Middle East encompasses 16 countries in our income inequality dataset. The regional average top 1% income share is 20.31%, which is notably higher than the global average of 16.17%.
Income Inequality Overview in Middle East
- Countries covered: 16
- Regional avg. top 1% share: 20.31%
- Regional avg. bottom 50% share: 11.23%
- Global avg. top 1% share: 16.17%
Most and Least Unequal Countries in Middle East
The most income-concentrated country in Middle East is Iraq with a top 1% share of 44.60%. The least concentrated is income distribution in Syria at N/A%.
All Middle East Countries Ranked by Income Inequality
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  income distribution in Iraq |
44.60% | 70.85% | 6.50% |
| 2 |  Bahrain |
25.59% | 57.75% | 10.38% |
| 3 |  Yemen |
25.07% | 59.56% | 9.44% |
| 4 |  Qatar's wealth gap |
24.44% | 56.94% | 9.70% |
| 5 |  Saudi Arabia |
23.16% | 52.05% | 10.65% |
| 6 |  Turkey's wealth gap |
21.69% | 54.43% | 13.33% |
| 7 |  Oman's wealth gap |
19.93% | 56.27% | 9.06% |
| 8 |  Lebanon's wealth gap |
19.88% | 49.44% | 11.36% |
| 9 |  Egypt's income inequality |
19.12% | 49.29% | 15.57% |
| 10 |  Jordan's wealth gap |
17.83% | 49.63% | 14.40% |
| 11 |  Kuwait |
17.73% | 45.40% | 16.32% |
| 12 |  income distribution in Israel |
16.91% | 49.21% | 13.28% |
| 13 |  Iran's wealth gap |
16.58% | 46.71% | 16.52% |
| 14 |  Palestine |
16.24% | 51.51% | 10.21% |
| 15 |  United Arab Emirates's wealth gap |
16.19% | 49.21% | 12.91% |
| 16 |  income distribution in Syria |
N/A% | N/A% | N/A% |
Last updated: April 8, 2026
Data source: World Inequality Database (WID). This dataset covers income distribution metrics for 199 countries from 1980 to 2024.