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Equality of Income

Equality of Income

Income inequality measures relatively stable in 2025

Online ISSN: 2009-5937
CSO statistical release, , 11am

The income reference period of SILC in year T is the calendar year T-1, i.e. for SILC 2025 the income relates to Jan-Dec 2024.

Quintile Share Ratio

3.9
The richest 20% of persons
had 3.9 times the income of the poorest 20% in 2025
a slight increase from 3.8 in 2024
Source: CSO Ireland, Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2025

In SILC 2025, the poorest 20% of the population had 9.4% of the nation’s nominal equivalised disposable income, while the richest 20% had 36.9%. See figure 4.1.

Share of income (%)Quintile 5 Quintile 4 Quintile 3 Quintile 2 Quintile 1
202536.922.217.613.99.4
202436.622.117.613.99.7
20233722.317.313.79.6
202236.922.317.613.69.6
Table 4.1 Share of Equivalised Income by Decile and Year

The quintile share ratio is the ratio of the total equivalised disposable income received by the 20% of persons with the highest income (fifth quintile) to that received by the 20% of persons with the lowest income (first quintile). 

In SILC 2025, the quintile share ratio stood at 3.9, indicating that the total income of the richest 20% was almost four times that of the poorest 20%. The corresponding value for 2024 and 2023 was 3.8 in 2024 and 2023, and was 3.9 in 2022. See table 4.2.

Table 4.2 Income Quintile Share Ratio by Year

Gini Coefficient

27.4%
Gini coefficient in 2025
compared with 26.9% in 2024
Source: CSO Ireland, Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2025

The Gini coefficient measures income equality across the entire income distribution. It is the ratio of the area between the line of perfect equality and the observed Lorenz curve to the area between the line of perfect equality and the line of perfect inequality. A Gini coefficient value of 0% denotes perfect equality, indicating that income is distributed equally amongst all persons. A Gini Coefficient of 100% would denote perfect inequality where all the income is held by one person. 

In SILC 2025 the Gini coefficient, expressed as a percentage, was 27.4%, compared with 26.9% in 2024, 27.5% in 2023 and 27.4% in 2022.

The Gini coefficient is typically calculated on equivalised disposable income. If calculated using equivalised gross market income only (i.e. employment, pension and other income) the Gini coefficient was 45.5%. In other words, the Gini coefficient before social transfers and taxes and deductions in 2025 was 45.5%, which was slightly up from 45.0% in 2024 but down from 47.0% in 2023 and 47.5% in 2022; indicating increased equality in the distribution equivalised gross market income in 2024 and 2025 compared to 2022 and 2023.

Adding gross market income and social transfers, the Gini coefficient of equivalised gross income was 35.7% in 2025.

Finally, after deducting tax, social insurance contributions, pension contributions, and inter-household transfers paid, the Gini coefficient for net equivalised disposable income was 27.4%, up from 26.9% in 2024 and slightly down from 27.5% in SILC 2023. This illustrates the income redistributive effect of the social welfare and taxation systems on reducing income inequality. See figure 4.2 and table 4.3.

% Cumulative PopulationPerfect EqualityCumulative equivalised gross incomeCumulative equivalised disposable incomeCumulative equivalised market income
000.030.0380
110.170.2920
220.4470.6330
330.7080.9810
441.0431.460
551.351.7590
661.7252.2230.001
772.042.690.009
882.443.1570.036
992.723.70.088
10103.1294.2080.16
11113.4834.7210.263
12123.8815.1920.396
13134.2395.7530.568
14144.6686.2840.73
15155.1356.8380.965
16165.5557.4181.207
17175.9687.9751.476
18186.3788.5211.711
19196.8879.2122.061
20207.3579.7262.325
21217.78410.292.678
22228.29210.9513.118
23238.74711.5593.383
24249.28512.243.781
25259.78912.8884.198
262610.39513.5634.581
272710.87814.1785.081
282811.45614.95.52
292912.00415.515.985
303012.58216.2416.531
313113.07316.986.925
323213.8117.77.473
333314.41318.4157.938
343415.01919.1458.525
353515.68919.939.035
363616.26520.5539.654
373716.95521.40110.25
383817.62422.14110.848
393918.29922.9211.505
404019.07223.64812.121
414119.63424.45712.768
424220.38325.2513.448
434321.14226.11714.185
444421.86526.95914.892
454522.59327.76615.655
464623.25728.59116.4
474724.08429.47417.155
484824.85730.34417.87
494925.63731.18118.638
505026.43731.94319.514
515127.30932.90720.331
525228.00633.81121.174
535328.90834.77222.036
545429.7535.60622.935
555530.55636.63923.834
565631.44737.51624.795
575732.40238.48325.733
585833.28939.40626.676
595934.20840.33527.64
606035.14341.42528.562
616136.12342.429.536
626237.05143.35130.657
636338.03644.43731.599
646439.01945.48332.715
656540.08246.52133.748
666641.01847.54434.938
676742.10948.56935.929
686843.25449.73937.193
696944.22850.78838.371
707045.33351.89339.532
717146.54352.95640.719
727247.69354.04641.996
737348.85355.28343.23
747450.05756.29644.471
757551.23857.56245.802
767652.5558.68647.196
777753.62859.97248.541
787855.05761.22349.913
797956.34962.50651.568
808057.68763.68752.968
818158.88264.96954.471
828260.45566.27655.944
838361.83767.91357.503
848463.2969.02159.182
858564.89270.43460.864
868666.44172.01262.485
878768.16973.26564.252
888869.71274.70966.275
898971.43976.2368.163
909073.16377.81770.072
919174.9479.47772.173
929277.06681.0174.37
939379.14882.7476.618
949481.17684.77879.045
959583.50886.51881.505
969685.96688.62784.223
979788.66790.81487.288
989891.56293.25290.563
999995.99596.68495.558
99.99999100100100100
Table 4.3 Gini Coefficient by Year