Photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Germany: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Germany is placed 53rd of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 33.66 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 0.56 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
53rd
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Germany on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Germany’s is from 2022 · CC BY 4.0
33.66
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Germany: 33.66. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Western Europe
- 25.74 Netherlands
- Land neighbours
- Austria 31.2 · Belgium 26.82 · Switzerland 33.46 · Czechia 25.71 · Denmark 29.92 · France 31.81 · Luxembourg 33.59 · Netherlands 25.74 · Poland 28.47
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Germany’s is from 2022 · CC BY 4.0
0.56
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Germany: 0.56. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Western Europe
- 0.03 Luxembourg and Switzerland
- Land neighbours
- Austria 0.39 · Belgium 0.04 · Switzerland 0.03 · Czechia 0 · Denmark 0.27 · France 0.05 · Luxembourg 0.03 · Netherlands 0.04 · Poland 0.13
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
5.3
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
Germany: 5.3. Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in Western Europe
- 0.9 Belgium and Luxembourg
- Land neighbours
- Austria 2.9 · Belgium 0.9 · Switzerland 1.1 · Czechia 5.8 · Denmark 1.3 · France 3.5 · Luxembourg 0.9 · Netherlands 1.1 · Poland 7.3
02Over time
Which way Germany is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Gini Index
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) · lower is better
GermanyWorld median
Germany rose from 29.88 in 2002 to 33.66 in 2022; the world median went from 37.14 to 33.91.
Every year’s figures
Year Germany World median 2023 — 33.72 2022 33.66 33.91 2021 33.58 34.04 2020 32.50 34.18 2019 32.21 33.51 2018 31.88 35.25 2017 31.32 34.86 2016 31.32 34.47 2015 31.41 35.52 2014 30.80 34.79 2013 31.42 36.16 2012 30.91 35.40 2011 30.44 33.96 2010 30.20 33.71 2009 30.44 34.91 2008 30.63 34.60 2007 31.19 34.26 2006 31.05 35.63 2005 31.61 36.28 2004 30.11 34.29 2003 29.87 35.46 2002 29.88 37.14 Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) · lower is better
GermanyWorld median
Germany rose from 0.01 in 2002 to 0.56 in 2022; the world median went from 3.01 to 0.42.
Every year’s figures
Year Germany World median 2023 — 0.345 2022 0.56 0.420 2021 0.48 0.335 2020 0.24 0.280 2019 0.12 0.380 2018 0.08 0.460 2017 0.12 0.300 2016 0.08 0.440 2015 0.06 0.500 2014 0.06 0.635 2013 0.00 0.515 2012 0.04 0.640 2011 0.08 0.430 2010 0.09 0.530 2009 0.01 0.600 2008 0.09 0.350 2007 0.00 0.360 2006 0.00 0.465 2005 0.06 1.250 2004 0.03 0.790 2003 0.07 1.650 2002 0.01 3.010 Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) · lower is better
GermanyWorld median
Germany rose from 2.8 in 2017 to 5.3 in 2025; the world median went from 32.4 to 26.4.
Every year’s figures
Year Germany World median 2025 5.3 26.40 2024 5.3 27.10 2023 5.2 27.15 2022 5.0 27.90 2021 3.5 29.65 2020 2.5 31.80 2019 2.6 29.05 2018 2.5 29.85 2017 2.8 32.40
03In context
Germany beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Germany and the countries it borders
Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | 5th | 25.74 | 0.04 | 1.1 |
 Belgium | 6th | 26.82 | 0.04 | 0.9 |
 Czechia | 7th | 25.71 | 0 | 5.8 |
 Switzerland | =19th | 33.46 | 0.03 | 1.1 |
 Luxembourg | 21st | 33.59 | 0.03 | 0.9 |
 Denmark | 22nd | 29.92 | 0.27 | 1.3 |
 Francecompare | 23rd | 31.81 | 0.05 | 3.5 |
 Polandcompare | 24th | 28.47 | 0.13 | 7.3 |
 Austria | 33rd | 31.2 | 0.39 | 2.9 |
| Germany | 53rd | 33.66 | 0.56 | 5.3 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Western Europe
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Germany in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Germany is ahead of the world, and behind
15 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median12
Statistics on which Germany does better than the middle country measured.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.0210.413No real change since 2013
Germany: 0.021 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 169th of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2021 · world median 12,80039,74212,800No real change since 2017
Germany: 39,742 · world median 12,800 · Actual individual consumption per capita (PPP, current international $). World Bank Group, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 688.7 to 52,654; higher is better.
