In 2001, 184 countries reported income inequality data. The highest top 1% income concentration was in Malawi at 38.50%. The global average top 1% income share was 16.82%.
Countries With the Highest Income Inequality in 2001
The following table ranks countries by their top 1% income share in 2001, showing where wealth concentration is most pronounced.
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Malawi |
38.50% | 63.81% | 9.77% |
| 2 |  income distribution in Maldives |
35.61% | 57.72% | 11.37% |
| 3 |  Chile's income inequality |
29.22% | 61.88% | 7.78% |
| 4 |  Comoros's wealth gap |
29.13% | 66.96% | 7.73% |
| 5 |  income distribution in Colombia |
28.83% | 63.97% | 6.35% |
| 6 |  income distribution in Peru |
28.64% | 63.43% | 6.30% |
| 7 |  Namibia |
28.13% | 72.40% | 5.07% |
| 8 |  Brazil |
27.24% | 58.61% | 9.12% |
| 9 |  Central African Republic |
27.08% | 64.63% | 6.78% |
| 10 |  Botswana |
26.98% | 67.14% | 5.84% |
| 11 |  income distribution in Cambodia |
26.79% | 55.74% | 8.78% |
| 12 |  income distribution in Myanmar |
26.49% | 51.12% | 12.71% |
| 13 |  Yemen's income inequality |
25.54% | 58.53% | 9.66% |
| 14 |  Mozambique |
25.30% | 59.21% | 10.30% |
| 15 |  Rwanda's income inequality |
24.70% | 60.45% | 9.91% |
| 16 |  Iraq's wealth gap |
24.41% | 55.33% | 11.83% |
| 17 |  Bahrain's income inequality |
23.38% | 58.36% | 10.01% |
| 18 |  Thailand's income inequality |
23.19% | 56.17% | 8.60% |
| 19 |  Saudi Arabia's income inequality |
23.16% | 52.05% | 10.65% |
| 20 |  Qatar's income inequality |
22.95% | 55.46% | 9.50% |
Countries With the Most Equal Income Distribution in 2001
These countries had the highest share of income going to the bottom 50% of earners, indicating more equitable distribution.
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sweden's wealth gap |
8.97% | 29.79% | 25.53% |
| 2 |  income distribution in Hungary |
10.11% | 30.71% | 25.44% |
| 3 |  Norway's wealth gap |
10.83% | 30.24% | 25.27% |
| 4 |  Denmark's income inequality |
10.31% | 29.68% | 24.20% |
| 5 |  Netherlands's wealth gap |
6.95% | 28.75% | 24.05% |
| 6 |  income distribution in Slovakia |
8.76% | 29.51% | 23.70% |
| 7 |  income distribution in Austria |
9.24% | 31.61% | 23.31% |
| 8 |  income distribution in Slovenia |
6.88% | 28.67% | 23.31% |
| 9 |  Switzerland |
10.60% | 31.41% | 22.95% |
| 10 |  income distribution in Finland |
12.89% | 33.76% | 22.73% |
| 11 |  Malta |
9.00% | 30.96% | 21.83% |
| 12 |  income distribution in Poland |
10.00% | 33.27% | 21.62% |
| 13 |  Germany |
10.28% | 32.39% | 21.53% |
| 14 |  Iceland |
10.35% | 32.30% | 21.37% |
| 15 |  income distribution in Italy |
8.62% | 31.30% | 21.16% |
| 16 |  Ukraine's wealth gap |
10.35% | 34.24% | 21.10% |
| 17 |  Montenegro's wealth gap |
9.66% | 32.56% | 21.03% |
| 18 |  Ireland |
11.86% | 35.37% | 20.96% |
| 19 |  income distribution in France |
11.50% | 33.78% | 20.67% |
| 20 |  Spain's wealth gap |
10.58% | 33.69% | 20.36% |
Global Income Inequality Overview for 2001
- Countries with data: 184
- Average top 1% income share: 16.82%
- Average bottom 50% income share: 14.27%
- Highest top 1% share: Malawi (38.50%)
- Lowest top 1% share: Slovenia (6.88%)
Complete Country Rankings for 2001
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malawi |
38.50% | 63.81% | 9.77% |
| 2 | Maldives's income inequality |
35.61% | 57.72% | 11.37% |
| 3 | Chile's wealth gap |
29.22% | 61.88% | 7.78% |
| 4 | Comoros's wealth gap |
29.13% | 66.96% | 7.73% |
| 5 | Colombia |
28.83% | 63.97% | 6.35% |
| 6 | Peru's income inequality |
28.64% | 63.43% | 6.30% |
| 7 | Namibia's income inequality |
28.13% | 72.40% | 5.07% |
| 8 | Brazil's income inequality |
27.24% | 58.61% | 9.12% |
| 9 | income distribution in Central African Republic |
27.08% | 64.63% | 6.78% |
