Palma ratio (before tax) in Canada

Canada: Palma ratio (before tax) was 3.53 in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
3.53
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
74th
of 113 countries
All-time high
3.73
in 2006
All-time low
1.84
in 1951
Years of data
76
1920–2022

Palma ratio (before tax) in Canada, 1920–2022

01234192019712022

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

Analysis

In 2022, palma ratio (before tax) in Canada stood at 3.53.

That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Canada peaked at 3.73 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 1.84, in 1951.

Canada ranks 74th of 113 countries on this measure, 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
1920s 2.87 2.87 2.87 1
1930s 2.89 2.89 2.89 1
1940s 3.09 3.09 3.09 1
1950s 1.95 1.84 2.02 10
1960s 1.95 1.87 2.08 10
1970s 1.99 1.94 2.09 10
1980s 2.15 1.96 2.46 10
1990s 3.02 2.55 3.36 10
2000s 3.56 3.39 3.73 10
2010s 3.3 3.11 3.49 10
2020s 3.44 3.36 3.53 3

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 71 Montenegro 3.66 compare
  2. 72 Mauritania 3.59 compare
  3. 73 Ethiopia 3.56 compare
  4. 75 Serbia 3.51 compare
  5. 76 Seychelles 3.45 compare
  6. 77 South Korea 3.36 compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is palma ratio (before tax) in Canada?
Palma ratio (before tax) in Canada was 3.53 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 3.73 in 2006.
What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 1.84 in 1951.
How does Canada rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
Canada ranks 74th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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.