184
Countries Tracked
16.17%
Global Avg Top 1% Share
14.97%
Global Avg Bottom 50% Share
45
Years of Data (1980-2024)
Top 10 Highest Inequality
Income Inequality by Region
Average top 1% income share across world regions in 2024.
Africa
15.62% avg. top 1% share
54 countries
Asia
16.42% avg. top 1% share
36 countries
Europe
10.86% avg. top 1% share
47 countries
Middle East
21.66% avg. top 1% share
16 countries
North America
20.66% avg. top 1% share
23 countries
South America
22.53% avg. top 1% share
12 countries
Oceania
15.41% avg. top 1% share
15 countries
Global Income Inequality Trend (1980-2024)
How the global average top 1% income share has changed over four decades.
The global average top 1% income share moved from 15.34% in 1980 to 16.17% in 2024, while the bottom 50%’s share went from 15.75% to 14.97%.
Browse All Data
Dive into comprehensive income inequality data across every dimension.
About this data: Income inequality metrics for 184 countries from 1980 to 2024, sourced from the World Inequality Database. In 2024, Iraq had the highest top 1% income share (44.60%), while Iceland had the most equal distribution with 25.72% going to the bottom 50%.