Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Gini coefficient (before tax) was 0.4683 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom, 1982–2021
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 0.4683 for gini coefficient (before tax) in 2021.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom peaked at 0.5074 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.4088, in 1982.
That places United Kingdom 91st out of 113 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 0.4088 | — |
| 1983 | 0.414 | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 0.4207 | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 0.4236 | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 0.4251 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 0.4292 | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 0.4367 | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 0.4354 | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.46 | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 0.4659 | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 0.4668 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4727 | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 0.4699 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.4758 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 0.4813 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 0.4816 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.4875 | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.4919 | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 0.4823 | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 0.4867 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.4887 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 0.4991 | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 0.4914 | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 0.5008 | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 0.5034 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.5004 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.4899 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 0.5074 | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 0.4675 | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 0.4754 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 0.4866 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4703 | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 0.4688 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 0.468 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 0.4689 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.4663 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4663 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.4683 | +0.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.4683 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4706, 100% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.4683 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4242 | 0.4088 | 0.4367 | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.4753 | 0.46 | 0.4919 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.495 | 0.4823 | 0.5074 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4715 | 0.4663 | 0.4866 | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.4673 | 0.4663 | 0.4683 | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 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 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (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 United Kingdom?
- Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom was 0.4683 in 2021, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5074 in 2009.
- What is the lowest gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4088 in 1982.
- How does United Kingdom rank for gini coefficient (before tax)?
- United Kingdom ranks 91st out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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
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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.