Mapped: The World’s Countries by Income Group
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Key Takeaways:
- Nearly 40% of the world’s economies are now classified as high income by the World Bank.
- Six economies moved into a higher income group for FY27, while none were downgraded.
- Five of the six promotions were into the upper-middle-income tier, while Togo was the only economy to leave the low-income group.
The World Bank has released its latest annual income classifications, grouping 218 economies into four tiers based on gross national income (GNI) per capita using its Atlas methodology. The visualization below, created by Iswardi Ishak using data from the World Bank, shows where each economy falls in FY27.
How the World Bank Defines Income Groups
The World Bank updates its income classifications every July, adjusting GNI per capita thresholds for inflation and incorporating the latest estimates for economic output, exchange rates, and population. These groupings are widely used by governments, researchers, and international organizations to compare economies and inform development policy.
Explore the complete classifications below.
| Economy | Income group |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Low income |
| Albania | Upper middle income |
| Algeria | Upper middle income |
| American Samoa | High income |
| Andorra | High income |
| Angola | Lower middle income |
| Antigua and Barbuda | High income |
| Argentina | Upper middle income |
| Armenia | Upper middle income |
| Aruba | High income |
| Australia | High income |
| Austria | High income |
| Azerbaijan | Upper middle income |
| Bahamas, The | High income |
| Bahrain | High income |
| Bangladesh | Lower middle income |
| Barbados | High income |
| Belarus | Upper middle income |
| Belgium | High income |
| Belize | Upper middle income |
| Benin | Lower middle income |
| Bermuda | High income |
| Bhutan | Lower middle income |
| Bolivia | Lower middle income |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Upper middle income |
| Botswana | Upper middle income |
| Brazil | Upper middle income |
| British Virgin Islands | High income |
| Brunei Darussalam | High income |
| Bulgaria | High income |
| Burkina Faso | Low income |
| Burundi | Low income |
| Cabo Verde | Upper middle income |
| Cambodia | Lower middle income |
| Cameroon | Lower middle income |
| Canada | High income |
| Cayman Islands | High income |
| Central African Republic | Low income |
| Chad | Low income |
| Channel Islands | High income |
| Chile | High income |
| China | Upper middle income |
| Colombia | Upper middle income |
| Comoros | Lower middle income |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Low income |
| Republic of the Congo | Lower middle income |
| Costa Rica | High income |
| Ivory Coast | Lower middle income |
| Croatia | High income |
| Cuba | Upper middle income |
| Curaçao | High income |
| Cyprus | High income |
| Czech Republic | High income |
| Denmark | High income |
| Djibouti | Lower middle income |
| Dominica | Upper middle income |
| Dominican Republic | Upper middle income |
| Ecuador | Upper middle income |
| Egypt | Lower middle income |
| El Salvador | Upper middle income |
| Equatorial Guinea | Upper middle income |
| Eritrea | Low income |
| Estonia | High income |
| Eswatini | Lower middle income |
| Ethiopia | Low income |
| Faroe Islands | High income |
| Fiji | Upper middle income |
| Finland | High income |
| France | High income |
| French Polynesia | High income |
| Gabon | Upper middle income |
| Gambia, The | Low income |
| Georgia | Upper middle income |
| Germany | High income |
| Ghana | Lower middle income |
| Gibraltar | High income |
| Greece | High income |
| Greenland | High income |
| Grenada | Upper middle income |
| Guam | High income |
| Guatemala | Upper middle income |
| Guinea | Lower middle income |
| Guinea-Bissau | Low income |
| Guyana | High income |
| Haiti | Lower middle income |
| Honduras | Lower middle income |
| Hong Kong SAR, China | High income |
| Hungary | High income |
| Iceland | High income |
| India | Lower middle income |
| Indonesia | Upper middle income |
| Iran | Upper middle income |
| Iraq | Upper middle income |
| Ireland | High income |
| Isle of Man | High income |
| Israel | High income |
| Italy | High income |
| Jamaica | Upper middle income |
| Japan | High income |
| Jordan | Upper middle income |
| Kazakhstan | Upper middle income |
| Kenya | Lower middle income |
| Kiribati | Lower middle income |
| North Korea | Low income |
| South Korea | High income |
| Kosovo | Upper middle income |
| Kuwait | High income |
| Kyrgyzstan | Lower middle income |
| Laos | Lower middle income |
| Latvia | High income |
| Lebanon | Lower middle income |
| Lesotho | Lower middle income |
| Liberia | Low income |
| Libya | Upper middle income |
| Liechtenstein | High income |
| Lithuania | High income |
| Luxembourg | High income |
| Macao SAR, China | High income |
| Madagascar | Low income |
| Malawi | Low income |
| Malaysia | Upper middle income |
| Maldives | Upper middle income |
| Mali | Low income |
| Malta | High income |
| Marshall Islands | Upper middle income |
| Mauritania | Lower middle income |
| Mauritius | Upper middle income |
| Mexico | Upper middle income |
| Micronesia, Fed. Sts. | Upper middle income |
| Moldova | Upper middle income |
| Monaco | High income |
| Mongolia | Upper middle income |
