In 2016, 184 countries reported income inequality data. The highest top 1% income concentration was in Chile at 32.72%. The global average top 1% income share was 16.45%.
Countries With the Highest Income Inequality in 2016
The following table ranks countries by their top 1% income share in 2016, showing where wealth concentration is most pronounced.
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chile's wealth gap |
32.72% | 64.34% | 7.70% |
| 2 |  Malawi's wealth gap |
31.42% | 58.51% | 11.23% |
| 3 |  Mexico's income inequality |
29.67% | 62.77% | 6.24% |
| 4 |  Mozambique's income inequality |
28.65% | 62.94% | 8.72% |
| 5 |  income distribution in Peru |
27.81% | 56.11% | 9.91% |
| 6 |  Bahrain |
25.59% | 57.75% | 10.38% |
| 7 |  Brazil |
25.26% | 58.35% | 9.63% |
| 8 |  Yemen's wealth gap |
25.07% | 59.56% | 9.44% |
| 9 |  Qatar |
24.44% | 56.94% | 9.70% |
| 10 |  Dominican Republic's wealth gap |
24.08% | 55.54% | 8.77% |
| 11 |  El Salvador's income inequality |
24.07% | 48.78% | 8.57% |
| 12 |  income distribution in Angola |
23.85% | 56.28% | 9.67% |
| 13 |  Georgia's income inequality |
23.75% | 48.23% | 13.77% |
| 14 |  income distribution in Paraguay |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 15 |  Nicaragua's income inequality |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 16 |  Honduras's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 17 |  Guatemala's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 18 |  Jamaica's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 19 |  income distribution in Panama |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 20 |  income distribution in Bolivia |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
Countries With the Most Equal Income Distribution in 2016
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 |  income distribution in Slovakia |
9.11% | 29.47% | 24.49% |
| 2 |  Norway's income inequality |
9.75% | 30.64% | 24.46% |
| 3 |  Sweden's income inequality |
9.20% | 29.33% | 24.30% |
| 4 |  income distribution in Iceland |
8.55% | 29.29% | 24.13% |
| 5 |  Hungary |
12.03% | 33.06% | 23.21% |
| 6 |  New Zealand's income inequality |
11.13% | 32.84% | 23.19% |
| 7 |  Belarus's wealth gap |
9.54% | 32.56% | 22.77% |
| 8 |  Austria's wealth gap |
9.78% | 32.67% | 22.60% |
| 9 |  Netherlands |
6.91% | 29.22% | 22.56% |
| 10 |  Slovenia |
7.38% | 29.39% | 22.49% |
| 11 |  Switzerland |
11.39% | 32.55% | 22.35% |
| 12 |  Ukraine's wealth gap |
10.58% | 33.39% | 22.22% |
| 13 |  Denmark |
13.01% | 33.49% | 21.81% |
| 14 |  Finland's income inequality |
9.68% | 32.90% | 21.59% |
| 15 |  Belgium |
8.63% | 32.12% | 21.11% |
| 16 |  income distribution in Azerbaijan |
13.33% | 37.37% | 21.10% |
| 17 |  income distribution in Italy |
8.88% | 32.15% | 20.68% |
| 18 |  France's wealth gap |
10.39% | 33.38% | 20.65% |
| 19 |  Malta |
10.15% | 33.77% | 20.37% |
| 20 |  income distribution in Spain |
12.70% | 35.11% | 20.23% |
Global Income Inequality Overview for 2016
- Countries with data: 184
- Average top 1% income share: 16.45%
- Average bottom 50% income share: 14.82%
- Highest top 1% share: Chile (32.72%)
- Lowest top 1% share: Netherlands (6.91%)
Complete Country Rankings for 2016
| # | Country | Top 1% | Top 10% | Bottom 50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chile's income inequality |
32.72% | 64.34% | 7.70% |
| 2 | Malawi |
31.42% | 58.51% | 11.23% |
| 3 | Mexico's wealth gap |
29.67% | 62.77% | 6.24% |
| 4 | Mozambique's wealth gap |
28.65% | 62.94% | 8.72% |
| 5 | Peru's wealth gap |
27.81% | 56.11% | 9.91% |
| 6 | Bahrain's income inequality |
25.59% | 57.75% | 10.38% |
| 7 | income distribution in Brazil |
25.26% | 58.35% | 9.63% |
| 8 | Yemen's income inequality |
25.07% | 59.56% | 9.44% |
| 9 | Qatar's wealth gap |
24.44% | 56.94% | 9.70% |
| 10 | Dominican Republic's income inequality |
24.08% | 55.54% | 8.77% |
| 11 | El Salvador's income inequality |
24.07% | 48.78% | 8.57% |
| 12 | Angola |
23.85% | 56.28% | 9.67% |
| 13 | income distribution in Georgia |
23.75% | 48.23% | 13.77% |
| 14 | Paraguay's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 15 | income distribution in Nicaragua |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 16 | income distribution in Honduras |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 17 | Guatemala |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 18 | income distribution in Jamaica |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 19 | income distribution in Panama |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 20 | Bolivia |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 21 |  Suriname's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 22 |  Venezuela's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 23 |  Guyana |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 24 |  Bahamas's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 25 |  Trinidad and Tobago's wealth gap |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 26 |  Haiti's income inequality |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 27 |  Belize's income inequality |
