An estimated 456,000 Western Australians, including almost 99,000 children, are living in poverty in 2026 as rising housing costs and inadequate household incomes push more people below the poverty line.
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre’s 2026 Poverty Snapshot: The changing face of poverty in Western Australia found 15.1 per cent of Western Australians are now living in poverty, up from 11.8 per cent in 2021. That is around 145,000 more people, an increase of 47 per cent in five years.
BCEC Director Professor Alan Duncan said the findings showed the importance of looking beyond the headline poverty rate.
“The number of Western Australians living in poverty has increased substantially, but we also need to understand how deeply people are experiencing poverty,” Professor Duncan said.
“Poverty is not just about how many people fall below a particular income threshold. It’s also about how far their incomes fall short of what they need to maintain a basic standard of living.
“The evidence points to two fundamental issues that need to be addressed together – the incomes available to households and the cost of essential expenses, particularly housing.”
The report estimates around 180,000 Western Australians are living in deep poverty, while more than 650,000 people have incomes below 60 per cent of the national median after housing costs.
The BCEC recommends making affordable housing a poverty-reduction priority. This includes expanding access to social and affordable housing, supporting households experiencing rental stress and ensuring incomes keep pace with the cost of living.
No Place for Poverty Lead and Anti-Poverty Week (WA) Co-Chairperson Alex Hughes said the results defy WA’s much-vaunted economic performance.
“Over the past decade, the number of people living in poverty in WA has more than doubled and our poverty rate has risen above the national average. That is not acceptable.
“Western Australia is one of the wealthiest states in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We boast a strong economy and enormous resources wealth, yet more and more Western Australians are being pushed below the poverty line,” Mr Hughes said.
“This report gives us a clear pathway for change: we need more affordable housing, stronger support for households under pressure, and action to ensure incomes are adequate. Poverty is not inevitable – but reducing it requires bolder and more sustained commitments from our state and federal government.”
WACOSS CEO Louise Giolitto said poverty was affecting working households as well as people relying on income support.
“Poverty is not simply a story about unemployment or welfare recipients,” Ms Giolitto said.
“More than 456,000 Western Australians are now living in poverty despite our State’s wealth. Too many people are being locked out of the security and opportunity that most of us take for granted.
“When people cannot afford a safe home, healthy food, transport or basic essentials, they are also increasingly excluded from community life. Poverty weakens connection, participation and belonging, and over time that undermines the social cohesion that helps communities thrive.
“Reducing poverty is not only an economic imperative. It is an investment in stronger, fairer and more connected communities across Western Australia.”
Anglicare WA CEO Mark Glasson said the findings showed too many Western Australians were being left behind despite the State’s strong economy.
“These figures should be a wake-up call for WA. Hundreds of thousands of Western Australians are struggling to afford the basics, and the pressure is getting worse,” Mr Glasson said.
“Housing is a huge part of this story. Perth rents have more than doubled since 2020, and more than one in four private renters in WA are now living in poverty.
“We need to make sure people can afford a safe and secure home without sacrificing food, electricity or other essentials. That means significantly increasing the supply of social and affordable housing and providing stronger support to people facing rental stress.”
Perth’s median weekly house rent reached $720 in June 2026, having more than doubled since June 2020.
The impact is particularly stark for households relying on a single income. Almost four in 10 people in WA single-parent households who rent are living in poverty.
Older renters face even greater risks. More than half of single male renters aged 55 and over are in poverty, rising to 86 per cent among single female renters aged 55 and over.
The report found 51.9 per cent of Western Australians in households relying mainly on income support are living in poverty, but around 176,000 people living in poverty are in households where wages and salaries are the main source of income.
Children are among those experiencing the deepest hardship. Almost half of WA children living in poverty are in deep poverty, up from around one in four in 2021.
WA children living in poverty are also facing an average household income shortfall of $224 a week, meaning their families need a substantial increase in income just to reach the poverty line.
