Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Canada
Canada: Reduction in income inequality before and after tax was 29.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Canada, 1976–2023
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Canada stood at 29.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Canada peaked at 36.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 20.6%, in 1979.
Canada ranks 26th of 39 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 21.1% | 20.6% | 21.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 24.9% | 21.7% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.6% | 28.1% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.3% | 26.6% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.7% | 26.5% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 29.3% | 36.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More poverty & inequality data for Canada
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (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)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.8% (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.052 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 21.2% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.0978 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.0822 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0822 (2023)
- Income inequality: Atkinson index 0.1598 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Canada?
- Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Canada was 29.3% in 2023, according to OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest reduction in income inequality before and after tax recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 36.1% in 2020.
- What is the lowest reduction in income inequality before and after tax recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.6% in 1979.
- How does Canada rank for reduction in income inequality before and after tax?
- Canada ranks 26th out of 39 countries with data for 2023.
- Is reduction in income inequality before and after tax rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Reduction in income inequality before and after tax. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the percentage difference between the Gini coefficient before taxes and benefits and the Gini coefficient after taxes and benefits.