Frederick Solt, University of Iowa · Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID)
Income inequality after taxes (SWIID) by country
How unequally is household income shared once taxes and transfers are counted?
Of the 79 countries compared in 2023, Slovakia had the lowest reading, 22.3, and Puerto Rico had the highest reading, 51.2. In the middle country the figure was 33.0. Among the 37 countries measured in every edition since 1980, the middle one moved from 32.8 to 32.0.
Share
Income inequality after taxes (SWIID) · 2023
Context statistic
Lowest of 79Slovakia
22.3012023 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the lowest end of 79 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: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: john mcsporran from Trossachs, Scotland · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Highest in 2023
Puerto Rico51.2
Colombia50.9
Tajikistan48.6
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Income inequality after taxes (SWIID) 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.
- 41.1–51.2
- 35.5–40.8
- 31.4–35.4
- 28.8–31.1
- 22.3–28.6
- No reading in 2023 (117 measured in an earlier edition)
- Europe
29.2
the middle country, of 33 measured · 49 members
Slovakia22.3
Bulgaria37.8Lowest and highest reading in Europe.
- Asia
35.4
the middle country, of 21 measured · 52 members
Kazakhstan27.8Tajikistan48.6Lowest and highest reading in Asia.
- Americas
41.8
the middle country, of 20 measured · 48 members
Canada30.3Puerto Rico51.2Lowest and highest reading in Americas.
- Africa
4 of 55 measured — too few for a middle: Comoros, Egypt, Mali, Rwanda.
Egypt32.0
Rwanda47.0Lowest and highest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
1 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati.
Kiribati30.4Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
17 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
- Eastern Europe
27.7
the middle country, of 9 measured · 10 members
Slovakia22.3Bulgaria37.8Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Northern Europe
28.8
the middle country, of 9 measured · 13 members
Norway25.7
Lithuania35.4Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
28.8
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Belgium25.2
Switzerland31.0Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Europe
30.9
the middle country, of 8 measured · 17 members
Slovenia23.9
Italy32.8Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
34.7
the middle country, of 6 measured · 19 members
Cyprus29.4
Palestine45.9Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
36.7
the middle country, of 6 measured · 11 members
Vietnam34.8
Indonesia45.2Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- South America
42.0
the middle country, of 9 measured · 12 members
Argentina38.1Colombia50.9Lowest and highest reading in South America.
- Central America
43.3
the middle country, of 6 measured · 8 members
El Salvador37.2
Costa Rica45.1Lowest and highest reading in Central America.
- Caribbean
2 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.
Dominican Republic36.7Puerto Rico51.2Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.
- Central Asia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
Kazakhstan27.8Tajikistan48.6Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Africa
2 of 19 measured — too few for a middle: Comoros, Rwanda.
Comoros41.1Rwanda47.0Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Eastern Asia
3 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: China, South Korea, Taiwan.
Taiwan29.2
China40.8Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Micronesia
1 of 7 measured — too few for a middle: Kiribati.
Kiribati30.4Lowest and highest reading in Micronesia.
- Northern Africa
1 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Egypt.
Egypt32.0Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.
- Northern America
3 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, Greenland, United States.
Canada30.3
United States39.2Lowest and highest reading in Northern America.
- Southern Asia
2 of 9 measured — too few for a middle: Iran, Pakistan.
Pakistan34.5
Iran35.4Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Africa
1 of 16 measured — too few for a middle: Mali.
Mali35.8Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.
03The whole field at once
The spread
79 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 33.0; a quarter are above 39.1, and a quarter below 29.5. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 196 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first — position 1 is the highest value, the way Frederick Solt, University of Iowa’s own tables read. “=” marks a position shared with another country. Frederick Solt, University of Iowa ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Every value has a standard error, stored beside it and typically two to three Gini points, so countries close together cannot be told apart and a position here is a rough order rather than a fine one. It measures income after taxes and transfers; the World Bank’s Gini on this site mixes income and spending surveys, and the two will not match exactly.
Showing 25 of 196 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051980–2023 · 44 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year’s estimate. Where a country has few source surveys the line between them is the model’s, so a smooth stretch is not necessarily a measured one.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 37 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 79 | 33.0 | 29.5 – 39.1 | 32.0 |
| 2022 | 100 | 34.8 | 30.9 – 40.7 | 32.2 |
| 2021 | 119 | 35.7 | 31.0 – 41.4 | 32.7 |
| 2020 | 125 | 36.0 | 31.0 – 41.7 | 33.2 |
| 2019 | 136 | 36.2 | 31.1 – 42.1 | 33.1 |
| 2018 | 145 | 36.7 | 31.4 – 42.6 | 33.2 |
| 2017 | 155 | 37.0 | 32.0 – 42.7 | 33.3 |
| 2016 | 161 | 37.0 | 32.4 – 43.4 | 33.9 |
| 2015 | 164 | 37.2 | 32.6 – 43.8 | 33.3 |
