Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland
Ireland: Gini coefficient (before tax) was 0.4792 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
0.4792
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
88th
of 113 countries
All-time high
0.516
in 1922
All-time low
0.3901
in 1977
Years of data
89
1922–2022
Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland, 1922–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland is 0.4792, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland peaked at 0.516 in 1922 and was at its lowest, 0.3901, in 1977.
That places Ireland 88th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 89 years of available data.
Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 0.516 | — |
| 1923 | 0.5149 | -0.2% |
| 1924 | 0.5041 | -2.1% |
| 1925 | 0.5004 | -0.7% |
| 1926 | 0.4919 | -1.7% |
| 1927 | 0.4874 | -0.9% |
| 1929 | 0.4747 | -2.6% |
| 1930 | 0.4704 | -0.9% |
| 1931 | 0.4754 | +1.1% |
| 1932 | 0.4724 | -0.6% |
| 1933 | 0.4805 | +1.7% |
| 1934 | 0.4787 | -0.4% |
| 1935 | 0.4762 | -0.5% |
| 1936 | 0.4831 | +1.4% |
| 1937 | 0.4818 | -0.3% |
| 1938 | 0.4797 | -0.4% |
| 1939 | 0.483 | +0.7% |
| 1940 | 0.4786 | -0.9% |
| 1941 | 0.4743 | -0.9% |
| 1942 | 0.467 | -1.5% |
| 1943 | 0.4563 | -2.3% |
| 1944 | 0.4564 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.451 | -1.2% |
| 1946 | 0.4481 | -0.6% |
| 1947 | 0.4425 | -1.2% |
| 1948 | 0.4346 | -1.8% |
| 1949 | 0.4287 | -1.4% |
| 1950 | 0.4217 | -1.6% |
| 1951 | 0.4194 | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 0.4217 | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 0.4171 | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 0.4157 | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 0.4158 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.4156 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.413 | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 0.4092 | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 0.4062 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 0.4046 | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 0.4019 | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.403 | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 0.3952 | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 0.3967 | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 0.3907 | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 0.3901 | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 0.391 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 0.3978 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 0.4137 | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 0.4099 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.4264 | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 0.434 | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 0.4207 | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 0.4185 | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 0.4161 | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 0.4229 | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 0.4138 | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 0.4132 | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 0.4178 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 0.4295 | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 0.4285 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4342 | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 0.4465 | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 0.4431 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 0.4217 | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 0.4297 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 0.4489 | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 0.4504 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.4639 | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 0.4551 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 0.4526 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.4633 | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 0.4689 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.4699 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.4787 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 0.4811 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 0.452 | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 0.4353 | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 0.4416 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 0.4427 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.4365 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 0.4525 | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 0.4588 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4767 | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 0.4786 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4665 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 0.4715 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.477 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.477 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.4787 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 0.4792 | +0.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.4792 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.4706, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.4792 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.4669, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.4985 | 0.4747 | 0.516 | 7 |
| 1930s | 0.4781 | 0.4704 | 0.4831 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4537 | 0.4287 | 0.4786 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.42 | 0.4171 | 0.4217 | 4 |
| 1960s | 0.4126 | 0.4062 | 0.4158 | 6 |
| 1970s | 0.3968 | 0.3901 | 0.4046 | 9 |
| 1980s | 0.4189 | 0.4099 | 0.434 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.435 | 0.4178 | 0.4504 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4621 | 0.4353 | 0.4811 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4602 | 0.4365 | 0.4786 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4783 | 0.477 | 0.4792 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More poverty & inequality data for Ireland
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,325 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 3.71 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 21.9 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 21.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland?
- Gini coefficient (before tax) in Ireland was 0.4792 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.516 in 1922.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3901 in 1977.
- How does Ireland rank for gini coefficient (before tax)?
- Ireland ranks 88th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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 Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 89 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income before taxes and benefits.