Palma ratio (before tax) in New Zealand

New Zealand: Palma ratio (before tax) was 2.75 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
2.75
Change on year
down 20.1%
World rank
90th
of 113 countries
All-time high
11.52
in 1930
All-time low
1.9
in 2018
Years of data
102
1921–2022

Palma ratio (before tax) in New Zealand, 1921–2022

24681012192119712022

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

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 2.75 for palma ratio (before tax) in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.1% on the previous year and up 25.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in New Zealand peaked at 11.52 in 1930 and was at its lowest, 1.9, in 2018.

That places New Zealand 90th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 102 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 8.81 7.33 9.94 9
1930s 9.28 5.24 11.52 10
1940s 5.21 4.31 6.05 10
1950s 5.89 5.02 6.74 10
1960s 4.95 4.72 5.22 10
1970s 4.39 3.61 5.09 10
1980s 3.68 3.29 4.12 10
1990s 4.57 4.13 5.13 10
2000s 2.7 1.9 3.65 10
2010s 2.24 1.9 3.03 10
2020s 3.09 2.75 3.43 3

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 87 Malaysia 2.86 compare
  2. 89 Croatia 2.85 compare
  3. 92 United Kingdom 2.69 compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is palma ratio (before tax) in New Zealand?
Palma ratio (before tax) in New Zealand was 2.75 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 New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 11.52 in 1930.
What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1.9 in 2018.
How does New Zealand rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
New Zealand ranks 90th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand 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 — 102 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.