Median Income By Country

Last updated May 23, 2025

Median Income
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Median Income 2021Question Mark
1LuxembourgLuxembourg$26,321
2United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates$24,292
3NorwayNorway$22,684
4SwitzerlandSwitzerland$21,490
5United StatesUnited States$19,306
6CanadaCanada$18,652
7AustriaAustria$18,405
8SwedenSweden$17,625
9DenmarkDenmark$17,432
10NetherlandsNetherlands$17,154
11AustraliaAustralia$17,076
12IcelandIceland$17,017
13GermanyGermany$16,845
14FranceFrance$16,372
15FinlandFinland$16,332
16BelgiumBelgium$16,157
17United KingdomUnited Kingdom$14,793
18MaltaMalta$14,543
19IrelandIreland$14,520
20JapanJapan$14,255
21TaiwanTaiwan$13,605
22ItalyItaly$13,170
23CyprusCyprus$13,053
24South KoreaSouth Korea$12,507
25SloveniaSlovenia$11,878
26SpainSpain$11,786
27IsraelIsrael$10,866
28EstoniaEstonia$10,651
29Czech RepublicCzech Republic$10,046
30PolandPoland$8,885
31PortugalPortugal$8,439
32LithuaniaLithuania$8,267
33SlovakiaSlovakia$7,991
34LatviaLatvia$7,971
35LebanonLebanon$7,712
36HungaryHungary$7,684
37UruguayUruguay$7,533
38MalaysiaMalaysia$7,512
39CroatiaCroatia$7,196
40GreeceGreece$6,936
41BelarusBelarus$6,507
42ChileChile$6,293
43PanamaPanama$6,254
44Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina$5,925
45BulgariaBulgaria$5,696
46RussiaRussia$5,504
47Costa RicaCosta Rica$5,457
48MaldivesMaldives$5,409
49ArgentinaArgentina$5,319
50SeychellesSeychelles$5,314
51TurkeyTurkey$5,251
52RomaniaRomania$5,206
53BrazilBrazil$4,559
54Saint LuciaSaint Lucia$4,519
55UkraineUkraine$4,434
56SerbiaSerbia$4,416
57IranIran$4,360
58ThailandThailand$4,356
59ParaguayParaguay$4,334
60MontenegroMontenegro$4,193
61Dominican RepublicDominican Republic$4,060
62North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia$3,857
63MauritiusMauritius$3,832
64PeruPeru$3,678
65KazakhstanKazakhstan$3,661
66BoliviaBolivia$3,631
67EcuadorEcuador$3,525
68TunisiaTunisia$3,366
69MexicoMexico$3,315
70ColombiaColombia$3,259
71AzerbaijanAzerbaijan$3,193
72JordanJordan$3,185
73VietnamVietnam$3,149
74MoldovaMoldova$3,133
75El SalvadorEl Salvador$3,095
76JamaicaJamaica$2,899
77Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago$2,868
78MongoliaMongolia$2,800
79TongaTonga$2,782
80GabonGabon$2,779
81MoroccoMorocco$2,716
82VenezuelaVenezuela$2,710
83NicaraguaNicaragua$2,697
84AlgeriaAlgeria$2,612
85AlbaniaAlbania$2,578
86SamoaSamoa$2,537
87FijiFiji$2,460
88BhutanBhutan$2,446
89Sri LankaSri Lanka$2,277
90GeorgiaGeorgia$2,273
91ArmeniaArmenia$2,216
92TuvaluTuvalu$2,099
93GuatemalaGuatemala$2,036
94GuyanaGuyana$2,003
95SyriaSyria$1,996
96TajikistanTajikistan$1,994
97NamibiaNamibia$1,962
98HondurasHonduras$1,959
99IraqIraq$1,951
100BelizeBelize$1,927
101MyanmarMyanmar$1,909
102KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan$1,892
103GhanaGhana$1,779
104MauritaniaMauritania$1,760
105SurinameSuriname$1,659
106South AfricaSouth Africa$1,624
107BotswanaBotswana$1,596
108PhilippinesPhilippines$1,581
109KiribatiKiribati$1,489
110EgyptEgypt$1,485
111MicronesiaMicronesia$1,413
112DjiboutiDjibouti$1,403
113ComorosComoros$1,401
114PakistanPakistan$1,399
115GambiaGambia$1,383
116VanuatuVanuatu$1,379
117SudanSudan$1,277
118CameroonCameroon$1,245
119HaitiHaiti$1,162
120LesothoLesotho$1,157
121NepalNepal$1,155
122YemenYemen$1,150
123BangladeshBangladesh$1,131
124EswatiniEswatini$1,097
125LaosLaos$1,065
126Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands$1,028
127Ivory CoastIvory Coast$987
128Timor LesteTimor Leste$970
129ZimbabweZimbabwe$932
130EthiopiaEthiopia$907
131Sao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome and Principe$901
132Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo$892
133ChadChad$880
134Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea$876
135KenyaKenya$874
136SenegalSenegal$844
137GuineaGuinea$843
138NigeriaNigeria$825
139UgandaUganda$804
140South SudanSouth Sudan$793
141Sierra LeoneSierra Leone$765
142LiberiaLiberia$753
143Burkina FasoBurkina Faso$748
144NigerNiger$738
145TurkmenistanTurkmenistan$706
146TanzaniaTanzania$702
147BeninBenin$699
148MaliMali$689
149TogoTogo$683
150AngolaAngola$665
151RwandaRwanda$621
152UzbekistanUzbekistan$591
153ZambiaZambia$545
154MozambiqueMozambique$529
155Central African RepublicCentral African Republic$491
156Guinea BissauGuinea Bissau$486
157MalawiMalawi$484
158BurundiBurundi$475
159MadagascarMadagascar$398
160DR CongoDR Congo$395

