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World Bank Group · Palma Ratio
Palma ratio by country
How does the richest tenth's share of income compare with the poorest four-tenths'?
Of the 60 countries compared in 2023, Slovakia had the lowest reading, 0.772, and Colombia had the highest reading, 4.193. In the middle country the figure was 1.332. Among the 24 countries measured in every edition since 2002, the middle one moved from 1.442 to 1.312.
Palma ratio · 2023
Context statistic
Lowest of 60Slovakia
0.772012023 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the lowest end of 60 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: József Süveg derivative work: Danapit · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Kumaravels derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי · CC BY 2.5 in, greyscale
3Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
02Every measured country
Palma ratio on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a lower value — the better end.
- 2.043–4.193
- 1.502–1.943
- 1.268–1.479
- 1.031–1.259
- 0.772–1.021
- No reading in 2023 (109 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
1.154
the middle country, of 28 measured · 49 members
Slovakia0.772
Bulgaria1.803Lowest and highest reading in Europe.
- Asia
1.388
the middle country, of 14 measured · 52 members
India0.793
Türkiye2.264Lowest and highest reading in Asia.
- Americas
2.324
the middle country, of 15 measured · 48 members
Dominican Republic1.695
Colombia4.193Lowest and highest reading in Americas.
- Africa
2 of 55 measured — too few for a middle: Rwanda, Uganda.
Uganda1.671
Rwanda1.829Lowest and highest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
1 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati.
Kiribati0.849Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
14 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
- Eastern Europe
1.021
the middle country, of 7 measured · 10 members
Slovakia0.772Bulgaria1.803Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Northern Europe
1.089
the middle country, of 8 measured · 13 members
Norway0.917
Lithuania1.479Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
1.214
the middle country, of 5 measured · 9 members
Belgium0.945
Switzerland1.323Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
1.270
the middle country, of 8 measured · 17 members
Slovenia0.839
Italy1.367Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
1.327
the middle country, of 6 measured · 19 members
Armenia0.973Türkiye2.264Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.
- South America
2.219
the middle country, of 8 measured · 12 members
Peru1.920Colombia4.193Lowest and highest reading in South America.
- Central America
2.660
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
El Salvador1.817
Panama3.046Lowest and highest reading in Central America.
- Caribbean
1 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic1.695Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.
- Central Asia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan0.975
Tajikistan1.682Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Africa
2 of 19 measured — too few for a middle: Rwanda, Uganda.
Uganda1.671Rwanda1.829Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Micronesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati.
Kiribati0.849Lowest and highest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern America
1 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: United States.
United States2.043Lowest and highest reading in Northern America.
- South-eastern Asia
3 of 11 measured — too few for a middle: Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand.
Thailand1.319
Philippines1.797Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Southern Asia
2 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: India, Iran.
India0.793
Iran1.502Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
60 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 1.332; a quarter are above 1.820, and a quarter below 1.090. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 169 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first — position 1 is the highest value, the way World Bank Group’s own tables read. “=” marks a position shared with another country. World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. It is a ratio, not a percentage: 2 means the richest tenth hold twice what the poorest 40% hold. Surveys that measure consumption rather than income usually read less unequal, so check the survey type before comparing two rows — and the country set changes every year, because each figure depends on a household survey having been run.