| 10 | Botswana's wealth gap |
26.98% | 67.14% | 5.84% |
| 11 | Cambodia's wealth gap |
26.79% | 55.74% | 8.78% |
| 12 | Myanmar's wealth gap |
26.49% | 51.12% | 12.71% |
| 13 | Yemen |
25.54% | 58.53% | 9.66% |
| 14 | Mozambique |
25.30% | 59.21% | 10.30% |
| 15 | income distribution in Rwanda |
24.70% | 60.45% | 9.91% |
| 16 | Iraq's income inequality |
24.41% | 55.33% | 11.83% |
| 17 | Bahrain's income inequality |
23.38% | 58.36% | 10.01% |
| 18 | Thailand's income inequality |
23.19% | 56.17% | 8.60% |
| 19 | Saudi Arabia's income inequality |
23.16% | 52.05% | 10.65% |
| 20 | Qatar's income inequality |
22.95% | 55.46% | 9.50% |
| 21 |  Ecuador |
22.86% | 54.43% | 8.90% |
| 22 |  Nicaragua's wealth gap |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 23 |  Suriname |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 24 |  Bolivia |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 25 |  Haiti |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 26 |  Dominican Republic's wealth gap |
22.79% | 54.43% | 8.36% |
| 27 |  Guyana's wealth gap |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 28 |  Panama |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 29 |  income distribution in Guatemala |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 30 |  income distribution in Paraguay |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 31 |  Honduras |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 32 |  Jamaica's wealth gap |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 33 |  Belize |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 34 |  Bahamas's income inequality |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 35 |  income distribution in Trinidad and Tobago |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 36 |  Venezuela's income inequality |
22.79% | 56.41% | 8.02% |
| 37 |  Turkey |
22.42% | 55.76% | 12.39% |
| 38 |  Saint Lucia |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 39 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis's wealth gap |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 40 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines's wealth gap |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 41 |  Dominica's wealth gap |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 42 |  Grenada |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 43 |  income distribution in Antigua and Barbuda |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 44 |  Barbados's income inequality |
22.31% | 54.77% | 8.26% |
| 45 |  income distribution in Uruguay |
22.11% | 50.45% | 13.03% |
| 46 |  Tunisia |
21.90% | 57.53% | 11.12% |
| 47 |  Uganda's wealth gap |
21.56% | 55.33% | 11.58% |
| 48 |  income distribution in Seychelles |
21.46% | 52.48% | 12.23% |
| 49 |  income distribution in Niger |
21.25% | 53.35% | 11.98% |
| 50 |  Angola's income inequality |
21.16% | 56.95% | 9.53% |
| 51 |  Kuwait's income inequality |
21.10% | 54.68% | 11.06% |
| 52 |  Burkina Faso's income inequality |
20.82% | 55.62% | 11.05% |
| 53 |  Philippines's wealth gap |
20.66% | 50.93% | 11.70% |
| 54 |  income distribution in Georgia |
20.49% | 47.45% | 13.59% |
| 55 |  Lebanon's income inequality |
20.41% | 51.11% | 12.18% |
| 56 |  Kenya's wealth gap |
20.26% | 54.83% | 11.07% |
| 57 |  Sri Lanka |
20.16% | 49.90% | 13.05% |
| 58 |  income distribution in Costa Rica |
20.15% | 51.77% | 9.71% |
| 59 |  Palestine |
19.96% | 53.96% | 11.47% |
| 60 |  Oman's wealth gap |
19.93% | 56.27% | 9.06% |
| 61 |  Cuba's wealth gap |
19.85% | 52.18% | 9.65% |
| 62 |  Gambia |
19.80% | 54.98% | 10.35% |
| 63 |  Zambia's wealth gap |
19.75% | 53.00% | 11.80% |
| 64 |  Egypt's income inequality |
19.64% | 51.28% | 14.80% |
| 65 |  income distribution in United Arab Emirates |
19.59% | 56.13% | 9.84% |
