In 2011, 184 countries reported income inequality data. The highest top 1% income concentration was in Yemen at 38.89%. The global average top 1% income share was 16.75%.
Countries With the Highest Income Inequality in 2011
The following table ranks countries by their top 1% income share in 2011, showing where wealth concentration is most pronounced.
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Yemen |
38.89% | 62.83% | 10.44% |
| 2 |  Chile's wealth gap |
32.98% | 68.29% | 6.49% |
| 3 |  income distribution in Mexico |
32.64% | 62.93% | 5.61% |
| 4 |  Brazil's wealth gap |
30.85% | 59.52% | 10.20% |
| 5 |  Seychelles's income inequality |
29.72% | 57.89% | 11.25% |
| 6 |  Peru |
28.98% | 56.14% | 9.52% |
| 7 |  Colombia's wealth gap |
27.59% | 60.56% | 7.90% |
| 8 |  Central African Republic's wealth gap |
27.46% | 61.57% | 8.66% |
| 9 |  Mozambique's income inequality |
27.30% | 60.15% | 9.76% |
| 10 |  Myanmar's income inequality |
26.49% | 51.12% | 12.71% |
| 11 |  income distribution in Botswana |
26.06% | 63.29% | 7.36% |
| 12 |  Iraq |
25.03% | 54.60% | 13.69% |
| 13 |  income distribution in Namibia |
24.72% | 67.54% | 6.23% |
| 14 |  Qatar's income inequality |
24.16% | 56.66% | 9.66% |
| 15 |  Bolivia's income inequality |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 16 |  Guatemala |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 17 |  Paraguay |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 18 |  income distribution in Suriname |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 19 |  Panama |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 20 |  Guyana's wealth gap |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
Countries With the Most Equal Income Distribution in 2011
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 |  Iceland's income inequality |
5.90% | 27.39% | 24.49% |
| 2 |  income distribution in Ukraine |
7.83% | 30.15% | 24.37% |
| 3 |  Norway's income inequality |
12.47% | 32.92% | 23.84% |
| 4 |  Slovakia |
9.55% | 30.38% | 23.48% |
| 5 |  Hungary's wealth gap |
11.00% | 32.87% | 23.32% |
| 6 |  income distribution in Sweden |
10.63% | 31.13% | 23.14% |
| 7 |  Netherlands's wealth gap |
6.59% | 28.94% | 23.06% |
| 8 |  Slovenia's wealth gap |
7.02% | 29.26% | 22.91% |
| 9 |  Denmark |
11.69% | 31.81% | 22.79% |
| 10 |  Austria's wealth gap |
9.35% | 32.23% | 22.44% |
| 11 |  Switzerland |
12.43% | 33.98% | 22.19% |
| 12 |  income distribution in New Zealand |
19.72% | 38.69% | 22.01% |
| 13 |  Italy's wealth gap |
8.21% | 31.29% | 21.53% |
| 14 |  income distribution in Finland |
9.24% | 32.35% | 21.28% |
| 15 |  Malta's income inequality |
9.94% | 32.37% | 21.20% |
| 16 |  Belgium's income inequality |
7.94% | 31.14% | 21.15% |
| 17 |  Ireland's income inequality |
10.01% | 33.17% | 21.06% |
| 18 |  Spain |
11.35% | 34.06% | 20.65% |
| 19 |  France |
11.24% | 33.92% | 20.43% |
| 20 |  Azerbaijan's wealth gap |
14.20% | 38.50% | 20.08% |
Global Income Inequality Overview for 2011
- Countries with data: 184
- Average top 1% income share: 16.75%
- Average bottom 50% income share: 14.55%
- Highest top 1% share: Yemen (38.89%)
- Lowest top 1% share: Iceland (5.90%)
Complete Country Rankings for 2011
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yemen's income inequality |
38.89% | 62.83% | 10.44% |
| 2 | income distribution in Chile |
32.98% | 68.29% | 6.49% |
| 3 | Mexico |
32.64% | 62.93% | 5.61% |
| 4 | Brazil's wealth gap |
30.85% | 59.52% | 10.20% |
| 5 | income distribution in Seychelles |
29.72% | 57.89% | 11.25% |
| 6 | Peru |
28.98% | 56.14% | 9.52% |
| 7 | income distribution in Colombia |
27.59% | 60.56% | 7.90% |
| 8 | Central African Republic |
27.46% | 61.57% | 8.66% |
| 9 | income distribution in Mozambique |
