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

Key figures

Since 1981 it is down 56.36% from 11 in 1981 (1.91% 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, South Asia's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 5.9% on 2023 (from 5.1 to 4.8).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was −1.9% and a typical year strayed about 1.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 5.9% in 2024. 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 South Asia

• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 2.6% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 0.3% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 15% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 2.4% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population) — 17.6% (2024)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 76.9% (2024)
• Poverty gap at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 25.8% (2024)

Every indicator for South Asia is on the South Asia data page.

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1981?

It is down 56.36% from 11 in 1981 (1.91% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 11 in 1981 and the lowest 4.8 in 2024.

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

In 2024, South Asia's prosperity gap (average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day) fell 5.9% on 2023 (from 5.1 to 4.8). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1982 to 2023), the average change was −1.9% and a typical year strayed about 1.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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