 16,410
Romania | 15,898
Hungary | 15,361
Bulgaria | 14,990
Turkey | 10,341
Chile | 10,101
Costa Rica | 8,915
Mexico | 6,090
South Africa | 6,068

Template:Sticky table end

## Median per person income

Map of daily median income in USD (2021 PPP, Poverty and Inequality Platform, last available year)[9]

70–100

60–70

50–60

40–50

30–40

20–30

10–20

5–10

2–5

0–2

No data

|
|

The following table shows the daily median per person income according to the Poverty and Inequality Platform of the World Bank.[9]

Country | Daily median income
in USD (2021 PPP) | Annual
growth (%) | Year

|
|
|

Albania | 9.79 | 5.7 | 2018
Australia | 59.90 |  | 2020
Austria | 71.44 | -1.7 | 2023
Belgium | 62.89 | 3.0 | 2023
Bolivia | 16.85 | 2.7 | 2023
Brazil | 15.74 | 6.1 | 2023
Bulgaria | 30.18 | 9.4 | 2023
Canada | 66.45 | -1.2 | 2021
Chile | 22.83 |  | 2022
Colombia | 10.95 | 5.8 | 2023
Costa Rica | 20.92 | 10.6 | 2024
Croatia | 36.73 | 16.2 | 2023
Cyprus | 52.14 | 5.8 | 2023
Czech Republic | 39.07 | -1.0 | 2023
Denmark | 60.72 | -0.5 | 2023
Dominican Republic | 17.48 | 11.5 | 2024
Ecuador | 12.09 | -2.6 | 2024
El Salvador | 11.88 | 5.6 | 2023
Estonia | 36.52 | -0.9 | 2023
Finland | 56.48 | -0.1 | 2023
France | 57.21 | 0.3 | 2023
Germany | 67.23 | 6.5 | 2020
Greece | 28.91 | 3.7 | 2023
Guatemala | 8.73 |  | 2023
Honduras | 8.35 | 11.0 | 2024
Hungary | 22.14 | 6.5 | 2017
Iceland | 60.63 | -0.2 | 2019
Ireland | 50.49 | 0.8 | 2023
Israel | 35.40 | 1.2 | 2021
Italy | 48.79 | -2.3 | 2023
Japan | 42.24 | 5.1 | 2020
Kosovo | 10.45 | 18.8 | 2022
Latvia | 32.95 | 4.2 | 2023
Lithuania | 37.60 | 2.1 | 2023
Luxembourg | 89.49 | 2.3 | 2023
Malaysia | 29.55 |  | 2021
Malta | 53.52 | -1.0 | 2022
Mexico | 12.49 |  | 2022
Montenegro | 17.78 | 10.8 | 2021
Netherlands | 69.09 | 1.5 | 2021
North Macedonia | 15.52 | 8.7 | 2019
Norway | 77.76 | 2.5 | 2023
Panama | 18.58 | 3.8 | 2024
Paraguay | 14.92 | 4.1 | 2024
Peru | 10.67 | 4.1 | 2024
Philippines | 7.21 |  | 2023
Poland | 38.84 | 1.6 | 2023
Portugal | 33.68 | 4.6 | 2023
Qatar | 73.36 |  | 2017
Romania | 29.85 | 7.5 | 2023
Russia | 33.62 | 9.4 | 2023
Serbia | 19.18 | 3.4 | 2022
Seychelles | 21.00 |  | 2018
Slovakia | 24.46 | -1.0 | 2023
Slovenia | 49.24 | 1.8 | 2023
South Korea | 54.40 | 5.2 | 2021
Spain | 47.30 | 2.1 | 2023
Sweden | 55.60 | -0.7 | 2023
Switzerland | 72.29 | -1.1 | 2022
Taiwan | 46.23 | -0.9 | 2021
Turkey | 19.94 | 4.0 | 2022
United Arab Emirates | 76.52 |  | 2018
United Kingdom | 54.65 | 1.2 | 2021
United States of America | 70.00 | 3.0 | 2023
Uruguay | 26.84 | 3.7 | 2024
Uzbekistan | 13.78 | 9.8 | 2024

## See also

* List of U.S. states and territories by income
* Disposable household and per capita income
* List of countries by average wage
* List of countries by wealth per adult