The Dynamics of Global Income

In an ever-evolving global economy, understanding the distribution of median income across countries can shed light on economic opportunities, standard of living, and purchasing power. The term "Median Income" refers to the income amount that divides a nation's income distribution into two equal groups – half having income above that amount and the other half having income below that amount. It's a valuable indicator of a country's economic health and wealth distribution.

Luxembourg enjoys the highest median income globally, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Norway. Conversely, DR Congo and Madagascar have some of the lowest median incomes, highlighting vast disparities between nations. The United States ranks within the top five, evidencing its relatively high standard of living.

Key Findings:

  • Despite significant disparities between countries, we see that highly developed nations typically have higher median incomes. For instance, Luxembourg, classified as a high-income nation by the World Bank, reports a robust median income of $26,321.
  • The United States, with a median income of $19,306, stands at the fifth position globally. This underscores the nation's powerful economy, marked by diverse income opportunities and a high standard of living.
  • On the other end of the spectrum, the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the world's poorest nations, reports the lowest median income at a mere $395.
  • Median income isn't necessarily correlated with a country's population size. For instance, despite its small population, Luxembourg boasts the highest median income, whereas larger countries like India and China don't feature in the top twenty.
  • Countries boasting high median income often have strong social security systems and lower levels of income inequality, traits common in many European and North American Nations.

Countries With Highest Median Income

The ten countries with the highest median income are Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, Norway, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Luxembourg has the highest median income, amounting to $26,321 annually. The United Arab Emirates comes next with a median income of $24,292 annually. The third on the list is Norway, with a median income of $22,684, closely followed by Switzerland, with $21,490.

The United States is the fifth highest country on the list, with its citizens earning a median income of $19,306 annually. In Canada, the median income is slightly lower, at $18,652, and Austria follows with a median income of $18,405. Sweden, on the other hand, has a median income of $17,625 annually.

Finally, rounding out the top ten are Denmark and the Netherlands, with median incomes of $17,432 and $17,154, respectively.

10 Countries with the Highest Median Income:

  1. Luxembourg - $26,321
  2. United Arab Emirates - $24,292
  3. Norway - $22,684
  4. Switzerland - $21,490
  5. United States - $19,306
  6. Canada - $18,652
  7. Austria - $18,405
  8. Sweden - $17,625
  9. Denmark - $17,432
  10. Netherlands - $17,154

Countries With Lowest Median Income

The ten countries with the lowest median income are DR Congo, Madagascar, Burundi, Malawi, Guinea-Bissau, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Zambia, Uzbekistan, and Rwanda. DR Congo reports the lowest median income with $395 per year. Madagascar, slightly above DR Congo, has a median income of $398 per year. Burundi is next with a median income of $475 per year. Malawi follows closely behind with a median income of $484 while Guinea-Bissau reports a median income of $486 per year.

The Central African Republic has a yearly median income of $491. On the other hand, Mozambique has a median income of $529 per year. Zambia and Uzbekistan report slightly higher yearly median incomes of $545 and $591, respectively. Completing the list, Rwanda has a yearly median income of $621.

Countries with the lowest median income:

  1. DR Congo - $395
  2. Madagascar - $398
  3. Burundi - $475
  4. Malawi - $484
  5. Guinea-Bissau - $486
  6. Central African Republic - $491
  7. Mozambique - $529
  8. Zambia - $545
  9. Uzbekistan - $591
  10. Rwanda - $621
Measuring global inequality: Median income, GDP per capita, and the Gini Index
Last updated
March 18, 2021
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