⟡World Through Time

Median income per person per month

Half the population lives on less, half on more. After taxes and benefits, in dollars adjusted for the cost of living (2017).

Open the interactive mapslider 1980 → 2021, charts, continent comparisonCross with another indicatorscatter plot, correlations
World map: Median income per person per month, 2021World map: Median income per person per month, 2021
40 $90 $180 $350 $700 $1.3 k $2.2 k $
no data
Map 2021. Source: Banque mondiale, Poverty and Inequality Platform, via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0).

In 2021, 87 countries have a value. Highest: Luxembourg (2,110 $), Norway (1,990 $), United States (1,980 $). Lowest: Malawi (47 $), Niger (65 $), Tanzania (71 $). France: 1,510 $ (13th of 87).

Country ranking in 2021

RankCountryValue
1Luxembourg2,110 $
2Norway1,990 $
3United States1,980 $
4Switzerland its history →1,960 $
5Austria1,750 $
6Germany its history →1,670 $
7Netherlands its history →1,660 $
8Denmark1,640 $
9Australia its history →1,610 $
10Belgium1,600 $
11Finland1,560 $
12Sweden its history →1,540 $
13France its history →1,510 $
14Malta1,390 $
15Ireland1,360 $
16Cyprus1,310 $
17Italy1,240 $
18Spain its history →1,230 $
19Slovenia1,200 $
20Czechia1,050 $
21Estonia1,050 $
22Israel1,020 $
23Lithuania934 $
24Portugal its history →895 $
25Latvia819 $
26Croatia795 $
27Hungary its history →753 $
28Slovakia753 $
29Greece749 $
30Panama665 $
31Bulgaria635 $
32Uruguay620 $
33Romania579 $
34Russia529 $
35Belarus524 $
36Poland524 $
37Chile517 $
38Türkiye492 $
39Bolivia426 $
40Costa Rica423 $
41Brazil410 $
42Serbia402 $
43Albania398 $
44Thailand392 $
45Ukraine its history →383 $
46North Macedonia377 $
47Paraguay375 $
48Vietnam332 $
49China326 $
50Dominican Republic323 $
51Moldova320 $
52Kazakhstan317 $
53Iran314 $
54El Salvador301 $
55Mexico291 $
56Ecuador279 $
57Mongolia246 $
58Peru241 $
59Colombia237 $
60Honduras211 $
61Armenia202 $
62Fiji202 $
63Georgia183 $
64Indonesia175 $
65Kyrgyzstan165 $
66Philippines161 $
67Laos145 $
68Vanuatu142 $
69Senegal135 $
70Côte d’Ivoire132 $
71Pakistan124 $
72India its history →118 $
73Guinea116 $
74Mali115 $
75Benin106 $
76Angola104 $
77Guinea-Bissau101 $
78Togo98 $
79Burkina Faso91 $
80Sierra Leone90 $
81Nigeria90 $
82Chad88 $
83Zimbabwe81 $
84Uganda75 $
85Tanzania71 $
86Niger65 $
87Malawi47 $

91 countries or territories have no value that year.

Continent averages

Europe (average)967 $
Africa (average)90 $
Americas (average)995 $
Asia (average)221 $
Oceania (average)1,550 $

Understanding this map

What this figure measures

Household surveys record what people earn (or, in many poorer countries, spend). Household income is split among its members, children and retirees included, then the person in the middle is taken: the median. It describes an ordinary person's situation better than the average, which a few very high incomes push up.

Why it is neither a wage nor GDP

It is not a wage: every resident is counted, not just those who work, so the amount is lower than a median wage. And it is not GDP: only income that actually reaches households is included. In 2018 France's GDP per person is over $4,000 a month, its median income about $1,500.

Limits

Surveys take place every 1 to 10 years depending on the country: between two surveys the value is interpolated, and the tooltip gives the latest one. Some countries measure consumption rather than income (India, China, Nigeria…), which is not quite comparable. Series stop around 2021 and often begin in the 1980s or 1990s.

Sources : Banque mondiale, Poverty and Inequality Platform, via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0)

All maps

Electoral democracy indexWomen's right to voteLife expectancy at birthChildren dying before age 5Children per womanGDP per capitaEconomic freedom indexMedian income per person per monthIncome inequality (Gini index)Income share of the richest 10%Extreme poverty (under $2.15 a day)Tax revenuePublic debtPublic debt per personPublic spendingMilitary spendingPublic spending on educationPublic spending on healthPublic social spendingResearch and development spendingShare of public debt held abroadInterest paid on public debtShare of taxes eaten up by interest on debtPublic debt in years of taxesTotal government revenueTop marginal income tax rateBudget balance: deficit or surplusInterest-growth gap (r − g)10-year government borrowing rateHousehold electricity pricesGender gap in hourly wagesCO₂ emissions per person — on the territoryShare of electricity from low-carbon (renewables + nuclear) sourcesPopulation and densityShare of people aged 65 and overImmigrants as a share of the populationShare of people with no religionLargest religionCountries accessible without a visa

Page updated on 2026-11-03.