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Story: Income and wealth distribution

Poverty rates in the OECD

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Poverty rates in the OECD

This graph shows that in 2004 New Zealand’s poverty rate was exactly the OECD average (11%). The poverty threshold is half of the median (the middle) household income. So in New Zealand 11% of households had incomes below that level – compared with the United States (17%) and the United Kingdom (8%). In terms of households with people aged 65 or over, New Zealand had the lowest level of poverty in the OECD – a result of the country’s superannuation provisions.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: OECD

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How to cite this page

Brian Easton, Income and wealth distribution – Personal income distribution, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/23805/poverty-rates-in-the-oecd (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Brian Easton, published 15 April 2010.