Annual income over two centuries

Affordability is a real issue these days. And everyone’s financial situation is unique. But every once in a while it’s useful to step way back and take a really long-lens at how far we’ve come. This two-century-plus chart shows how incomes have changed. It’s corrected for purchasing power by year and by country. Overall, income has risen fivefold per person, even while population has increased fivefold (so total income is 25 times higher.)

Our World in Data is an institute affiliated with Oxford University.