27.30% | 60.15% | 9.76% |
| 10 | Myanmar's income inequality |
26.49% | 51.12% | 12.71% |
| 11 | Botswana's wealth gap |
26.06% | 63.29% | 7.36% |
| 12 | income distribution in Iraq |
25.03% | 54.60% | 13.69% |
| 13 | Namibia |
24.72% | 67.54% | 6.23% |
| 14 | Qatar's income inequality |
24.16% | 56.66% | 9.66% |
| 15 | Bolivia |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 16 | Guatemala |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 17 | income distribution in Paraguay |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 18 | Suriname |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 19 | income distribution in Panama |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 20 | income distribution in Guyana |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 21 |  Venezuela's wealth gap |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 22 |  Nicaragua's income inequality |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 23 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 24 |  Bahamas |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 25 |  Jamaica's wealth gap |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 26 |  Honduras's wealth gap |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 27 |  Haiti |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 28 |  Belize's wealth gap |
23.91% | 53.84% | 9.78% |
| 29 |  Malawi |
23.53% | 56.06% | 11.12% |
| 30 |  income distribution in Georgia |
23.45% | 49.40% | 12.76% |
| 31 |  Rwanda |
23.37% | 58.31% | 10.78% |
| 32 |  Saudi Arabia's wealth gap |
23.16% | 52.05% | 10.65% |
| 33 |  Dominican Republic's income inequality |
22.79% | 54.43% | 8.36% |
| 34 |  Thailand's income inequality |
21.92% | 53.77% | 11.82% |
| 35 |  India |
21.54% | 55.17% | 13.73% |
| 36 |  Lebanon's wealth gap |
21.51% | 55.71% | 10.41% |
| 37 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 38 |  Saint Lucia's wealth gap |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 39 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis's income inequality |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 40 |  Dominica |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 41 |  income distribution in Barbados |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 42 |  Antigua and Barbuda |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 43 |  Grenada |
21.20% | 53.03% | 9.17% |
| 44 |  Congo |
20.52% | 55.93% | 9.92% |
| 45 |  Costa Rica |
20.30% | 52.04% | 9.45% |
| 46 |  Kuwait's wealth gap |
20.19% | 54.21% | 11.60% |
| 47 |  Hong Kong's income inequality |
20.13% | 49.47% | 12.69% |
| 48 |  Jordan |
20.12% | 50.80% | 14.07% |
| 49 |  income distribution in Sri Lanka |
20.07% | 48.10% | 14.14% |
| 50 |  Israel's wealth gap |
20.00% | 52.30% | 11.85% |
| 51 |  Oman's income inequality |
19.93% | 56.27% | 9.06% |
| 52 |  Gambia's wealth gap |
19.82% | 51.97% | 12.52% |
| 53 | New Zealand's income inequality |
19.72% | 38.69% | 22.01% |
| 54 |  Zambia |
19.61% | 58.99% | 8.49% |
| 55 |  income distribution in Cambodia |
19.37% | 46.68% | 13.13% |
| 56 |  Turkmenistan's wealth gap |
19.16% | 48.61% | 12.38% |
| 57 |  Uruguay's wealth gap |
19.05% | 44.99% | 15.59% |
| 58 |  income distribution in Bahrain |
18.97% | 52.32% | 12.39% |
| 59 |  Turkey's income inequality |
18.94% | 51.50% | 14.56% |
| 60 |  income distribution in Egypt |
18.66% | 48.97% | 15.45% |
| 61 |  income distribution in Comoros |
18.65% | 55.27% | 10.29% |
| 62 |  South Africa's wealth gap |
18.65% | 62.43% | 7.36% |
| 63 |  Angola's income inequality |
18.52% | 51.93% | 11.27% |
| 64 |  Palestine's income inequality |
18.33% | 52.42% | 12.17% |
| 65 |  income distribution in Taiwan |
18.25% | 47.36% | 10.48% |
| 66 |  Kenya's income inequality |
17.71% | 51.28% | 12.16% |