Showing 25 of 169 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052002–2023 · 22 reference years
Over time
Each point is one reference year from 2002. Because it looks only at the two ends of the distribution, the ratio moves more sharply than the Gini index when the top or the bottom pulls away.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 24 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 60 | 1.332 | 1.090 – 1.820 | 1.312 |
| 2022 | 73 | 1.346 | 1.162 – 1.724 | 1.313 |
| 2021 | 82 | 1.349 | 1.170 – 1.739 | 1.331 |
| 2020 | 71 | 1.359 | 1.068 – 1.693 | 1.340 |
| 2019 | 79 | 1.289 | 1.107 – 1.734 | 1.380 |
| 2018 | 94 | 1.432 | 1.146 – 1.834 | 1.432 |
| 2017 | 79 | 1.406 | 1.115 – 1.850 | 1.447 |
| 2016 | 84 | 1.355 | 1.163 – 1.871 | 1.379 |
| 2015 | 87 | 1.461 | 1.190 – 1.975 | 1.450 |
| 2014 | 84 | 1.405 | 1.153 – 1.916 | 1.436 |
| 2013 | 78 | 1.484 | 1.152 – 1.889 | 1.434 |
| 2012 | 87 | 1.431 | 1.128 – 1.972 | 1.423 |
| 2011 | 82 | 1.352 | 1.132 – 2.066 | 1.408 |
| 2010 | 87 | 1.350 | 1.128 – 1.856 | 1.370 |
| 2009 | 83 | 1.399 | 1.155 – 2.229 | 1.340 |
| 2008 | 79 | 1.382 | 1.151 – 2.176 | 1.369 |
| 2007 | 73 | 1.355 | 1.128 – 1.832 | 1.373 |
| 2006 | 82 | 1.459 | 1.134 – 2.137 | 1.438 |
| 2005 | 81 | 1.549 | 1.159 – 2.334 | 1.459 |
| 2004 | 75 | 1.373 | 1.130 – 2.021 | 1.472 |
| 2003 | 69 | 1.474 | 1.132 – 2.280 | 1.424 |
| 2002 | 68 | 1.594 | 1.246 – 2.485 | 1.442 |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Malta1.414 → 1.197 · 33rd → 40th−0.218
Portugal1.526 → 1.353 · 28th → 29th−0.173
Sweden1.181 → 1.031 · 52nd → 48th−0.150
Romania1.189 → 1.048 · 49th → 47th−0.141- Tajikistan1.804 → 1.682 · 17th → 20th−0.122
Worsened most
before → after
Uzbekistan1.141 → 1.360 · 56th → 28th+0.219
Argentina1.917 → 2.115 · 14th → 10th+0.199- Dominican Republic1.576 → 1.695 · 26th → 19th+0.119
- Bulgaria1.685 → 1.803 · 23rd → 17th+0.119
Georgia1.306 → 1.416 · 43rd → 26th+0.110
51 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023. The field changed from 73 to 60 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Palma ratio in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
7.498
Palma ratio (income share of the richest 10% ÷ share of the poorest 40%)
Lowest reading on record
0.745
Palma ratio (income share of the richest 10% ÷ share of the poorest 40%)
Biggest improvement between editions
−1.884
3.506 → 1.622
Biggest decline between editions
+3.259
1.862 → 5.121
Most improved since first measured
−3.941
6.000 → 2.059
At the top most often
8 of 22
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About palma ratio
The Palma ratio divides the share of income held by a country’s richest 10% by the share held by its poorest 40%. A ratio of 1 means the top tenth hold as much as the bottom four-tenths put together; the most unequal countries run past 7. It is an inequality measure built on the observation that the middle half of most countries holds a fairly steady share, so the fight is at the ends.
What the number is: Palma ratio (income share of the richest 10% ÷ share of the poorest 40%).
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Economy & Innovation and Poverty & Inequality, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Economy & InnovationPoverty & InequalityWhich statistics vote, and why
Moves with
Where palma ratio is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where palma ratio is higher, these tend to be lower.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 0 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
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11Questions
Palma ratio: questions and answers
Which country has the lowest palma ratio?
Slovakia, at 0.772, among the 60 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the highest palma ratio?
Colombia, at 4.193, among the 60 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Palma Ratio cover?
60 in 2023, and 169 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 60 to 94 between editions.
What is the world average palma ratio?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 60 compared in 2023, the figure was 1.332.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No. World Bank Group publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Palma Ratio published?
This site holds 22 reference years, 2002–2023, all recalculated in World Bank Group’s 2026 report on one method — not 22 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. PIP’s own published ratio, read one year at a time from the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform, which serves it only on request as an additional indicator. PIP’s 90/10 ratio is stored beside it. Years outside 2002–2023 fall below 60 countries and are not imported. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Palma Ratio — World Bank Group
PIP’s own published ratio, read one year at a time from the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform, which serves it only on request as an additional indicator. PIP’s 90/10 ratio is stored beside it. Years outside 2002–2023 fall below 60 countries and are not imported.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: World Bank. Poverty and Inequality Platform. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Slovakia — József Süveg derivative work: Danapit, CC BY-SA 3.0
- India — Kumaravels derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY 2.5 in
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Palma ratio by country: Palma Ratio, data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/palma-ratio