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

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, North Macedonia's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 6.5% on 2018 (from 3.1 to 2.9).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2018), the average change was +5.7% and a typical year strayed about 36.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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 119.2% in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 29.9% in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.4 a year. A straight line explains 76% 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 North Macedonia in the 2019 ranking

• Iceland — 2nd of 2: 0.6

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 19 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 North Macedonia

• Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) — 21.9% (2023)
• Income share held by second 20% — 12.3% (2019)
• Income share held by third 20% — 18% (2019)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 24.8% (2019)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 39% (2019)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 22.9% (2019)
• Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 18.4% (2019)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 1.9% (2019)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 5.8% (2019)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

2.9 in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1998?

It is down 21.62% from 3.7 in 1998 (1.15% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 7.7 in 2010 and the lowest 2.6 in 2004.

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

In 2019, North Macedonia's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 6.5% on 2018 (from 3.1 to 2.9). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2018), the average change was +5.7% and a typical year strayed about 36.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below 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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