Reduction in income inequality before and after tax by country
This is the percentage difference between the Gini coefficient before taxes and benefits and the Gini coefficient after taxes and benefits.
Countries reporting
37
Highest
48.3%
Slovakia
Lowest
3.8%
Mexico
Median
33.1%
Years covered
49
1976–2024
Data points
622
What the numbers show
Reduction in income inequality before and after tax is currently reported for 37 countries. The highest value is 48.3% in Slovakia; the lowest is 3.8% in Mexico.
The median across all reporting countries is 33.1%, and the mean is 31.1%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 13.
Over the past decade 16 countries rose and 20 fell. The largest increase was in Turkey (up 240.8%), and the largest decrease in Hungary (down 34.6%).
Reduction in income inequality before and after tax: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slovakia | 48.3% | 2023 | up 31.4% | rising |
| 2 | Belgium | 47.7% | 2023 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 3 | Finland | 47.2% | 2023 | down 0.1% | falling |
| 4 | Czechia | 43.5% | 2023 | down 0.7% | flat |
| 5 | Slovenia | 42.4% | 2023 | down 6.0% | flat |
| 6 | Poland | 41.9% | 2023 | up 19.0% | rising |
| 7 | Austria | 41.4% | 2023 | down 4.7% | flat |
| 9 | Norway | 39.5% | 2022 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 10 | Germany | 38.7% | 2022 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 11 | Romania | 38.1% | 2023 | up 8.7% | rising |
| 12 | Denmark | 37.5% | 2022 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 13 | Greece | 36.9% | 2023 | down 0.9% | rising |
| 14 | Portugal | 36.5% | 2023 | down 4.8% | rising |
| 15 | Italy | 36.2% | 2023 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 17 | Iceland | 35.7% | 2019 | up 17.6% | rising |
| 18 | Spain | 34.4% | 2023 | up 1.3% | rising |
| 19 | Netherlands | 34.2% | 2023 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 20 | Estonia | 33.5% | 2023 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 21 | Sweden | 33.1% | 2023 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 22 | Croatia | 33.1% | 2023 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 23 | Lithuania | 29.7% | 2023 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 24 | United Kingdom | 29.7% | 2023 | down 7.5% | flat |
| 25 | Hungary | 29.4% | 2022 | down 34.6% | falling |
| 26 | Canada | 29.3% | 2023 | up 10.7% | rising |
| 27 | New Zealand | 28.7% | 2022 | — | rising |
| 28 | Latvia | 28.1% | 2023 | down 4.1% | rising |
| 29 | Australia | 27.7% | 2020 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 30 | Bulgaria | 26.0% | 2023 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 31 | Israel | 23.2% | 2022 | up 1.5% | rising |
| 32 | United States | 22.1% | 2023 | down 3.1% | rising |
| 33 | Switzerland | 21.2% | 2022 | down 5.6% | rising |
| 34 | Turkey | 18.6% | 2022 | up 240.8% | volatile |
| 35 | South Korea | 18.2% | 2022 | up 187.4% | rising |
| 36 | Brazil | 13.8% | 2022 | up 23.0% | rising |
| 37 | Costa Rica | 12.6% | 2024 | up 75.2% | rising |
| 38 | Chile | 8.7% | 2022 | up 40.6% | rising |
| 39 | Mexico | 3.8% | 2022 | up 15.8% | flat |
About this data
This is the percentage difference between the Gini coefficient before taxes and benefits and the Gini coefficient after taxes and benefits.