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.
