Rate of poverty by gender (% of men and women)
This graph shows the rate of poverty among all people by gender. It shows that people identifying as female are more likely to live in households below the poverty line than those identifying as male, no matter which poverty line is used. Because this website focuses on household incomes, the gap between male and female poverty rates is much less than the gender gap in personal incomes. 2017-18: Women are more likely to live in households below the poverty line than men (14.1% for women and 13.1% for men, using the 50% median income poverty line). The poverty rate for households with a female reference person or main earner is almost twice as high (19.2% using the 50% median income poverty line) as when the main earner is male (10.2% using the 50% median income poverty line). When the 60% of median income pvoerty line is ued, the poverty rates are 28.4% and 16.5% respectively. 2015-16: This graph shows hows that women are more likely to live in households below the poverty line than…
Profile of poverty by gender
These graphs show the number of people living in poverty divided into binary gender groups according to the 50% and 60% median income poverty lines in 2015-16 and 2017-18. Because this website focuses on household incomes, the gap between male and female poverty rates is much less than the gender gap in personal incomes. 2017-18 This graph shows that a higher share of people in poverty are female – 42.9% compared with 47.1% based on the 50% of median income poverty line, or 53.4% compared with 46.6% using the 60% of median income poverty line. 2015-16 This graph shows that a higher share of people in poverty were female – 51.5% compared with 48.5% based on the 50% of median income poverty line, or 51.9% compared with 48.1% using the 60% of median income poverty line.
Rate of poverty by family type
This graph shows the rate of poverty for all people by family type. 2017-18: This shows that the family type with the highest rate of poverty is sole parent families – 35.2% based on the 50% of median income poverty line and 46.9% based on the 60% of median income poverty line. Single persons living alone also have relatively high poverty rates, which reflects their limited opportunity to benefit from economies of scale in living costs and reliance on a single income. When the 50% poverty line is used, single adults under 65 years have a higher rate of poverty (26.6%) than those 65 years and older (26.4%), but these rankings are reversed when the 60% poverty line is used (33.4% compared with 54.6%). 2015-16: This shows that the family type with the highest rate of poverty is sole parent families – 32% based on the 50% of median income poverty line and 43% based on the 60% of median income poverty line. Single persons living alone also have relatively high poverty rates, which…
Profile of poverty by family type (% of households in poverty)
These graphs display the number of people already living in poverty, divided into household groups by 50% median income and 60% median income poverty lines, firstly in 2017-18 and then in 2015-16. 2017-18 This shows that couple households with children, due to their larger share of the overall population, are the largest group in poverty, at 33.9% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 33.7% using the 60% of median income poverty line. Sole parent families are strongly over-represented among those in poverty, at 18% using the 50% median income poverty line and 15.5% using the 60% median income poverty line. 2015-16 This shows that couple households with children, due to their larger share of the overall population, were the largest group in poverty, at 42% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 41% using the 60% of median income poverty line. Sole parent families were strongly over-represented among those in poverty, at 20% using the 50% median income poverty line…
Rate of poverty by main income source
This graph shows the rate of poverty in households by their main income source. It shows that households relying mainly on social security payments are approximately five times more likely to experience poverty than those relying mainly on wages and salaries. 2017-18: Those relying on social security payments represent 36% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 56% using the 60% of median income poverty line, whilst those relying mainly on wages and salary represent 7% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 12% using the 60% of median income poverty line. 2015-16: Those relying on social security payments represent 35% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 56% using the 60% of median income poverty line, whilst those relying mainly on wages and salary represent 7% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 12% using the 60% of median income poverty line.
Profile of poverty by main income source
This graph shows the profile of households in poverty by their main income source in 2017-18 and 2016-17. It shows that the largest group of households in poverty is that relying on social security. 2017-18 Households relying on social security represent 51% of households in poverty when the 50% and 60% median income poverty lines are used. The share of households living in poverty who are reliant on mainly on wages is significant, reflecting the higher share of wage-earning households overall. This group represents 38% of households in poverty using the 50% median income poverty line and 40% using the 60% of median income poverty line. 2015-16 Households relying on social security represent 53% of households in poverty when the 50% median income poverty line is used and 55% when the 60% of median income poverty line. The share of households living in poverty who are reliant on mainly on wages is significant, reflecting the higher share of wage-earning households overall (38% of all…
Rate of poverty by income support payment
This graph shows the poverty rates for people in households whose reference person receives an income support payment. 2017-18: For all payments, poverty rates average 28% based on the 50% median income poverty line and 46% based on the 60% median income poverty line. The highest poverty rates are for Newstart Allowance recipients (57% based on 50% median income poverty line and 67% based on 60% median income poverty line) and for Parenting Payment (54% based on 50% median income poverty line and 72% based on 60% median income poverty line). Poverty rates in households where the reference person receives Youth Allowance are slightly lower but still substantial (at 43% based on both the 50% and 60% median income poverty lines). 41% of people in households whose reference person receives Disability Support Pension are in poverty (55% using 60% median income poverty line), while 20% of people in households whose reference person receives Carer Payment are below the poverty line (38% when…
Profile of poverty by income support payment
These graphs show the poverty rate of households that receive income support payments. 2017-18 Those in households whose reference person receives the Age Pension are the largest group (28% using the 50% median income poverty line and 40% using the 60% median income poverty line), since the overall Age Pension population is larger than for other payments. This is followed by Newstart Allowance (24% using the 50% median income poverty line and 18% using the 60% median income poverty line), Parenting Payment (23% using the 50% median income poverty line and 18% using the 60% median income poverty line) and Disability Support Pension (17% using the 50% median income poverty line and 14% using the 60% median income poverty line). 2015-16 Those in households whose reference person receives the Age Pension are the largest group (26% using the 50% median income poverty line and 39% using the 60% median income poverty line), since the overall Age Pension population is larger than for other…
Poverty gaps by income support payment
The poverty gap measures the average depth of poverty among households below the poverty line by looking at the difference between their incomes and the poverty line. A large poverty gap shows that the majority of those in poverty are likely to have incomes well below the poverty line. Poverty gaps decline whenever the income of anyone below the poverty line increases, whereas poverty rates only decline when income increases by enough to raise someone from below the poverty line to above it. Thus both poverty rates and poverty gaps are important when looking at poverty. This graph and table show poverty gaps for people in households living below the poverty line when the reference person receives one of the listed income support payments. It is important to read these in conjunction with the poverty rates for that particular group. 2017-18 This graph shows that average poverty gaps, adjusting for household size, are greatest for recipients of Newstart Allowance ($278), Youth…
Rate of poverty by labour force status
This graph compares poverty rates among people according to the labour force status of the household reference person. 2017-18: People who are of working age but who are lacking paid employment face an elevated risk of poverty, at 66% using the 50% of median income poverty line and 76% using the 60% of median income poverty line. Where the reference person is aged under 65 and is not in the labour force, 45% of households are in poverty using the 50% of median income poverty line; and 56% using the 60% of median income poverty line. Many of these households have a reference person with a disability or with caring responsibilities and rely on payments such as Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment or Carer Payment. Poverty rates are much lower where the household reference person is employed fulltime (6% using the 50% median income poverty line and 9% using the 60% median income poverty line). Since minimum wages are above the poverty lines for a single adult, those in…
