Palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Palma ratio (before tax) was 4.22 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria, 1924–2023
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria is 4.22, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and up 50.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria peaked at 4.39 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.9054, in 1988.
Bulgaria ranks 57th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 1.97 | — |
| 1925 | 1.93 | -1.6% |
| 1926 | 1.88 | -2.8% |
| 1927 | 1.86 | -1.0% |
| 1928 | 1.85 | -0.8% |
| 1929 | 1.81 | -1.9% |
| 1930 | 1.81 | -0.3% |
| 1931 | 1.84 | +1.7% |
| 1932 | 1.84 | +0.1% |
| 1933 | 1.89 | +2.8% |
| 1934 | 1.89 | +0.2% |
| 1935 | 1.89 | -0.1% |
| 1936 | 1.89 | -0.1% |
| 1937 | 1.92 | +1.8% |
| 1938 | 1.93 | +0.1% |
| 1939 | 1.92 | -0.6% |
| 1940 | 1.96 | +2.4% |
| 1941 | 1.94 | -0.9% |
| 1942 | 1.94 | -0.0% |
| 1943 | 1.9 | -2.4% |
| 1944 | 1.9 | +0.2% |
| 1945 | 1.91 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 1.18 | -38.3% |
| 1981 | 1.16 | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.42 | +22.4% |
| 1983 | 1.34 | -6.0% |
| 1984 | 1.34 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 0.9245 | -30.8% |
| 1988 | 0.9054 | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 1.22 | +34.8% |
| 1990 | 1.44 | +18.1% |
| 1993 | 2.47 | +71.0% |
| 1994 | 3.18 | +29.0% |
| 1995 | 3.46 | +8.8% |
| 1996 | 3.18 | -8.2% |
| 1997 | 3.11 | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 2.81 | -9.8% |
| 1999 | 2.76 | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 2.63 | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 2.8 | +6.4% |
| 2002 | 3.07 | +9.5% |
| 2003 | 2.87 | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 2.99 | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 2.76 | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 2.78 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 2.79 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 3.15 | +12.7% |
| 2013 | 2.81 | -10.9% |
| 2014 | 3.17 | +13.0% |
| 2015 | 3.3 | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 3.81 | +15.4% |
| 2017 | 4.17 | +9.4% |
| 2018 | 4.14 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 3.82 | -7.7% |
| 2020 | 3.82 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.13 | +8.1% |
| 2022 | 4.39 | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 4.22 | -3.9% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 4.22 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.75, 1.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 4.22 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.68, 1.6× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +71.0% | 1.44 | 2.47 |
| 1980 | -38.3% | 1.91 | 1.18 |
| 1989 | +34.8% | 0.9054 | 1.22 |
| 1987 | -30.8% | 1.34 | 0.9245 |
| 1994 | +29.0% | 2.47 | 3.18 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 1.88 | 1.81 | 1.97 | 6 |
| 1930s | 1.88 | 1.81 | 1.93 | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.93 | 1.9 | 1.96 | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.19 | 0.9054 | 1.42 | 8 |
| 1990s | 2.8 | 1.44 | 3.46 | 8 |
| 2000s | 2.85 | 2.63 | 3.07 | 6 |
| 2010s | 3.4 | 2.78 | 4.17 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.14 | 3.82 | 4.39 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More reference data data for Bulgaria
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3067 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2728 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2506 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.36 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria?
- Palma ratio (before tax) in Bulgaria was 4.22 in 2023, 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 Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 4.39 in 2022.
- What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9054 in 1988.
- How does Bulgaria rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
- Bulgaria ranks 57th out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bulgaria 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 — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.