| 66 |  Israel's income inequality |
19.38% | 51.22% | 12.57% |
| 67 |  income distribution in El Salvador |
19.23% | 50.85% | 7.08% |
| 68 |  Cameroon's wealth gap |
19.15% | 51.78% | 12.38% |
| 69 |  income distribution in Senegal |
19.09% | 51.82% | 12.64% |
| 70 |  Malaysia |
19.01% | 45.47% | 14.41% |
| 71 |  Lesotho's wealth gap |
19.00% | 56.34% | 8.59% |
| 72 |  Turkmenistan's wealth gap |
18.67% | 48.21% | 12.83% |
| 73 |  income distribution in Jordan |
18.65% | 49.99% | 13.89% |
| 74 |  income distribution in Guinea |
18.59% | 52.19% | 11.89% |
| 75 |  Congo's income inequality |
18.57% | 54.53% | 10.39% |
| 76 |  Somalia's income inequality |
18.28% | 50.52% | 13.44% |
| 77 |  Iran |
18.28% | 52.81% | 12.29% |
| 78 |  Bhutan's wealth gap |
18.08% | 49.19% | 12.25% |
| 79 |  Papua New Guinea's wealth gap |
17.39% | 48.84% | 11.65% |
| 80 |  income distribution in Taiwan |
17.38% | 44.00% | 11.76% |
| 81 |  income distribution in Pakistan |
17.17% | 43.71% | 16.81% |
| 82 |  Gabon's income inequality |
17.14% | 50.78% | 12.51% |
| 83 |  Uzbekistan |
16.93% | 45.16% | 14.96% |
| 84 |  income distribution in Luxembourg |
16.38% | 39.64% | 19.17% |
| 85 |  income distribution in Benin |
16.35% | 48.83% | 13.88% |
| 86 |  India |
16.29% | 41.99% | 18.14% |
| 87 |  income distribution in Bangladesh |
16.23% | 44.59% | 15.82% |
| 88 |  Hong Kong's income inequality |
16.22% | 44.12% | 15.30% |
| 89 |  Afghanistan's wealth gap |
16.22% | 41.94% | 17.17% |
| 90 |  South Africa's wealth gap |
16.19% | 54.73% | 10.20% |
| 91 |  Nepal's income inequality |
16.05% | 43.93% | 15.95% |
| 92 |  income distribution in Azerbaijan |
15.98% | 43.63% | 15.63% |
| 93 |  Zimbabwe's income inequality |
15.93% | 51.37% | 11.88% |
| 94 |  Madagascar's income inequality |
15.85% | 53.79% | 10.36% |
| 95 |  Burundi's wealth gap |
15.77% | 48.46% | 13.90% |
| 96 |  Algeria's wealth gap |
15.72% | 46.60% | 15.08% |
| 97 |  income distribution in Mongolia |
15.69% | 42.79% | 14.08% |
| 98 |  Libya's income inequality |
15.52% | 46.94% | 14.94% |
| 99 |  Djibouti |
15.41% | 47.90% | 13.47% |
| 100 |  income distribution in Kazakhstan |
15.22% | 43.74% | 14.22% |
| 101 |  income distribution in Singapore |
15.15% | 46.34% | 16.37% |
| 102 |  Guinea-Bissau's wealth gap |
14.81% | 45.75% | 14.89% |
| 103 |  Armenia's wealth gap |
14.71% | 42.31% | 17.02% |
| 104 |  Indonesia's wealth gap |
14.67% | 39.86% | 17.52% |
| 105 |  income distribution in Estonia |
14.60% | 41.14% | 15.54% |
| 106 |  Argentina |
14.58% | 51.66% | 7.03% |
| 107 |  Chad's income inequality |
14.49% | 47.74% | 13.32% |
| 108 |  income distribution in South Sudan |
14.21% | 49.39% | 10.97% |
| 109 |  Ethiopia's income inequality |
14.19% | 42.69% | 17.62% |
| 110 |  Eritrea's income inequality |
14.19% | 42.69% | 17.62% |
| 111 |  Togo's income inequality |
14.06% | 49.59% | 12.35% |
| 112 |  Mali's income inequality |
13.80% | 46.75% | 13.29% |
| 113 |  Mauritius |
13.75% | 45.78% | 15.20% |
| 114 |  Ghana's wealth gap |
13.75% | 47.47% | 12.99% |
| 115 |  income distribution in North Korea |
13.48% | 41.74% | 15.67% |
| 116 |  Serbia's income inequality |
13.47% | 35.87% | 19.03% |
| 117 |  Morocco's income inequality |
13.43% | 48.20% | 14.39% |
| 118 |  Tajikistan's income inequality |
13.26% | 40.28% | 16.88% |
| 119 |  income distribution in Fiji |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 120 |  Vanuatu |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 121 |  Samoa |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 122 |  Palau's income inequality |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 123 |  Nauru's income inequality |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 124 |  Kiribati's income inequality |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 125 |  Tonga's wealth gap |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 126 |  income distribution in Marshall Islands |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 127 |  Solomon Islands's income inequality |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 128 |  Tuvalu's wealth gap |
