Palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines

Philippines: Palma ratio (before tax) was 4.88 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
4.88
Change on year
down 11.5%
World rank
47th
of 113 countries
All-time high
7.94
in 1997
All-time low
4.88
in 2018
Years of data
12
1985–2018

Palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines, 1985–2018

024681985200120181985: 5.91988: 5.71991: 6.81994: 6.41997: 7.92000: 6.82003: 6.32006: 6.32009: 6.22012: 62015: 5.52018: 4.9

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

Analysis

In 2018, palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines stood at 4.88. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.5% on the previous year and down 20.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines peaked at 7.94 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 4.88, in 2018.

Philippines ranks 47th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines, year by year

Annual values for Palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines, 1985 to 2018.
Year Value Change
1985 5.86
1988 5.72 -2.3%
1991 6.76 +18.2%
1994 6.43 -4.9%
1997 7.94 +23.6%
2000 6.84 -13.8%
2003 6.28 -8.3%
2006 6.27 -0.1%
2009 6.16 -1.8%
2012 5.97 -3.2%
2015 5.51 -7.6%
2018 4.88 -11.5%

Philippines compared with similar countries

  • Philippines's 4.88 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.27, 92% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
  • Philippines's 4.88 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.77, 1.0× the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.79 5.72 5.86 2
1990s 7.04 6.43 7.94 3
2000s 6.39 6.16 6.84 4
2010s 5.45 4.88 5.97 3

Countries ranked near Philippines

  1. 44 Burundi 5.05 compare
  2. 45 China 5.02 compare
  3. 46 Mauritius 4.91 compare
  4. 48 Madagascar 4.86 compare
  5. 49 Senegal 4.68 compare
  6. 50 Egypt 4.68 compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Philippines

All data for Philippines →

Frequently asked questions

What is palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines?
Palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines was 4.88 in 2018, 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 Philippines?
The highest recorded value was 7.94 in 1997.
What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Philippines?
The lowest recorded value was 4.88 in 2018.
How does Philippines rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
Philippines ranks 47th out of 113 countries with data for 2018.
Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Philippines?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Philippines 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.

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Palma ratio (before tax) in Philippines. Statizoid, drawing on World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/palma-ratio-wid/philippines/

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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.