Median income
Median income is the amount that divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount, and half having income below that amount. Mean income is the amount obtained by dividing the total aggregate income of a group by the number of units in that group. Mode income is the most frequently occurring income in a given income distribution.
Median income can be calculated by household income, by personal income, or for specific demographic groups.
Gross median household income by country
In 2013, Gallup published a list of countries with median annual household income, based on a self-reported survey of approximately 2000 adults from each country. Using median, rather than mean income, results in a much more accurate picture of the typical income of the middle class since the data will not be skewed by gains and abnormalities in the extreme ends. The figures are in international dollars using purchasing power parity and are based on responses from 2006 to 2012 inflation adjusted to 2010 levels. Below is a list of the top 30 countries. The figures do not take taxes and social contributions into account.The list below does not correspond to citizens of each country, but to all its residents. States rich in fossil fuels such as Qatar and Kuwait have a very large gap in terms of median annual earnings of citizens and non-citizens.
| Rank | Country/Territory | Gross household income in Int$ | Gross per-capita income in Int$ |
| 1 | 52,493 | 18,418 | |
| 2 | 51,489 | 19,308 | |
| 3 | 50,514 | 18,632 | |
| 4 | 46,555 | 15,026 | |
| 5 | 44,360 | 18,262 | |
| 6 | 43,585 | 15,480 | |
| 7 | 41,280 | 15,181 | |
| 8 | 40,861 | 11,350 | |
| 9 | 40,854 | 7,487 | |
| 10 | 38,584 | 14,450 | |
| 11 | 35,562 | 12,147 | |
| 12 | 35,443 | 9,705 | |
| 13 | 34,911 | 12,284 | |
| 14 | 34,615 | 15,725 | |
| 15 | 33,822 | 10,840 | |
| 16 | 33,333 | 14,098 | |
| 17 | 32,762 | 6,882 | |
| 18 | 32,360 | 7,345 | |
| 19 | 31,617 | 12,399 | |
| 20 | 31,112 | 12,445 | |
| 21 | 30,364 | 7,847 | |
| 22 | 26,703 | 10,189 | |
| 23 | 26,555 | 5,117 | |
| 24 | 25,969 | 8,656 | |
| 25 | 25,085 | 8,048 | |
| 26 | 24,980 | 4,762 | |
| 27 | 24,633 | 4,778 | |
| 28 | 22,913 | 7,821 | |
| 29 | 21,959 | 7,284 | |
| 30 | 21,141 | 6,869 |
Median equivalent adult income
The annual median equivalence disposable household income for selected OECD countries is shown in the table below. This is the disposable income of an equivalent adult in a household in the middle of the income distribution in a year.Data are in United States dollars at current prices and current purchasing power parity for private consumption for the reference year.
| Rank | Country | Median income | Year |
| 1 | 42,603 | 2016 | |
| 2 | 36,749 | 2017 | |
| 3 | 36,537 | 2015 | |
| 4 | 35,600 | 2017 | |
| 5 | 33,497 | 2017 | |
| 6 | 32,496 | 2016 | |
| 7 | 31,590 | 2016 | |
| 8 | 30,933 | 2017 | |
| 9 | 30,318 | 2015 | |
| 10 | 29,571 | 2016 | |
| 11 | 29,361 | 2016 | |
| 12 | 28,926 | 2016 | |
| 13 | 27,891 | 2017 | |
| 14 | 27,569 | 2016 | |
| 15 | 27,474 | 2017 | |
| 16 | 25,933 | 2016 | |
| 17 | 25,865 | 2016 | |
| 18 | 25,190 | 2014 | |
| 19 | 23,717 | 2017 | |
| 20 | 23,023 | 2016 | |
| 21 | 22,362 | 2016 | |
| 22 | 21,788 | 2016 | |
| 23 | 21,459 | 2016 | |
| 24 | 21,092 | 2017 | |
| 25 | 17,984 | 2017 | |
| 26 | 17,715 | 2016 | |
| 27 | 16,810 | 2016 | |
| 28 | 16,507 | 2016 | |
| 29 | 15,703 | 2016 | |
| 30 | 15,403 | 2016 | |
| 31 | 13,695 | 2016 | |
| 32 | 13,220 | 2016 | |
| 33 | 12,795 | 2016 | |
| 34 | 11,744 | 2016 | |
| 35 | 10,580 | 2015 | |
| 36 | 10,102 | 2017 | |
| 37 | 9,032 | 2018 | |
| 38 | 7,979 | 2013 | |
| 39 | 5,946 | 2016 | |
| 40 | 4,759 | 2015 | |
| 41 | 4,728 | 2011 | |
| 42 | 2,502 | 2011 |
- An academic study on the Census income data claims that when correcting for underreporting, U.S. gross median household income was 15% higher in 2010.