| Montenegro | Upper middle income |
| Morocco | Lower middle income |
| Mozambique | Low income |
| Myanmar | Lower middle income |
| Namibia | Lower middle income |
| Nauru | High income |
| Nepal | Lower middle income |
| Netherlands | High income |
| New Caledonia | High income |
| New Zealand | High income |
| Nicaragua | Lower middle income |
| Niger | Low income |
| Nigeria | Lower middle income |
| Republic of Macedonia | Upper middle income |
| Northern Mariana Islands | High income |
| Norway | High income |
| Oman | High income |
| Pakistan | Lower middle income |
| Palau | High income |
| Panama | High income |
| Papua New Guinea | Lower middle income |
| Paraguay | Upper middle income |
| Peru | Upper middle income |
| Philippines | Upper middle income |
| Poland | High income |
| Portugal | High income |
| Puerto Rico (U.S.) | High income |
| Qatar | High income |
| Romania | High income |
| Russia | High income |
| Rwanda | Low income |
| Samoa | Upper middle income |
| San Marino | High income |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Lower middle income |
| Saudi Arabia | High income |
| Senegal | Lower middle income |
| Serbia | Upper middle income |
| Seychelles | High income |
| Sierra Leone | Low income |
| Singapore | High income |
| Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | High income |
| Slovakia | High income |
| Slovenia | High income |
| Solomon Islands | Lower middle income |
| Somalia | Low income |
| South Africa | Upper middle income |
| South Sudan | Low income |
| Spain | High income |
| Sri Lanka | Upper middle income |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | High income |
| St. Lucia | Upper middle income |
| St. Martin (French part) | High income |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | Upper middle income |
| Sudan | Low income |
| Suriname | Upper middle income |
| Sweden | High income |
| Switzerland | High income |
| Syria | Low income |
| Taiwan | High income |
| Tajikistan | Lower middle income |
| Tanzania | Lower middle income |
| Thailand | Upper middle income |
| Timor-Leste | Lower middle income |
| Togo | Lower middle income |
| Tonga | Upper middle income |
| Trinidad and Tobago | High income |
| Tunisia | Lower middle income |
| Turkey | Upper middle income |
| Turkmenistan | Upper middle income |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | High income |
| Tuvalu | Upper middle income |
| Uganda | Low income |
| Ukraine | Upper middle income |
| United Arab Emirates | High income |
| United Kingdom | High income |
| United States of America | High income |
| Uruguay | High income |
| Uzbekistan | Lower middle income |
| Vanuatu | Lower middle income |
| Venezuela | Lower middle income |
| Vietnam | Upper middle income |
| Virgin Islands (U.S.) | High income |
| West Bank and Gaza | Lower middle income |
| Yemen | Low income |
| Zambia | Lower middle income |
| Zimbabwe | Lower middle income |
| Western Sahara | NA |
Of the 218 economies in the dataset, 87 are classified as high income, 59 as upper-middle income, 47 as lower-middle income, and 25 as low income. Only around one in nine economies remains in the lowest tier.
For FY27, high-income economies require GNI per capita above $14,375. Upper-middle income ranges from $4,636 to $14,375, lower-middle income spans $1,176 to $4,635, and economies at or below $1,175 are classified as low income. The thresholds are updated annually to preserve their real value over time.
Six Economies Moved Up This Year
This year’s update brought six promotions, with no economies moving into a lower income group.
Jordan, Micronesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam advanced from lower-middle to upper-middle income status. Togo moved from low income into the lower-middle income group.
According to the World Bank, the changes reflected a mix of sustained economic growth, post-pandemic recoveries, statistical revisions, and updated population estimates rather than a single common driver.
Vietnam and the Philippines crossed into the upper-middle income group following years of export expansion and broader economic growth. Sri Lanka’s promotion also reflects its recovery from the recent economic crisis.
Why Are So Many Low-Income Economies in Africa?
Most low-income economies are concentrated in West, Central, and parts of East Africa, alongside Yemen and a small number of fragile states elsewhere.
There is no single explanation for this pattern. Many economies face overlapping challenges, including conflict, weak institutions, infrastructure gaps, and limited productivity growth. Over time, these structural factors can slow gains in income per person.
Income Classifications Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Income groups provide a standardized way to compare economies, but they do not measure income inequality, living costs, or how prosperity is distributed within a country.
Two economies in the same group can still differ significantly in wages, purchasing power, and living standards. Income classifications are therefore best viewed as broad economic benchmarks rather than direct measures of everyday prosperity. For another perspective, see our comparison of salaries across Europe.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
If you enjoyed this visualization, check out Mapped: The Income Needed to Join the Top 1% in Every U.S. State on the Voronoi app for another perspective on income and economic status.