Position 7th of 173 · derived.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.890.609No real change since 2013
Germany: 0.89 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 8th of 169 · derived.
Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2024 · world median 20.94.120.9▼ Worsened since 2015
Germany: 4.1 · world median 20.9 · Population in moderate or severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1 to 88.8; lower is better.
Position 127th of 135 · derived, 1st = worst.
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric ConsumptionFAO · 2024 · world median 0.250.20.25▲ Improved since 2014
Germany: 0.2 · world median 0.25 · Coefficient of variation of habitual calorie consumption across the population (standard deviation ÷ mean). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.17 to 0.4; lower is better.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.057.10217.05▼ Worsened since 2013
Germany: 7.102 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 154th of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.310.446No earlier reading
Germany: 0.31 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 134th of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.2521.264.252No earlier reading
Germany: 1.26 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 111th of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Low Pay RateILO · 2024 · world median 17.8915.1517.89▲ Improved since 2014
Germany: 15.15 · world median 17.89 · Employees paid less than two-thirds of the median hourly earnings (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.395 to 41.69; lower is better.
Position 49th of 71 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.10.692.1▼ Worsened since 2014
Germany: 0.69 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID)Frederick Solt, University of Iowa · 2023 · world median 3330.933▼ Worsened since 2013
Germany: 30.9 · world median 33 · Gini index of disposable household income (0–100), SWIID estimate. Frederick Solt, University of Iowa, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 22.3 to 51.2; lower is better.
Position 52nd of 79 · derived, 1st = worst.
Income Growth of the Poorest 40%World Bank Group · 2024 · world median 1.8412.4341.841▲ Improved since 2015
Germany: 2.434 · world median 1.841 · Annualized growth in real income or consumption per person of the bottom 40% (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from -4.185 to 14.51; higher is better.
No better end3
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Cost of a Healthy DietFAO · 2025 · world median 4.554.354.55Moved since 2017
Germany: 4.35 · world median 4.55 · Cost of the cheapest locally available healthy diet, PPP dollars per person per day. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.66 to 8.27.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.814.821.8No earlier reading
Germany: 14.8 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.881.5286.88No earlier reading
Germany: 1.528 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
No current reading for Germany
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour Benefits, Gini Index (last 2022), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings (last 2022), Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2022), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2022), Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2022), Palma Ratio (last 2022), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2022), Prosperity Gap (last 2022), Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Societal Poverty Rate (last 2022), Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary Completion and Working Poverty Rate. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Germany’s 15 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Germany’s 14th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Economy & Innovation3rd of 1764/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital4th of 1963/3 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 4th of 1824/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade5th of 1774/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture7th of 1844/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing11th of 2004/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 13th of 1944/4 keys
- Digital & Technology14th of 1984/4 keys
- Education & Knowledgejoint 19th of 1983/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 18th of 1834/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience25th of 1934/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties33rd of 1984/4 keys
- Peace & Security53rd of 1774/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality53rd of 1593/3 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 133rd of 1864/4 keys
No standing on Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Germany can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Europe
Belarus1st3/3 keysHighest in Western Europe
Netherlands5th3/3 keysThis page
Germany53rd3/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Germany on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Germany rank on poverty & inequality?
Germany is placed 53rd of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day and Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Germany?
33.66 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Germany?
0.56 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How does Germany compare with France on poverty & inequality?
France is placed 23rd of 159, and Germany 53rd. Gini Index: France 31.81, Germany 33.66; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day: France 0.05, Germany 0.56; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet: France 3.5, Germany 5.3.
How have Germany’s poverty & inequality figures changed?
Gini Index rose from 29.88 in 2002 to 33.66 in 2022; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day rose from 0.01 in 2002 to 0.56 in 2022; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet rose from 2.8 in 2017 to 5.3 in 2025.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Germany?
No current reading is published for Germany on Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour Benefits, Gini Index, Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person, Palma Ratio, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prosperity Gap, Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 Months, Societal Poverty Rate, Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary Completion and Working Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 15 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Germany’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Germany (banner) — dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Germany: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/germany/poverty