Decile ratios of gross earnings — Interdecile ratio of gross earnings by country
This dataset contains three earnings-dispersion measures - ratio of 9th-to-1st, 9th-to-5th and 5th-to-1st - where 9th, 5th (median) and 1st deciles are upper-earnings decile limits, unless otherwise indicated, of gross earnings of full-time dependent employees.
What the numbers show
Decile ratios of gross earnings — Interdecile ratio of gross earnings is currently reported for 45 countries. The highest value is 2.5 Factor of decile 1 in Argentina; the lowest is 1.07 Factor of decile 1 in Portugal.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.6 Factor of decile 1, and the mean is 1.65 Factor of decile 1.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.
Over the past decade 14 countries rose and 31 fell. The largest increase was in Croatia (up 19.2%), and the largest decrease in Portugal (down 30.6%).
Decile ratios of gross earnings — Interdecile ratio of gross earnings: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 2.5 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 7.1% | rising |
| 1 | Croatia | 2.25 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 19.2% | rising |
| 1 | Latvia | 2.19 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 17.7% | falling |
| 2 | Israel | 2.24 Factor of decile 1 | 2023 | up 18.4% | rising |
| 2 | Estonia | 1.96 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 2.1% | falling |
| 3 | Peru | 1.98 Factor of decile 1 | 2022 | down 13.5% | falling |
| 3 | Lithuania | 1.7 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 4 | Malta | 1.95 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 18.3% | rising |
| 4 | Poland | 1.69 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 11.8% | rising |
| 5 | United States of America | 1.95 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 7.4% | flat |
| 6 | India | 1.88 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 7 | Canada | 1.79 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 7 | Slovenia | 1.56 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 8 | Hungary | 1.76 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 9.6% | falling |
| 8 | Netherlands | 1.48 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 9.2% | falling |
| 9 | Australia | 1.74 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 10 | Mexico | 1.73 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 5.6% | falling |
| 11 | Czechia | 1.72 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 11.1% | flat |
| 12 | Luxembourg | 1.69 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 10.9% | flat |
| 13 | Bulgaria | 1.66 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 2.1% | falling |
| 14 | Romania | 1.65 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 15 | Colombia | 1.64 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 16 | Germany | 1.64 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 12.3% | rising |
| 17 | Austria | 1.63 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 18 | OECD | 1.6 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 4.8% | falling |
| 19 | Belgium | 1.58 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 18.2% | rising |
| 20 | Chile | 1.58 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 0.3% | falling |
| 21 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1.55 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 22 | Ireland | 1.55 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 23 | Cyprus | 1.54 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 24 | Denmark | 1.5 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 25 | Switzerland | 1.5 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 1.9% | flat |
| 26 | Iceland | 1.49 Factor of decile 1 | 2022 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 27 | Japan | 1.48 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 28 | France | 1.47 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 29 | Finland | 1.45 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | up 3.4% | falling |
| 30 | Costa Rica | 1.44 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 18.5% | falling |
| 31 | Brazil | 1.42 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 8.4% | flat |
| 32 | Norway | 1.41 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 33 | New Zealand | 1.41 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 34 | Greece | 1.4 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 23.2% | flat |
| 35 | Sweden | 1.37 Factor of decile 1 | 2025 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 36 | Italy | 1.3 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 37 | Spain | 1.23 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 38 | Portugal | 1.07 Factor of decile 1 | 2024 | down 30.6% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Slovak Republic 1.67 Factor of decile 1
- Korea 1.63 Factor of decile 1
- European Union (27 countries) 1.62 Factor of decile 1
- European Union (19 countries) in OECD 1.58 Factor of decile 1
About this data
This dataset contains three earnings-dispersion measures - ratio of 9th-to-1st, 9th-to-5th and 5th-to-1st - where 9th, 5th (median) and 1st deciles are upper-earnings decile limits, unless otherwise indicated, of gross earnings of full-time dependent employees.