Poverty in Australia 2025: Overview
Our summary
Poverty isn’t just a number — it’s a daily reality for more than three million Australians.
Poverty in Australia 2025: Overview, produced by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) in partnership with UNSW Sydney, delivers the most up-to-date analysis of who experiences poverty, why it persists, and what needs to change.
Drawing on the latest ABS data and longitudinal studies, the report reveals that one in eight Australians — including one in six children — lives below the poverty line. It explores how inadequate income support, insecure work, and the high cost of housing combine to push people into hardship. The analysis also highlights how poverty is experienced differently across communities, with single parents, people with disability, migrants, and First Nations peoples facing the highest rates.
Alongside the data, the report features personal stories that humanise the statistics, reminding readers that poverty affects people’s health, dignity, and opportunities. It also provides clear policy recommendations — from increasing income support and rent assistance to improving access to employment and affordable housing.
For community work professionals, advocates, and policymakers, this report is an essential tool for understanding Australia’s economic inequality and for driving evidence-based reform.
It not only measures poverty but amplifies the voices of those living it — calling for collective action to ensure every person in Australia can live with security and respect.