Palma ratio (before tax) in Taiwan

Taiwan: Palma ratio (before tax) was 6.98 in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
6.98
Change on year
down 9.8%
World rank
20th
of 113 countries
All-time high
8.19
in 2010
All-time low
3.35
in 1983
Years of data
36
1982–2017

Palma ratio (before tax) in Taiwan, 1982–2017

024681982199920171982: 3.41983: 3.41984: 3.41985: 3.71986: 3.51987: 3.61988: 3.51989: 3.61990: 3.81991: 3.91992: 3.81993: 3.91994: 4.11995: 4.31996: 4.51997: 4.61998: 4.91999: 5.12000: 5.52001: 6.52002: 6.52003: 7.12004: 7.12005: 7.82006: 7.92007: 8.12008: 7.42009: 7.32010: 8.22011: 7.92012: 7.32013: 7.22014: 7.92015: 7.22016: 7.72017: 7

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

Analysis

Taiwan recorded 6.98 for palma ratio (before tax) in 2017.

That represents a change of down 9.8% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, palma ratio (before tax) in Taiwan peaked at 8.19 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.35, in 1983.

That places Taiwan 20th out of 113 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.51 3.35 3.68 8
1990s 4.28 3.76 5.06 10
2000s 7.11 5.49 8.09 10
2010s 7.56 6.98 8.19 8

Countries ranked near Taiwan

  1. 17 Saudi Arabia 7.75 compare
  2. 18 Dominican Republic 7.67 compare
  3. 19 Lebanon 7.46 compare
  4. 21 Uganda 6.74 compare
  5. 22 Tunisia 6.63 compare
  6. 23 India 6.54 compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Taiwan

All data for Taiwan →

Frequently asked questions

What is palma ratio (before tax) in Taiwan?
Palma ratio (before tax) in Taiwan was 6.98 in 2017, 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 Taiwan?
The highest recorded value was 8.19 in 2010.
What is the lowest palma ratio (before tax) recorded in Taiwan?
The lowest recorded value was 3.35 in 1983.
How does Taiwan rank for palma ratio (before tax)?
Taiwan ranks 20th out of 113 countries with data for 2017.
Is palma ratio (before tax) rising or falling in Taiwan?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Taiwan 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 — 36 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.