Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany
Germany: Reduction in income inequality before and after tax was 38.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany, 2008–2022
Source: OECD (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany is 38.7%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany peaked at 42.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 37.9%, in 2021.
That places Germany 10th out of 39 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 42.4% | — |
| 2011 | 42.5% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 42.3% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 42.5% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 42.2% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 41.8% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 41.7% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 42.1% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 41.5% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 40.4% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 39.0% | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 37.9% | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 38.7% | +2.2% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 38.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 34.3%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Germany's 38.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36.2%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.4% | 42.4% | 42.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 41.9% | 40.4% | 42.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 38.5% | 37.9% | 39.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More poverty & inequality data for Germany
- 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 1.44 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,007 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 -1.67 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 37.48 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 37.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany?
- Reduction in income inequality before and after tax in Germany was 38.7% in 2022, 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 42.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest reduction in income inequality before and after tax recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.9% in 2021.
- How does Germany rank for reduction in income inequality before and after tax?
- Germany ranks 10th out of 39 countries with data for 2022.
- Is reduction in income inequality before and after tax rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 13 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.