Three metrics of inequality in Canada
Canada: Three metrics of inequality was 50.47 in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
50.47
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
76th
of 113 countries
All-time high
51.39
in 2006
All-time low
39.72
in 1951
Years of data
76
1920–2022
Three metrics of inequality in Canada, 1920–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for three metrics of inequality in Canada is 50.47, measured in 2022.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, three metrics of inequality in Canada peaked at 51.39 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 39.72, in 1951.
Canada ranks 76th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Three metrics of inequality in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 47.9 | — |
| 1930 | 48.18 | +0.6% |
| 1940 | 49.34 | +2.4% |
| 1950 | 41.09 | -16.7% |
| 1951 | 39.72 | -3.3% |
| 1952 | 39.83 | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 40.52 | +1.7% |
| 1954 | 41.41 | +2.2% |
| 1955 | 41.05 | -0.9% |
| 1956 | 40.42 | -1.5% |
| 1957 | 40.84 | +1.0% |
| 1958 | 41.21 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 41.27 | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 41.55 | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 41.97 | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 40.91 | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 40.63 | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 40.9 | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 40.48 | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 40.08 | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 40.38 | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 40.53 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 40.6 | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 41.03 | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 40.9 | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 40.83 | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 40.68 | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 40.92 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 41.9 | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 41.34 | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 40.88 | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 41.09 | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 41.27 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 42.04 | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 41.1 | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 40.85 | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 41.36 | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 41.45 | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 41.72 | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 42.79 | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 42.95 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 43.5 | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 44.41 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 44.98 | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 45.71 | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 45.93 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 46.96 | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 47.14 | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 47.91 | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 48.4 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 49.02 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 49.18 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 49.27 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 50.17 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 49.82 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 50.02 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 50.3 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 50.71 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 51.04 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 51.39 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 51.39 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 50.72 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 49.7 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 50.2 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 50.14 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 49.68 | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 49.75 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 49.46 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 49.35 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 48.26 | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 48.78 | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 48.45 | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 48.3 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 49.67 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | 49.74 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 50.47 | +1.5% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 50.47 is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.06, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 47.9 | 47.9 | 47.9 | 1 |
| 1930s | 48.18 | 48.18 | 48.18 | 1 |
| 1940s | 49.34 | 49.34 | 49.34 | 1 |
| 1950s | 40.74 | 39.72 | 41.41 | 10 |
| 1960s | 40.8 | 40.08 | 41.97 | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.08 | 40.68 | 41.9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 42.22 | 40.85 | 44.41 | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.45 | 44.98 | 49.27 | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.53 | 49.7 | 51.39 | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.24 | 48.26 | 50.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.96 | 49.67 | 50.47 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 73 Serbia 51.54 compare
- 74 Montenegro 50.55 compare
- 75 Seychelles 50.49 compare
- 77 South Korea 50.32 compare
- 78 Lithuania 50.26 compare
- 79 Guinea 49.47 compare
More poverty & inequality data for Canada
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 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 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,695 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 -9.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.78 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is three metrics of inequality in Canada?
- Three metrics of inequality in Canada was 50.47 in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest three metrics of inequality recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 51.39 in 2006.
- What is the lowest three metrics of inequality recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.72 in 1951.
- How does Canada rank for three metrics of inequality?
- Canada ranks 76th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is three metrics of inequality rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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 Three metrics of inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 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.