Portugal's gini index was 33.9 in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 6.35% from 36.2 in 2013 (0.65% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 33.9 | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 33.5 | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 36.2 | 2013 |
| Highest | 38.9 | 2004 |
| Lowest | 32.8 | 2019 |
| Average since 2014 | 34.59 | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 38.8 | 2003 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, Portugal's gini index fell 2.4 on 2022 (from 36.3 to 33.9).
Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2004 to 2022), the average change was −0.13 and a typical year strayed about 0.92 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.9 in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.4 in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2023, Portugal had the 10th highest value of the 33 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Portugal in the 2023 ranking
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 7th of 33: 35.9
- Italy — 8th of 33: 34.3
- Latvia — 9th of 33: 34
- Luxembourg — 11th of 33: 33.6
- Switzerland — 12th of 33: 33.5
- Greece — 13th of 33: 33.4
What this measures
Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Limitations: Gini coefficients are not unique. It is possible for two different Lorenz curves to give rise to the same Gini coefficient. Furthermore it is possible for the Gini coefficient of a developing country to rise (due to increasing inequality of income) while the number of people in absolute poverty decreases. This is because the Gini coefficient measures relative, not absolute, wealth. Another limitation of the Gini coefficient is that it is not additive across groups, i.e. the total Gini of a society is not equal to the sum of the Gini's for its sub-groups.
All 21 values
| Year | Gini index |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 33.9 |
| 2022 | 36.3 |
| 2021 | 34.6 |
| 2020 | 34.7 |
| 2019 | 32.8 |
| 2018 | 33.5 |
| 2017 | 33.8 |
| 2016 | 35.2 |
| 2015 | 35.5 |
| 2014 | 35.6 |
| 2013 | 36.2 |
Gini index in nearby economies
More poverty data for Portugal
- Income share held by second 20% — 12.5% (2023)
- Income share held by third 20% — 16.5% (2023)
- Income share held by fourth 20% — 21.7% (2023)
- Income share held by highest 20% — 41.8% (2023)
- Income share held by highest 10% — 26.9% (2023)
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) — 11% (2023)
- Income share held by lowest 10% — 2.7% (2023)
- Income share held by lowest 20% — 7.4% (2023)
- Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0.4% (2023)
- Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Portugal's gini index?
- 33.9 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2003?
- It is down 12.63% from 38.8 in 2003 (0.67% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 38.9 in 2004 and the lowest 32.8 in 2019.
- How does Portugal rank?
- 10th highest of 33 economies with data for 2023.
- Is the latest change in gini index unusual for Portugal?
- In 2023, Portugal's gini index fell 2.4 on 2022 (from 36.3 to 33.9). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2004 to 2022), the average change was −0.13 and a typical year strayed about 0.92 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
- Where does this data come from?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.POV.GINI, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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