| 67 |  Philippines's income inequality |
17.70% | 48.43% | 12.49% |
| 68 |  income distribution in Indonesia |
17.56% | 44.84% | 14.28% |
| 69 |  Somalia |
17.53% | 50.46% | 13.35% |
| 70 |  United Arab Emirates's wealth gap |
17.36% | 53.52% | 10.10% |
| 71 |  Bhutan's income inequality |
17.19% | 46.20% | 14.10% |
| 72 |  Maldives |
17.12% | 44.47% | 15.14% |
| 73 |  income distribution in Tunisia |
17.07% | 53.91% | 12.26% |
| 74 |  Djibouti |
17.00% | 51.30% | 12.10% |
| 75 |  Mongolia's wealth gap |
16.99% | 44.05% | 14.37% |
| 76 |  Malaysia |
16.99% | 43.16% | 15.23% |
| 77 |  income distribution in Madagascar |
16.94% | 51.60% | 12.46% |
| 78 |  Pakistan |
16.85% | 43.22% | 17.06% |
| 79 |  Uzbekistan's income inequality |
16.58% | 45.47% | 14.67% |
| 80 |  Guinea-Bissau's income inequality |
16.56% | 58.16% | 10.31% |
| 81 |  Uganda's wealth gap |
16.52% | 51.88% | 12.58% |
| 82 |  income distribution in Mauritius |
16.47% | 49.01% | 14.21% |
| 83 |  Tanzania's wealth gap |
16.41% | 48.82% | 14.13% |
| 84 |  income distribution in Papua New Guinea |
16.40% | 46.30% | 12.89% |
| 85 |  Bangladesh |
16.25% | 43.29% | 16.35% |
| 86 |  Samoa's income inequality |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 87 |  Solomon Islands's income inequality |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 88 |  income distribution in Marshall Islands |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 89 |  Fiji's wealth gap |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 90 |  Tonga |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 91 |  Kiribati's income inequality |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 92 |  income distribution in Vanuatu |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 93 |  Tuvalu |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 94 |  Nauru's income inequality |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 95 |  income distribution in Palau |
16.24% | 47.18% | 16.55% |
| 96 |  Burkina Faso |
16.13% | 48.91% | 14.03% |
| 97 |  Lesotho's income inequality |
16.08% | 51.79% | 10.41% |
| 98 |  El Salvador's wealth gap |
16.08% | 46.71% | 9.18% |
| 99 |  Algeria's income inequality |
15.93% | 43.27% | 18.55% |
| 100 |  Zimbabwe's income inequality |
15.93% | 51.37% | 11.88% |
| 101 |  Cameroon |
15.77% | 51.31% | 11.19% |
| 102 |  Cuba |
15.73% | 43.26% | 13.52% |
| 103 |  income distribution in North Korea |
15.72% | 44.38% | 14.57% |
| 104 |  Chad's income inequality |
15.71% | 49.30% | 12.29% |
| 105 |  Ecuador's income inequality |
15.61% | 44.75% | 11.31% |
| 106 |  Togo's wealth gap |
15.49% | 51.44% | 10.85% |
| 107 |  Benin's wealth gap |
15.34% | 51.90% | 11.90% |
| 108 |  income distribution in Iran |
15.03% | 45.43% | 15.14% |
| 109 |  Libya's income inequality |
14.97% | 45.79% | 15.58% |
| 110 |  China's wealth gap |
14.71% | 43.23% | 13.85% |
| 111 |  Ethiopia's wealth gap |
14.69% | 44.82% | 16.36% |
| 112 |  Eritrea's income inequality |
14.69% | 44.82% | 16.36% |
| 113 |  Macao's wealth gap |
14.67% | 43.11% | 14.09% |
| 114 |  income distribution in Ghana |
14.60% | 48.60% | 12.49% |
| 115 |  South Sudan |
14.58% | 49.57% | 11.24% |
| 116 |  Romania |
14.35% | 40.25% | 16.36% |
| 117 |  Nepal's income inequality |
14.32% | 42.09% | 16.17% |
| 118 |  Afghanistan's income inequality |
14.32% | 39.42% | 18.60% |
| 119 |  Burundi's wealth gap |
14.21% | 47.46% | 14.50% |
| 120 | Azerbaijan's income inequality |
14.20% | 38.50% | 20.08% |
| 121 |  Tajikistan |
14.09% | 40.74% | 16.44% |
| 122 |  income distribution in Gabon |
14.08% | 47.05% | 13.46% |
| 123 |  Singapore |
14.04% | 45.12% | 17.13% |
| 124 |  Poland's wealth gap |
13.95% | 36.98% | 19.89% |
| 125 |  income distribution in Kazakhstan |
