Palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden
Sweden: Palma ratio (before tax) was 1.85 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
1.85
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
110th
of 113 countries
All-time high
2.42
in 1935
All-time low
1.31
in 1979
Years of data
83
1935–2022
Palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden, 1935–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden is 1.85, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden peaked at 2.42 in 1935 and was at its lowest, 1.31, in 1979.
Sweden ranks 110th of 113 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 83 years of available data.
Palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 2.42 | — |
| 1940 | 2.21 | -8.5% |
| 1941 | 2.16 | -2.3% |
| 1943 | 2.11 | -2.6% |
| 1944 | 2.05 | -2.6% |
| 1945 | 1.99 | -3.0% |
| 1946 | 1.99 | -0.2% |
| 1947 | 1.9 | -4.5% |
| 1948 | 1.83 | -3.5% |
| 1949 | 1.78 | -2.5% |
| 1950 | 1.76 | -1.5% |
| 1951 | 1.73 | -1.5% |
| 1952 | 1.72 | -0.5% |
| 1953 | 1.69 | -2.1% |
| 1954 | 1.68 | -0.6% |
| 1955 | 1.67 | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 1.64 | -1.8% |
| 1957 | 1.64 | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 1.63 | -0.6% |
| 1959 | 1.63 | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 1.61 | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 1.6 | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 1.58 | -1.3% |
| 1963 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.56 | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 1.54 | -1.4% |
| 1966 | 1.54 | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 1.53 | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 1.5 | -1.8% |
| 1969 | 1.51 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 1.55 | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 1.46 | -5.9% |
| 1972 | 1.42 | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 1.44 | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 1.41 | -1.6% |
| 1975 | 1.38 | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 1.38 | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 1.35 | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 1.33 | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 1.31 | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 1.43 | +8.9% |
| 1981 | 1.41 | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.49 | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 1.52 | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 1.6 | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 1.6 | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 1.59 | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1.59 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.64 | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 1.58 | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 1.47 | -7.2% |
| 1991 | 1.53 | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 1.5 | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 1.57 | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 1.82 | +16.1% |
| 1995 | 1.87 | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 1.81 | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 1.91 | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 1.93 | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 1.95 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.8 | -7.7% |
| 2001 | 1.72 | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 1.74 | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.85 | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 1.89 | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 2 | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 2.09 | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 2.08 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 2 | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 1.92 | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 2.09 | +9.0% |
| 2011 | 2.02 | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 1.82 | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 1.84 | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 1.88 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 1.98 | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 1.81 | -8.7% |
| 2017 | 1.88 | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 1.84 | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 1.92 | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 1.92 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.89 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 1.85 | -2.4% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 1.85 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.75, 67% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 1.85 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.68, 69% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 2.42 | 2.42 | 2.42 | 1 |
| 1940s | 2 | 1.78 | 2.21 | 9 |
| 1950s | 1.68 | 1.63 | 1.76 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.56 | 1.5 | 1.61 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.4 | 1.31 | 1.55 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.54 | 1.41 | 1.64 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.74 | 1.47 | 1.95 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.91 | 1.72 | 2.09 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.91 | 1.81 | 2.09 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.89 | 1.85 | 1.92 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More reference data data for Sweden
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4328 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2237 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.9766 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.12 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden?
- Palma ratio (before tax) in Sweden was 1.85 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 2.42 in 1935.
- What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.31 in 1979.
- How does Sweden rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
- Sweden ranks 110th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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 — 83 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.