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

Key figures

Since 1981 it is down 50% from 12 in 1981 (1.6% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 10 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lower middle income's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 3.2% on 2023 (from 6.2 to 6).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was −1.7% and a typical year strayed about 1.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.9% in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.1% in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those 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.

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 34 values

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

• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 3.9 (2021)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 3.3 (2023)
• Israel — 1.2 (2022)
• Malta — 0.7 (2023)
• Pakistan — 7.2 (2024)

More poverty data for Lower middle income

• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 12.4% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 3.6% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 26.9% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 8% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) — 24.6% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 76.8% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 31.4% (2024)
• Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) (% of population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

6 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1981?

It is down 50% from 12 in 1981 (1.6% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 12 in 1981 and the lowest 6 in 2024.

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

In 2024, Lower middle income's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 3.2% on 2023 (from 6.2 to 6). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was −1.7% and a typical year strayed about 1.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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