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
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.
Palma ratio (before tax) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 8.9 | — |
| 1922 | 7.33 | -17.6% |
| 1923 | 8.16 | +11.3% |
| 1924 | 8.05 | -1.3% |
| 1925 | 8.82 | +9.6% |
| 1926 | 9.32 | +5.7% |
| 1927 | 9.34 | +0.2% |
| 1928 | 9.42 | +0.9% |
| 1929 | 9.94 | +5.5% |
| 1930 | 11.52 | +16.0% |
| 1931 | 11.47 | -0.5% |
| 1932 | 11.39 | -0.7% |
| 1933 | 11.32 | -0.6% |
| 1934 | 11.21 | -1.0% |
| 1935 | 9.62 | -14.2% |
| 1936 | 8.51 | -11.5% |
| 1937 | 6.4 | -24.7% |
| 1938 | 5.24 | -18.2% |
| 1939 | 6.14 | +17.2% |
| 1940 | 5.69 | -7.3% |
| 1941 | 5.38 | -5.4% |
| 1942 | 5.08 | -5.5% |
| 1943 | 4.82 | -5.2% |
| 1944 | 4.56 | -5.3% |
| 1945 | 4.31 | -5.5% |
| 1946 | 4.99 | +15.6% |
| 1947 | 5.52 | +10.7% |
| 1948 | 5.72 | +3.6% |
| 1949 | 6.05 | +5.7% |
| 1950 | 6.74 | +11.3% |
| 1951 | 5.88 | -12.7% |
| 1952 | 6.29 | +6.8% |
| 1953 | 6.29 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 6.12 | -2.7% |
| 1955 | 5.69 | -7.0% |
| 1956 | 6.04 | +6.2% |
| 1957 | 5.65 | -6.4% |
| 1958 | 5.02 | -11.2% |
| 1959 | 5.24 | +4.5% |
| 1960 | 5.11 | -2.6% |
| 1961 | 5.1 | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 5.06 | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 5.08 | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 5.22 | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 4.81 | -7.9% |
| 1966 | 4.72 | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 4.78 | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 4.85 | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 4.8 | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 4.73 | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 4.74 | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 4.94 | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 5.09 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 4.78 | -6.2% |
| 1975 | 3.98 | -16.6% |
| 1976 | 4.44 | +11.3% |
| 1977 | 3.81 | -14.1% |
| 1978 | 3.79 | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 3.61 | -4.8% |
| 1980 | 3.71 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 3.69 | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 3.8 | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 4.12 | +8.3% |
| 1984 | 3.92 | -4.9% |
| 1985 | 3.63 | -7.3% |
| 1986 | 3.39 | -6.7% |
| 1987 | 3.29 | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 3.39 | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 3.85 | +13.8% |
| 1990 | 4.48 | +16.4% |
| 1991 | 4.22 | -5.9% |
| 1992 | 4.56 | +8.1% |
| 1993 | 4.74 | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.71 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 4.69 | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 4.36 | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 4.64 | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 5.13 | +10.4% |
| 1999 | 4.13 | -19.5% |
| 2000 | 3.45 | -16.4% |
| 2001 | 3.65 | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 2.97 | -18.5% |
| 2003 | 2.92 | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 2.92 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 2.51 | -14.3% |
| 2006 | 1.9 | -24.0% |
| 2007 | 2.04 | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 2.17 | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 2.5 | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 3.03 | +21.3% |
| 2011 | 2.53 | -16.4% |
| 2012 | 2.18 | -13.8% |
| 2013 | 2.09 | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 2.09 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 2.08 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 2.08 | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 2.01 | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 1.9 | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 2.36 | +24.5% |
| 2020 | 3.08 | +30.5% |
| 2021 | 3.43 | +11.4% |
| 2022 | 2.75 | -20.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 2.75 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.75, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 2.75 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.77, 58% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
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
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.