Germany: Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Germany's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) rose 10% on 2021 (from 1 to 1.1).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +2% and a typical year strayed about 13.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 42.9% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.3% in 1993. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.05 a year. A straight line explains 58% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Germany in the 2022 ranking

• Viet Nam — 5th of 9: 2.6
• China — 6th of 9: 2.4
• Israel — 7th of 9: 1.2
• Canada — 9th of 9: 0.7

What this measures

The average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28 per day (adjusted for differences in purchasing power parity across countries). It is measured as the average factor by which incomes fall short of $28.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a population-weighted average.

All 32 values

Prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) in nearby economies

• Albania — 2.5 (2020)
• Armenia — 3.6 (2024)
• Austria — 0.8 (2023)
• Belarus — 1.6 (2020)
• Belgium — 0.5 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 1.4 (2023)
• Croatia — 1.1 (2023)
• Cyprus — 0.6 (2023)
• Czechia

More poverty data for Germany

• Income share held by second 20% — 12.8% (2022)
• Income share held by third 20% — 17% (2022)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.3% (2022)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 40.9% (2022)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 26.2% (2022)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 12.5% (2022)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.3% (2022)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 6.9% (2022)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0.7% (2022)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)

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Questions people ask

What is Germany's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day)?

1.1 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 57.14% from 0.7 in 1991 (1.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.1 in 2022 and the lowest 0.6 in 1993.

Is the latest change in prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) unusual for Germany?

In 2022, Germany's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) rose 10% on 2021 (from 1 to 1.1). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +2% and a typical year strayed about 13.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.SPR.PGAP, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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