Is A$50,000 a good income in Australia?
It is below the median adult. An income of A$50,000 a year puts you ahead of about 32% of adults in Australia — roughly 6.7 million people have less.
Source: WealthPercentile model for adults aged 20+ in Australia (World Inequality Database 2026 update).
How A$50,000 compares in Australia
Thresholds for income per year, per adult. The last column shows A$50,000 relative to each level.
| Group | Starts at | A$50,000 is |
|---|---|---|
| Median adult | A$85,900 | 58% of this level |
| Top 25% | A$143,000 | 35% of this level |
| Top 10% | A$217,000 | 23% of this level |
| Top 5% | A$280,000 | 18% of this level |
| Top 1% | A$570,000 | 9% of this level |
A$50,000 by global standards
Compared with all 5.5 billion adults in the world, A$50,000 is in the top 12%. The world median income is about A$6,010, and the global top 1% starts near A$256,000. Living costs differ a lot between countries, so a global rank says more about purchasing power abroad than about comfort at home.
The same A$50,000 in other countries
Ranks within each country, converted at ECB exchange rates. Countries with official person-level statistics use those; the rest use the model.
| Country | Rank | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| India | top 0.7% | model |
| Brazil | top 5% | model |
| South Africa | top 5.9% | model |
| China | top 7.2% | model |
| Japan | top 13% | model |
| United Kingdom | top 40% | national statistics |
| Sweden | bottom 48% | national statistics |
| United States | bottom 44% | national statistics |
| France | bottom 40% | model |
| Canada | bottom 38% | model |
| Germany | bottom 38% | model |
| Norway | bottom 25% | Statistics Norway |
| Switzerland | bottom 15% | model |
Other amounts in Australia
- A$50,000 — bottom 32%
- A$60,000 — bottom 38%
- A$70,000 — bottom 43%
- A$80,000 — bottom 47%
- A$90,000 — top 48%
- A$100,000 — top 43%
- A$120,000 — top 33%
- A$150,000 — top 23%
- A$200,000 — top 12%
- A$250,000 — top 6.8%
Frequently asked questions
What percentile is A$50,000 income in Australia?
A$50,000 is in the bottom 32% of adults in Australia: about 32% have less.
What income puts you in the top 1% in Australia?
About A$570,000 a year per adult.
How is this calculated?
WealthPercentile model for adults aged 20+ in Australia (World Inequality Database 2026 update). Amounts are per adult; couples’ wealth is split equally. Exchange rates are ECB reference rates of 2026-10-09.
Estimates for education and curiosity, not financial advice. Read the methodology.