Palma ratio (before tax) in Spain

Spain: Palma ratio (before tax) was 2.43 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
2.43
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
98th
of 113 countries
All-time high
2.99
in 1989
All-time low
2.42
in 2019
Years of data
39
1982–2022

Palma ratio (before tax) in Spain, 1982–2022

01231982200220221982: 2.61983: 2.61984: 2.61985: 2.71986: 2.81987: 2.81988: 2.91989: 31990: 31991: 2.81992: 2.71993: 2.71994: 2.81995: 2.81996: 2.81997: 2.61998: 2.61999: 2.72000: 2.62001: 2.52002: 2.52003: 2.62004: 2.52005: 2.52006: 2.52007: 2.52008: 2.62009: 2.72010: 2.52011: 2.52012: 2.52015: 2.62016: 2.62017: 2.62018: 2.52019: 2.42020: 2.42021: 2.42022: 2.4

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

Analysis

In 2022, palma ratio (before tax) in Spain stood at 2.43.

The figure is down 3.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Spain peaked at 2.99 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2.42, in 2019.

Spain ranks 98th of 113 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Palma ratio (before tax) in Spain, 1982 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1982 2.58
1983 2.55 -1.1%
1984 2.55 +0.1%
1985 2.65 +3.9%
1986 2.81 +5.9%
1987 2.84 +1.0%
1988 2.88 +1.7%
1989 2.99 +3.6%
1990 2.95 -1.2%
1991 2.84 -3.6%
1992 2.73 -3.9%
1993 2.65 -3.0%
1994 2.75 +3.8%
1995 2.82 +2.4%
1996 2.76 -2.0%
1997 2.59 -6.0%
1998 2.63 +1.3%
1999 2.68 +2.1%
2000 2.57 -4.1%
2001 2.52 -2.1%
2002 2.52 -0.0%
2003 2.55 +1.4%
2004 2.53 -1.0%
2005 2.48 -1.9%
2006 2.55 +2.8%
2007 2.55 +0.1%
2008 2.59 +1.6%
2009 2.72 +5.1%
2010 2.52 -7.6%
2011 2.5 -0.7%
2012 2.51 +0.5%
2015 2.64 +5.1%
2016 2.65 +0.5%
2017 2.57 -3.0%
2018 2.47 -3.7%
2019 2.42 -2.2%
2020 2.42 +0.0%
2021 2.43 +0.7%
2022 2.43 +0.0%

Spain compared with similar countries

  • Spain's 2.43 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.75, 89% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Spain's 2.43 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.68, 91% of the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.73 2.55 2.99 8
1990s 2.74 2.59 2.95 10
2000s 2.56 2.48 2.72 10
2010s 2.53 2.42 2.65 8
2020s 2.43 2.42 2.43 3

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 95 Portugal 2.62 compare
  2. 96 Greece 2.52 compare
  3. 97 Belgium 2.44 compare
  4. 99 Cyprus 2.39 compare
  5. 100 North Macedonia 2.35 compare
  6. 101 Denmark 2.33 compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is palma ratio (before tax) in Spain?
Palma ratio (before tax) in Spain was 2.43 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 Spain?
The highest recorded value was 2.99 in 1989.
What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 2.42 in 2019.
How does Spain rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
Spain ranks 98th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Spain 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 — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Palma ratio (before tax) in Spain. 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/spain/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/palma-ratio-wid/spain/">Palma ratio (before tax) in Spain</a> — Statizoid

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.