13.20% | 39.95% | 20.27% |
| 129 |  Tanzania |
13.18% | 46.00% | 14.46% |
| 130 |  Nigeria |
13.16% | 46.34% | 13.13% |
| 131 |  Sierra Leone's income inequality |
12.89% | 48.98% | 13.31% |
| 132 | Finland's wealth gap |
12.89% | 33.76% | 22.73% |
| 133 |  income distribution in Canada |
12.71% | 36.50% | 17.37% |
| 134 |  Liberia |
12.70% | 44.69% | 15.39% |
| 135 |  Mauritania |
12.53% | 46.86% | 13.73% |
| 136 |  Mexico's wealth gap |
12.45% | 54.45% | 6.29% |
| 137 |  income distribution in New Zealand |
12.37% | 38.24% | 17.61% |
| 138 |  Greece |
12.31% | 39.83% | 15.35% |
| 139 |  Equatorial Guinea's wealth gap |
12.01% | 45.33% | 13.94% |
| 140 |  income distribution in Belarus |
11.93% | 36.13% | 19.86% |
| 141 | Ireland's wealth gap |
11.86% | 35.37% | 20.96% |
| 142 |  United Kingdom's income inequality |
11.64% | 36.30% | 18.51% |
| 143 | income distribution in France |
11.50% | 33.78% | 20.67% |
| 144 |  income distribution in Japan |
11.40% | 41.48% | 17.51% |
| 145 |  Sudan's wealth gap |
11.30% | 42.51% | 15.54% |
| 146 |  Bulgaria's wealth gap |
11.20% | 36.22% | 19.67% |
| 147 |  Romania's income inequality |
11.18% | 35.58% | 19.59% |
| 148 |  Portugal's wealth gap |
11.18% | 39.38% | 17.39% |
| 149 |  income distribution in Kyrgyzstan |
11.12% | 38.18% | 18.07% |
| 150 |  Cyprus |
11.01% | 35.59% | 19.02% |
| 151 |  China's wealth gap |
11.00% | 36.75% | 16.52% |
| 152 |  Macao |
10.96% | 36.62% | 16.81% |
| 153 |  Liechtenstein's income inequality |
10.86% | 35.12% | 18.92% |
| 154 |  income distribution in Andorra |
10.86% | 35.12% | 18.92% |
| 155 |  San Marino's wealth gap |
10.86% | 35.12% | 18.92% |
| 156 |  Monaco |
10.86% | 35.12% | 18.92% |
| 157 | Norway |
10.83% | 30.24% | 25.27% |
| 158 | income distribution in Switzerland |
10.60% | 31.41% | 22.95% |
| 159 | Spain |
10.58% | 33.69% | 20.36% |
| 160 | Ukraine |
10.35% | 34.24% | 21.10% |
| 161 | Iceland's income inequality |
10.35% | 32.30% | 21.37% |
| 162 | Denmark |
10.31% | 29.68% | 24.20% |
| 163 | Germany's wealth gap |
10.28% | 32.39% | 21.53% |
| 164 | Hungary's wealth gap |
10.11% | 30.71% | 25.44% |
| 165 | Poland's income inequality |
10.00% | 33.27% | 21.62% |
| 166 |  Latvia's income inequality |
9.78% | 36.12% | 17.54% |
| 167 | income distribution in Montenegro |
9.66% | 32.56% | 21.03% |
| 168 | Austria's income inequality |
9.24% | 31.61% | 23.31% |
| 169 |  Sao Tome and Principe |
9.11% | 39.66% | 16.91% |
| 170 |  North Macedonia's wealth gap |
9.07% | 31.68% | 17.44% |
| 171 | Malta |
9.00% | 30.96% | 21.83% |
| 172 | income distribution in Sweden |
8.97% | 29.79% | 25.53% |
| 173 |  Australia's wealth gap |
8.94% | 31.71% | 18.63% |
| 174 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina's income inequality |
8.87% | 32.59% | 18.90% |
| 175 |  Moldova |
8.87% | 35.31% | 16.06% |
| 176 | Slovakia's income inequality |
8.76% | 29.51% | 23.70% |
| 177 | Italy's income inequality |
8.62% | 31.30% | 21.16% |
| 178 |  Kosovo |
8.47% | 33.67% | 17.47% |
| 179 |  Albania |
8.43% | 33.22% | 18.30% |
| 180 |  income distribution in Lithuania |
8.31% | 33.56% | 19.15% |
| 181 |  Belgium |
7.96% | 32.18% | 20.29% |
| 182 |  income distribution in Croatia |
7.51% | 32.38% | 19.14% |
| 183 | Netherlands |
6.95% | 28.75% | 24.05% |
| 184 | Slovenia's wealth gap |
6.88% | 28.67% | 23.31% |
Last updated: April 8, 2026
Data source: World Inequality Database (WID). This dataset covers income distribution metrics for 199 countries from 1980 to 2024.