## References

1. ↑ Nolan, Brian; Roser, Max; Thewissen, Stefan (September 2019). "GDP Per Capita Versus Median Household Income: What Gives Rise to the Divergence Over Time and how does this Vary Across OECD Countries?" (in en). Review of Income and Wealth 65 (3): 465–494. doi:10.1111/roiw.12362. ISSN 0034-6586. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/roiw.12362.
2. ↑ Birdsall, Nancy; Meyer, Christian J. (2015). "The Median is the Message: A Good Enough Measure of Material Wellbeing and Shared Development Progress". Global Policy 6 (4): 343–357. doi:10.1111/1758-5899.12239. ISSN 1758-5880. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1758-5899.12239. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
3. ↑ Nolan, Brian; Roser, Max; Thewissen, Stefan (2018). "GDP Per Capita Versus Median Household Income: What Gives Rise to the Divergence Over Time and how does this Vary Across OECD Countries?". Review of Income and Wealth 65 (3): 465–494. doi:10.1111/roiw.12362. ISSN 0034-6586.
4. ↑ Aitken, Andrew; Weale, Martin (2020). "A Democratic Measure of Household Income Growth: Theory and Application to the United Kingdom". Economica 87 (347): 589–610. doi:10.1111/ecca.12329. ISSN 0013-0427. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecca.12329. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
5. ↑ Fixler, Dennis; Johnson, David S. (September 30, 2012). "Accounting for the Distribution of Income in the U.S. National Accounts". NBER Conference on Research in Income and Wealth. Table 3. https://bea.gov/about/pdf/Fixler_Johnson.pdf.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 OECD (20 June 2024). Society at a Glance 2024: OECD Social Indicators, Figure 4.1 Median income varies by a factor eight across OECD countries. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2024/06/society-at-a-glance-2024_08001b73/full-report/component-12.html#indicator-d1e8404-8cd0a55a48.
7. ↑ "Income Distribution Database". https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=IDD.
8. ↑ [ds=DisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_WISE_IDD@DF_IDD&df[ag]=OECD.WISE.INE&dq=.A..MEDIAN.._T.METH2012.D_CUR.&pd=2010,&to[TIME_PERIOD]=false&ly[cl]=TIME_PERIOD&ly[rw]=REF_AREA,COMBINED_MEASURE&vw=tb "OECD Data Explorer, Income distribution database, Median, Disposable Income"]. https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=DisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_WISE_IDD@DF_IDD&df[ag]=OECD.WISE.INE&dq=.A..MEDIAN.._T.METH2012.D_CUR.&pd=2010,&to[TIME_PERIOD]=false&ly[cl]=TIME_PERIOD&ly[rw]=REF_AREA,COMBINED_MEASURE&vw=tb.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP): Percentiles". World Bank. 2026. Welfare type: Income. https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/search/dataset/0063646/poverty-and-inequality-platform-pip-percentiles.

* v
* t
* e

Economic classification of countries

* Developed country
* Developing country
* Least Developed Countries
* World Bank high-income economy
* Newly industrialized country
* Heavily indebted poor countries

Three-World Model|

* First World
* Second World
* Third World
* Fourth World

Gross domestic product (GDP)|

| Nominal|

* By country
* past and projected
* per capita
* per capita

|

Purchasing
power parity (PPP)|

* By country
* future estimates
* per capita
* per capita
* per hour worked
* per person employed

Gross national income (GNI)|

* (Nominal, Atlas method) per capita
* (PPP) per capita

Wages|

* Average wage
* Europe by monthly average wage
* Employee compensation (per hour)
* List of countries by median wage
* Minimum wages
* Canada
* Europe
* United States

Wealth|

* Wealth per adult

Other national accounts|

* Gross National Happiness
* Net material product
* Research and development spending

Human development|

* Human Development Index
* by country
* inequality-adjusted
* Human Poverty Index
* Percentage living in poverty
* Human Capital Index
* Household income
* Social Progress Index

Digital divide|

* ICT Development Index
* Number of broadband Internet subscriptions
* Number of Internet users
* Smartphone penetration

Net international
investment position (NIIP)|

* Per capita (creditors)
* Per capita (debtors)

* v
* t
* e

Lists of countries by GDP rankings

Purchasing power parity (PPP)|

* Per capita
* Past
* per capita
* Past and projected
* per capita
* Private consumption per capita
* Per hour
* Per person employed
* Ten largest historically
* 19th century

Nominal|

* Per capita
* Past and projected
* per capita
* Sector composition

Growth rate|

* African countries
* Asian states
* European Union member states
* European countries
* Latin American and Caribbean countries
* Oceanian countries
* Per capita
* 1980–2010 growth
* Industrial growth

Gross national income (GNI)|

* PPP per capita
* Nominal per capita

Countries by region|

* Africa
* PPP
* nominal
* Commonwealth of Nations
* PPP
* nominal
* Latin America & Caribbean
* PPP
* nominal
* North America
* PPP
* nominal
* nominal per capita
* South America
* PPP
* Arab League
* nominal and per capita
* PPP and per capita
* ASEAN
* Asia
* Asia & Pacific
* PPP
* Former Soviet Republics
* Europe
* PPP
* PPP per capita
* nominal
* nominal per capita
* Oceania
* PPP
* PPP per capita
* nominal
* nominal per capita

Subnational divisions|

* Argentina
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Bulgaria
* Canada
* Chile
* per capita
* China
* per capita
* Colombia
* Croatia
* Czech Republic
* Finland
* France
* nominal
* nominal per capita
* Germany
* nominal
* nominal per capita
* Greece
* Hungary
* India
* PPP
* per capita
* Indonesia
* Italy
* nominal per capita
* Japan
* per capita
* Kenya
* Malaysia
* Mexico
* per capita
* Netherlands
* Nigeria
* Norway
* Pakistan
* Peru
* Philippines
* Poland (per capita)
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* per capita
* Slovakia
* South Africa
* per capita
* South Korea
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom
* nominal
* nominal per capita
* United States
* PPP
* nominal
* nominal per capita
* Taiwan
* Tanzania
* Thailand
* Turkey
* OECD
* Top country subdivisions by GDP
* nominal

* Lists of countries by financial rankings

* List of international rankings
* List of top international rankings by country
* Lists by country

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