Brazil vs United States of America: Income inequality: Palma ratio (after tax)
Brazil
2.47
in 2022
United States of America
1.8
in 2024
Brazil rank
5th
United States of America rank
8th
Income inequality: Palma ratio (after tax) over time
- Brazil
- United States of America
How they compare
Brazil currently reports 2.47 against 1.8 in United States of America, a difference of 0.67.
That makes Brazil's figure about 1.4 times United States of America's.
Across all 38 years both countries report, Brazil has been ahead every year.
Brazil ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 8th of 48 countries.
Brazil has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.25 | 1.3 | 2.95 | Brazil |
| 1990s | 4.63 | 1.53 | 3.1 | Brazil |
| 2000s | 3.3 | 1.67 | 1.63 | Brazil |
| 2010s | 2.6 | 1.71 | 0.8902 | Brazil |
| 2020s | 2.55 | 1.67 | 0.8799 | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher income inequality: palma ratio (after tax), Brazil or United States of America?
- Brazil, at 2.47 against 1.8 in United States of America as of 2022.
- What is the difference in income inequality: palma ratio (after tax) between Brazil and United States of America?
- 0.67, with Brazil ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States of America?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2022.
- How do Brazil and United States of America rank globally for income inequality: palma ratio (after tax)?
- Brazil ranks 5th and United States of America ranks 8th of 48 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Luxembourg Income Study (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Income inequality: Palma ratio (after tax). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The Palma ratio is a measure of inequality that divides the share received by the richest 10% by the share of the poorest 40%. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income after taxes and benefits.