Palma ratio (before tax) in Australia

Australia: Palma ratio (before tax) was 3.33 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
3.33
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
78th
of 113 countries
All-time high
5.69
in 1910
All-time low
2.01
in 1978
Years of data
76
1910–2022

Palma ratio (before tax) in Australia, 1910–2022

0246191019662022

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Australia recorded 3.33 for palma ratio (before tax) in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Australia peaked at 5.69 in 1910 and was at its lowest, 2.01, in 1978.

That places Australia 78th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 5.69 5.69 5.69 1
1930s 3.17 3.17 3.17 1
1940s 3.44 3.44 3.44 1
1950s 2.57 2.19 3.34 10
1960s 2.59 2.41 2.77 10
1970s 2.18 2.01 2.45 10
1980s 2.3 2.12 2.76 10
1990s 2.67 2.39 2.88 10
2000s 3.06 2.77 3.26 10
2010s 3.2 3.1 3.27 10
2020s 3.24 3.11 3.33 3

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 75 Serbia 3.51 compare
  2. 76 Seychelles 3.45 compare
  3. 77 South Korea 3.36 compare
  4. 79 Albania 3.24 compare
  5. 80 Latvia 3.21 compare
  6. 81 Moldova 3.2 compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is palma ratio (before tax) in Australia?
Palma ratio (before tax) in Australia was 3.33 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 5.69 in 1910.
What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 2.01 in 1978.
How does Australia rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
Australia ranks 78th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Palma ratio (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Palma ratio (before tax)
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
113 places, 3,075 data points, 1820–2024
Last refreshed

The Palma ratio is a measure of inequality that divides the share received by the richest 10% by the share of the poorest 40%. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.