13.79% | 39.48% | 17.29% |
| 126 |  income distribution in Morocco |
13.43% | 48.20% | 14.39% |
| 127 |  income distribution in Serbia |
13.31% | 38.65% | 15.00% |
| 128 |  Armenia |
13.26% | 37.29% | 19.48% |
| 129 |  income distribution in Senegal |
13.19% | 47.71% | 13.38% |
| 130 |  United Kingdom |
13.17% | 35.80% | 19.44% |
| 131 |  Kyrgyzstan's income inequality |
12.98% | 38.55% | 18.77% |
| 132 |  Sudan's income inequality |
12.92% | 43.52% | 15.63% |
| 133 |  Luxembourg's wealth gap |
12.90% | 35.53% | 19.95% |
| 134 |  Germany's wealth gap |
12.80% | 36.79% | 19.08% |
| 135 |  Estonia's wealth gap |
12.72% | 37.28% | 17.38% |
| 136 |  Guinea |
12.66% | 43.47% | 15.70% |
| 137 |  Bulgaria's wealth gap |
12.54% | 35.55% | 19.48% |
| 138 |  Argentina's wealth gap |
12.52% | 40.03% | 13.66% |
| 139 | Norway's wealth gap |
12.47% | 32.92% | 23.84% |
| 140 |  Belarus |
12.47% | 36.48% | 19.27% |
| 141 | Switzerland's wealth gap |
12.43% | 33.98% | 22.19% |
| 142 |  Japan's wealth gap |
12.41% | 43.31% | 18.42% |
| 143 |  Canada's income inequality |
12.28% | 36.47% | 17.07% |
| 144 |  Niger's income inequality |
12.23% | 43.23% | 16.90% |
| 145 |  Equatorial Guinea's wealth gap |
12.01% | 45.33% | 13.94% |
| 146 | income distribution in Denmark |
11.69% | 31.81% | 22.79% |
| 147 |  Liberia's wealth gap |
11.66% | 43.13% | 15.99% |
| 148 |  Cyprus's income inequality |
11.66% | 37.33% | 18.16% |
| 149 | income distribution in Spain |
11.35% | 34.06% | 20.65% |
| 150 |  Moldova |
11.24% | 36.02% | 16.92% |
| 151 | France |
11.24% | 33.92% | 20.43% |
| 152 |  income distribution in Portugal |
11.16% | 38.27% | 18.46% |
| 153 | Hungary's wealth gap |
11.00% | 32.87% | 23.32% |
| 154 |  Australia's wealth gap |
10.88% | 35.15% | 17.76% |
| 155 |  income distribution in Andorra |
10.87% | 35.05% | 18.33% |
| 156 |  Monaco |
10.87% | 35.05% | 18.33% |
| 157 |  San Marino's income inequality |
10.87% | 35.05% | 18.33% |
| 158 |  income distribution in Liechtenstein |
10.87% | 35.05% | 18.33% |
| 159 |  income distribution in Sierra Leone |
10.69% | 42.95% | 15.92% |
| 160 |  Latvia |
10.63% | 37.39% | 18.46% |
| 161 | Sweden |
10.63% | 31.13% | 23.14% |
| 162 |  Mauritania's income inequality |
10.51% | 41.00% | 16.02% |
| 163 |  Montenegro's income inequality |
10.35% | 36.03% | 16.20% |
| 164 |  Nigeria |
10.21% | 42.28% | 15.23% |
| 165 |  Mali's income inequality |
10.19% | 41.99% | 16.00% |
| 166 | Ireland's wealth gap |
10.01% | 33.17% | 21.06% |
| 167 |  Sao Tome and Principe's wealth gap |
9.96% | 40.99% | 16.86% |
| 168 | income distribution in Malta |
9.94% | 32.37% | 21.20% |
| 169 |  Lithuania's income inequality |
9.90% | 35.06% | 19.56% |
| 170 |  Croatia |
9.88% | 33.86% | 18.90% |
| 171 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina's wealth gap |
9.76% | 34.80% | 17.79% |
| 172 | income distribution in Slovakia |
9.55% | 30.38% | 23.48% |
| 173 | Austria |
9.35% | 32.23% | 22.44% |
| 174 | income distribution in Finland |
9.24% | 32.35% | 21.28% |
| 175 |  Kosovo's income inequality |
8.83% | 33.40% | 18.04% |
| 176 |  Albania |
8.59% | 33.08% | 19.04% |
| 177 | Italy's income inequality |
8.21% | 31.29% | 21.53% |
| 178 |  income distribution in North Macedonia |
7.99% | 34.21% | 17.15% |
| 179 | Belgium's wealth gap |
7.94% | 31.14% | 21.15% |
| 180 | income distribution in Ukraine |
7.83% | 30.15% | 24.37% |
| 181 |  income distribution in Greece |
7.28% | 31.43% | 19.62% |
| 182 | Slovenia |
7.02% | 29.26% | 22.91% |
| 183 | Netherlands's wealth gap |
6.59% | 28.94% | 23.06% |
| 184 | Iceland's income inequality |
5.90% | 27.39% | 24.49% |
Last updated: April 8, 2026
Data source: World Inequality Database (WID). This dataset covers income distribution metrics for 199 countries from 1980 to 2024.