[Poverty in Australia](http://povertyandinequality.acoss.org.au/poverty/) [Poverty in Australia 2020 - part 1: overview](https://apo.org.au/node/276246) > 3.24 million people in Australia (13.6% of the population) live below the poverty line. 774,000 children under the age of 15 (17.7% of all children in Australia) live below the poverty line. The poverty epidemic is growing every year and is one of the worst in the developed world. Wages are not meeting inflation, there are fewer career opportunities, plus there is a drug epidemic amongst youth.