Palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana
Ghana: Palma ratio (before tax) was 6.44 in 2016. ▼ Falling
Palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana, 1943–2016
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 6.44 for palma ratio (before tax) in 2016.
That represents a change of up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana peaked at 9.24 in 1959 and was at its lowest, 4.57, in 1988.
Ghana ranks 24th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 7.59 | — |
| 1951 | 7.77 | +2.3% |
| 1952 | 7.93 | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 8.26 | +4.1% |
| 1954 | 8.39 | +1.6% |
| 1955 | 8.53 | +1.6% |
| 1956 | 8.91 | +4.4% |
| 1957 | 9.05 | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 9.18 | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 9.24 | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 4.57 | -50.6% |
| 1991 | 5.18 | +13.4% |
| 1998 | 5.36 | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 6.35 | +18.4% |
| 2012 | 6.13 | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 6.44 | +4.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 6.44 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.17, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 6.44 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.07, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -50.6% | 9.24 | 4.57 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 7.59 | 7.59 | 7.59 | 1 |
| 1950s | 8.58 | 7.77 | 9.24 | 9 |
| 1980s | 4.57 | 4.57 | 4.57 | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.27 | 5.18 | 5.36 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.35 | 6.35 | 6.35 | 1 |
| 2010s | 6.28 | 6.13 | 6.44 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More reference data data for Ghana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2805 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1989 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9478 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana?
- Palma ratio (before tax) in Ghana was 6.44 in 2016, 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 9.24 in 1959.
- What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.57 in 1988.
- How does Ghana rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
- Ghana ranks 24th out of 113 countries with data for 2016.
- Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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 — 16 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.