| 2014 | 170 | 37.7 | 32.8 – 44.1 | 33.3 |
| 2013 | 172 | 38.1 | 33.1 – 44.6 | 33.3 |
| 2012 | 176 | 38.3 | 33.0 – 44.5 | 33.1 |
| 2011 | 178 | 38.3 | 32.8 – 44.7 | 33.1 |
| 2010 | 180 | 38.6 | 33.0 – 44.8 | 33.1 |
| 2009 | 182 | 38.9 | 33.1 – 44.7 | 33.1 |
| 2008 | 184 | 39.0 | 33.0 – 44.8 | 32.9 |
| 2007 | 185 | 39.5 | 33.2 – 45.2 | 32.9 |
| 2006 | 182 | 39.8 | 33.3 – 45.2 | 33.4 |
| 2005 | 176 | 40.1 | 33.5 – 44.9 | 33.3 |
| 2004 | 169 | 40.0 | 33.4 – 45.5 | 33.1 |
| 2003 | 167 | 39.9 | 33.1 – 45.6 | 33.0 |
| 2002 | 164 | 39.9 | 33.5 – 45.8 | 33.5 |
| 2001 | 157 | 39.9 | 33.2 – 46.2 | 33.7 |
| 2000 | 152 | 40.0 | 32.9 – 46.0 | 33.9 |
| 1999 | 150 | 40.0 | 32.9 – 45.7 | 34.1 |
| 1998 | 147 | 39.7 | 33.0 – 45.5 | 34.2 |
| 1997 | 145 | 39.4 | 32.8 – 45.3 | 33.9 |
| 1996 | 143 | 39.2 | 32.7 – 45.1 | 33.7 |
| 1995 | 136 | 38.7 | 32.2 – 45.0 | 33.7 |
| 1994 | 130 | 38.6 | 32.0 – 44.4 | 33.7 |
| 1993 | 124 | 38.1 | 31.4 – 44.4 | 33.1 |
| 1992 | 121 | 37.4 | 30.2 – 43.8 | 33.0 |
| 1991 | 111 | 37.1 | 29.5 – 43.7 | 33.0 |
| 1990 | 108 | 36.8 | 29.0 – 43.4 | 32.9 |
| 1989 | 107 | 36.7 | 28.9 – 43.6 | 33.3 |
| 1988 | 103 | 36.8 | 29.8 – 43.5 | 33.4 |
| 1987 | 82 | 39.5 | 30.8 – 44.4 | 33.4 |
| 1986 | 77 | 39.4 | 30.4 – 44.7 | 33.4 |
| 1985 | 73 | 38.9 | 30.2 – 44.9 | 33.5 |
| 1984 | 66 | 36.8 | 29.3 – 44.4 | 33.5 |
| 1983 | 64 | 37.0 | 29.1 – 44.5 | 33.5 |
| 1982 | 63 | 37.3 | 29.2 – 44.4 | 32.9 |
| 1981 | 63 | 37.4 | 29.7 – 44.5 | 32.7 |
| 1980 | 60 | 37.3 | 29.0 – 44.1 | 32.8 |
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 → afterWorsened most
before → after- Palestine45.1 → 45.9 · 14th → 5th+0.8
- Canada29.8 → 30.3 · 79th → 57th+0.5
- Egypt31.5 → 32.0 · 64th → 43rd+0.5
- Tajikistan48.3 → 48.6 · 6th → 3rd+0.3
Uruguay38.2 → 38.5 · 32nd → 22nd+0.3
79 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023. The field changed from 100 to 79 countries, so a place can move for reasons that have nothing to do with the country itself.
07Across every edition
Income inequality after taxes (SWIID) in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
65.9
Gini index of disposable household income (0–100), SWIID estimate
Lowest reading on record
17.6
Gini index of disposable household income (0–100), SWIID estimate
Biggest improvement between editions
−8.2
33.2 → 25.0
Biggest decline between editions
+4.3
28.4 → 32.7
Most improved since first measured
−18.1
46.9 → 28.8
At the top most often
15 of 44
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About income inequality after taxes (SWIID)
This is the Gini index of household income after taxes and transfers, as estimated by the Standardized World Income Inequality Database. It brings every published measure of a country’s inequality onto one definition and fills the years between them, so it reaches far more countries and years than any survey series — at the cost of being an estimate, published with its uncertainty.
What the number is: Gini index of disposable household income (0–100), SWIID estimate.
What it does not measure
It is a model estimate with a stated uncertainty of a few Gini points, so countries close together cannot be told apart; it measures income after taxes and transfers, not wealth, and the years between a country’s source surveys are filled in by the model.
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 income inequality after taxes (SWIID) is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where income inequality after taxes (SWIID) 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
The countries at either end
11Questions
Income inequality after taxes (SWIID): questions and answers
Which country has the lowest income inequality after taxes (SWIID)?
Slovakia, at 22.3, among the 79 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the highest income inequality after taxes (SWIID)?
Puerto Rico, at 51.2, among the 79 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) cover?
79 in 2023, and 196 at least once across all editions. The number measured varies from 60 to 185 between editions.
What is the world average income inequality after taxes (SWIID)?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 79 compared in 2023, the figure was 33.0.
Is this Frederick Solt, University of Iowa’s own ranking?
No. Frederick Solt, University of Iowa 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 Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) published?
This site holds 44 reference years, 1980–2023, all recalculated in Frederick Solt, University of Iowa’s 2026 report on one method — not 44 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Frederick Solt, University of Iowa, under CC0 1.0. From the author’s own deposit on Harvard Dataverse, dedicated to the public domain. The mean of his 100 imputations and its standard error are stored exactly as his summary file gives them. 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
Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) — Frederick Solt, University of Iowa
From the author’s own deposit on Harvard Dataverse, dedicated to the public domain. The mean of his 100 imputations and its standard error are stored exactly as his summary file gives them.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: Solt, Frederick. 2020. “Measuring Income Inequality Across Countries and Over Time: The Standardized World Income Inequality Database.” Social Science Quarterly 101(3):1183–1199. SWIID Version 9.92, April 2026.
Licence: CC0 1.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- Frederick Solt, University of Iowa 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
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Czechia — john mcsporran from Trossachs, Scotland, CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Income inequality after taxes (SWIID) by country: Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), data from Frederick Solt, University of Iowa. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/gini-disposable-income