The median value of the household's economic standard increased by 5 percent between 2021 and 2022 in current prices. But because inflation was even higher – 8.4 percent in annual average – incomes fell in real terms when previous years' income amounts are converted to 2022 price levels. In fixed prices, the median value decreased by 3.2 percent. A reduction in the economic standard has not occurred since the economic crisis of the mid-1990s.

Split picture of income inequality

The change in income inequality in 2022 diverge depending on which income type is studied. The Gini coefficient, an overall measure of income inequality, decreased for the economic standard including capital gains, implying a more even distribution. The reason is that capital gains decreased in 2022 compared to the year before. In contrast, the Gini coefficient continued to increase for income excluding capital gains, but including other capital income such as dividends and interest. This means that income inequality, for that income type, were the highest since these statistics started. The increase is largely due to a continued increase in dividends.