Median annual income
Includes income from all sources – including income support.
- The Tuvaluan adult population had a median annual income of $10,100 in the year to March 2001 – $4,700 below the median annual income of the Pacific adult population ($14,800), and $8,400 below that of the New Zealand adult population ($18,500).
- The median annual income of Tuvaluan adults who were in employment in the week preceding the 2001 Census was $16,300 – equivalent to 59 percent of the median annual income of employed New Zealand adults ($27,700).
- In 2001, the median annual income of Tuvaluan women was equivalent to 68 percent of that of Tuvaluan men ($8,500 compared with $12,500). The gap between the sexes narrows for those in employment – with the median annual income of employed Tuvaluan women equating to 76 percent of that of employed men ($13,900 compared with 18,400).
Income sources
- Wages and salaries were received by 56 percent of Tuvaluan adults in the year to 2001. The equivalent proportions among the Pacific and New Zealand populations were similar (58 percent and 57 percent respectively), as figure 8.1 shows.
- Income from self-employment or a self-owned business was received by 3 percent of Tuvaluan adults – a similar proportion to the Pacific population (4 percent) in 2001. By comparison, 17 percent of the New Zealand population received income from this source.
- Four percent of Tuvaluan adults received income from interest, dividends, rent or investments in 2001 – the same proportion as the Pacific population. Just over a quarter (26 percent) of the New Zealand population received income from these sources in 2001.
- Among the seven largest Pacific ethnic groups, Tuvaluan people were the least likely to receive income support. Twenty-one percent of Tuvaluan adults received some form of income support at some stage during the 12 months prior to the 2001 Census, whereas the equivalent figure among the Pacific population was 33 percent. ‘Income support’ refers to monetary support from the government, excluding ACC payments and New Zealand Superannuation.