Mapped: How the World’s Income Map Changed in 30 Years
Key Takeaways
- Thirty Asian economies moved up by at least one income tier between 1995 and 2025.
- Many Eastern European countries advanced into the high-income category.
- Guyana rose from low-income to high-income status, driven by its offshore oil boom.
Over the past three decades, countries across Asia, Eastern Europe, and other regions have climbed the global income ladder.
This visualization compares World Bank income classifications by country in 1995 and 2025. The data comes from the World Bank Group.
Countries are classified into four income groups based on gross national income (GNI) per capita.
For 2025, the thresholds are: low income ($1,175 or less), lower-middle income ($1,176–$4,635), upper-middle income ($4,636–$14,375), and high income (above $14,375).
For 1995, the thresholds were: low income ($725 or less), lower-middle income ($726–$2,895), upper-middle income ($2,896–$8,955), and high income (above $8,955).
Eastern Europe’s Economic Transformation
Eastern Europe recorded one of the most dramatic shifts over the 30-year period.
Market reforms, European Union integration, and rising investment helped many countries advance into the high-income category.
| Country / Economy | Income group (1995) | Income group (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Low income | Low income |
| Albania | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Algeria | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| American Samoa | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Andorra | High income | High income |
| Angola | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Argentina | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Armenia | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Aruba | High income | High income |
| Australia | High income | High income |
| Austria | High income | High income |
| Azerbaijan | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Bahamas, The | High income | High income |
| Bahrain | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Bangladesh | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Barbados | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Belarus | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Belgium | High income | High income |
| Belize | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Benin | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Bermuda | High income | High income |
| Bhutan | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Bolivia | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Botswana | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Brazil | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| British Virgin Islands | Not classified | High income |
| Brunei Darussalam | High income | High income |
| Bulgaria | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Burkina Faso | Low income | Low income |
| Burundi | Low income | Low income |
| Cabo Verde | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Cambodia | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Cameroon | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Canada | High income | High income |
| Cayman Islands | High income | High income |
| Central African Republic | Low income | Low income |
| Chad | Low income | Low income |
| Channel Islands | High income | High income |
| Chile | Upper-middle income | High income |
| China | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Colombia | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Comoros | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. | Low income | Low income |
| Congo, Rep. | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Costa Rica | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Croatia | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Cuba | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Curaçao | Not classified | High income |
| Cyprus | High income | High income |
| Czechia | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Denmark | High income | High income |
| Djibouti | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Dominica | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Dominican Republic | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Ecuador | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Egypt, Arab Rep. | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| El Salvador | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Equatorial Guinea | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Eritrea | Low income | Low income |
| Estonia | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Eswatini | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Ethiopia | Low income | Low income |
| Faeroe Islands | High income | High income |
| Fiji | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Finland | High income | High income |
| France | High income | High income |
| French Polynesia | High income | High income |
| Gabon | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Gambia, The | Low income | Low income |
| Georgia | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Germany | High income | High income |
| Ghana | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Gibraltar | Not classified | High income |
| Greece | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Greenland | High income | High income |
| Grenada | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Guam | High income | High income |
| Guatemala | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Guinea | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Guinea-Bissau | Low income | Low income |
| Guyana | Low income | High income |
| Haiti | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Honduras | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Hong Kong SAR, China | High income | High income |
| Hungary | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Iceland | High income | High income |
| India | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Indonesia | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Iraq | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Ireland | High income | High income |
| Isle of Man | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Israel | High income | High income |
| Italy | High income | High income |
| Jamaica | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Japan | High income | High income |
| Jordan | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Kazakhstan | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Kenya | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Kiribati | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Korea, Dem. Rep. | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| Korea, Rep. | High income | High income |
| Kosovo | Not classified | Upper-middle income |
| Kuwait | High income | High income |
| Kyrgyz Republic | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Lao PDR | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Latvia | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Lebanon | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Lesotho | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Liberia | Low income | Low income |
| Libya | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Liechtenstein | High income | High income |
| Lithuania | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Luxembourg | High income | High income |
| Macao SAR, China | High income | High income |
| Madagascar | Low income | Low income |
| Malawi | Low income | Low income |
| Malaysia | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Maldives | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Mali | Low income | Low income |
| Malta | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Marshall Islands | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Mauritania | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Mauritius | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Mexico | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Moldova | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Monaco | High income | High income |
| Mongolia | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Montenegro | Not classified | Upper-middle income |
| Morocco | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Mozambique | Low income | Low income |
| Myanmar | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Namibia | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Nauru | Not classified | High income |
| Nepal | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Netherlands | High income | High income |
| New Caledonia | High income | High income |
| New Zealand | High income | High income |
| Nicaragua | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Niger | Low income | Low income |
| Nigeria | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| North Macedonia | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Northern Mariana Islands | High income | High income |
| Norway | High income | High income |
| Oman | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Pakistan | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Palau | Not classified | High income |
| Panama | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Papua New Guinea | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Paraguay | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Peru | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Philippines | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Poland | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Portugal | High income | High income |
| Puerto Rico (U.S.) | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Qatar | High income | High income |
| Romania | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Russian Federation | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Rwanda | Low income | Low income |
| Samoa | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| San Marino | Not classified | High income |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Saudi Arabia | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Senegal | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Serbia | Not classified | Upper-middle income |
| Seychelles | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Sierra Leone | Low income | Low income |
| Singapore | High income | High income |
| Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | Not classified | High income |
| Slovak Republic | Lower-middle income | High income |
| Slovenia | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Solomon Islands | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Somalia, Fed. Rep. | Low income | Low income |
| South Africa | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| South Sudan | Not classified | Low income |
| Spain | High income | High income |
| Sri Lanka | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | Upper-middle income | High income |
| St. Lucia | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| St. Martin (French part) | Not classified | High income |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Sudan | Low income | Low income |
| Suriname | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Sweden | High income | High income |
| Switzerland | High income | High income |
| Syrian Arab Republic | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| Taiwan, China | High income | High income |
| Tajikistan | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Tanzania | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Thailand | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Timor-Leste | Not classified | Lower-middle income |
| Togo | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Tonga | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Tunisia | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Türkiye | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Turkmenistan | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Not classified | High income |
| Tuvalu | Not classified | Upper-middle income |
| Uganda | Low income | Low income |
| Ukraine | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| United Arab Emirates | High income | High income |
| United Kingdom | High income | High income |
| United States | High income | High income |
| Uruguay | Upper-middle income | High income |
| Uzbekistan | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Vanuatu | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Venezuela, RB | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Viet Nam | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| Virgin Islands (U.S.) | High income | High income |
| West Bank and Gaza | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| Yemen, Rep. | Low income | Low income |
| Zambia | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| Zimbabwe | Low income | Lower-middle income |
Asia’s Rapid Rise
Asia had the largest concentration of economies moving up the income ladder.
Thirty Asian economies advanced by at least one income tier between 1995 and 2025.
Export-led growth, manufacturing expansion, and growing technology sectors supported economic development across much of the region, although income levels still vary considerably between countries.
Guyana’s Extraordinary Leap
Guyana experienced one of the biggest shifts in the dataset.
The South American nation moved from low-income to high-income status following the rapid development of its offshore oil industry.
The discovery of massive petroleum reserves sharply increased economic output and government revenue, making Guyana one of the world’s fastest-growing economies in recent years.
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If you enjoyed today’s post, check out this graphic comparing world incomes adjusted for inflation and living costs.