23.45% | 52.95% | 10.28% |
| 28 |  Botswana's income inequality |
23.28% | 60.61% | 7.62% |
| 29 |  Algeria's income inequality |
23.25% | 50.10% | 15.78% |
| 30 |  income distribution in Saudi Arabia |
23.16% | 52.05% | 10.65% |
| 31 |  Colombia's income inequality |
22.74% | 56.70% | 9.50% |
| 32 |  India's income inequality |
22.64% | 59.23% | 12.56% |
| 33 |  Iraq's income inequality |
22.63% | 51.89% | 13.95% |
| 34 |  Tunisia's income inequality |
22.41% | 52.71% | 12.38% |
| 35 |  Zambia |
21.64% | 60.17% | 7.58% |
| 36 |  income distribution in Namibia |
21.58% | 64.20% | 6.55% |
| 37 |  Myanmar's income inequality |
21.57% | 47.05% | 14.30% |
| 38 |  Central African Republic's income inequality |
21.54% | 56.00% | 10.39% |
| 39 |  income distribution in Grenada |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 40 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines's wealth gap |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 41 |  Dominica |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 42 |  Barbados |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 43 |  Saint Lucia |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 44 |  income distribution in Saint Kitts and Nevis |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 45 |  Antigua and Barbuda's wealth gap |
21.19% | 50.49% | 11.97% |
| 46 |  Lebanon's wealth gap |
21.15% | 54.57% | 10.68% |
| 47 |  income distribution in Egypt |
20.79% | 50.53% | 14.75% |
| 48 |  income distribution in Congo |
20.52% | 55.93% | 9.92% |
| 49 |  income distribution in Sri Lanka |
20.47% | 48.98% | 14.14% |
| 50 |  income distribution in Taiwan |
20.23% | 49.10% | 10.92% |
| 51 |  Oman's wealth gap |
19.93% | 56.27% | 9.06% |
| 52 |  Rwanda's income inequality |
19.89% | 53.94% | 11.84% |
| 53 |  income distribution in Costa Rica |
19.75% | 54.79% | 8.15% |
| 54 |  Turkey |
19.49% | 52.72% | 13.95% |
| 55 |  Thailand's income inequality |
19.33% | 50.72% | 13.07% |
| 56 |  South Africa |
19.31% | 65.41% | 5.81% |
| 57 |  Turkmenistan's wealth gap |
19.29% | 48.72% | 12.26% |
| 58 |  Uruguay |
18.87% | 44.60% | 15.51% |
| 59 |  Seychelles |
18.64% | 47.30% | 14.78% |
| 60 |  Palestine |
18.29% | 51.47% | 12.33% |
| 61 |  Cambodia's wealth gap |
18.21% | 45.46% | 13.84% |
| 62 |  Tanzania's wealth gap |
17.86% | 50.94% | 13.15% |
| 63 |  Hong Kong's income inequality |
17.84% | 48.18% | 13.59% |
| 64 |  Jordan's income inequality |
17.83% | 49.63% | 14.40% |
| 65 |  income distribution in Kuwait |
17.73% | 45.40% | 16.32% |
| 66 |  income distribution in Zimbabwe |
17.23% | 52.37% | 11.35% |
| 67 |  Somalia |
17.22% | 50.28% | 13.26% |
| 68 |  Philippines |
17.07% | 46.47% | 13.57% |
| 69 |  Uganda |
17.04% | 52.07% | 12.13% |
| 70 |  income distribution in Pakistan |
17.02% | 43.62% | 17.01% |
| 71 |  Israel |
16.91% | 49.21% | 13.28% |
| 72 |  Bulgaria |
16.88% | 41.88% | 16.81% |
| 73 |  United Arab Emirates's wealth gap |
16.69% | 49.60% | 11.97% |
| 74 |  income distribution in Mongolia |
16.67% | 43.37% | 14.80% |
| 75 |  Armenia |
16.53% | 39.83% | 17.36% |
| 76 |  Benin's income inequality |
16.49% | 52.27% | 12.31% |
| 77 |  income distribution in Papua New Guinea |
16.36% | 46.27% | 12.92% |
| 78 |  Libya |
16.32% | 46.98% | 15.25% |
| 79 |  income distribution in Uzbekistan |
16.29% | 45.20% | 14.95% |
| 80 |  Fiji's wealth gap |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 81 |  Tonga's wealth gap |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 82 |  income distribution in Bangladesh |
16.15% | 42.39% | 17.09% |
| 83 |  Kiribati |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 84 |  Vanuatu's wealth gap |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 85 |  Solomon Islands's income inequality |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 86 |  Marshall Islands's wealth gap |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 87 |  Tuvalu |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 88 |  Samoa's income inequality |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 89 |  Nauru's income inequality |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 90 |  Palau's wealth gap |
16.15% | 48.03% | 16.11% |
| 91 |  income distribution in Mauritius |
16.12% | 47.85% | 14.65% |
| 92 |  Serbia |
16.10% | 41.77% | 13.19% |
| 93 |  Cuba's income inequality |
16.06% | 42.31% | 14.15% |
| 94 |  Djibouti's income inequality |
16.02% | 50.03% | 12.83% |
| 95 |  Indonesia |
15.82% | 43.15% | 15.14% |
| 96 |  Burkina Faso |
15.64% | 50.33% | 13.52% |
| 97 |  South Sudan's income inequality |
15.52% | 50.01% | 11.91% |
| 98 |  Sudan's wealth gap |
15.36% | 45.04% | 15.77% |
| 99 |  Ghana's wealth gap |
15.23% | 48.91% | 12.21% |
| 100 |  Ecuador |
15.17% | 40.61% | 13.63% |
| 101 |  Cameroon's income inequality |
15.11% | 50.78% | 11.13% |
| 102 |  Sao Tome and Principe's wealth gap |
14.98% | 49.01% | 13.67% |
| 103 |  North Korea's wealth gap |
14.76% | 42.66% | 15.12% |
| 104 |  Lesotho's income inequality |
14.73% | 49.89% | 11.14% |
| 105 |  income distribution in Afghanistan |
14.71% | 40.41% | 18.16% |
| 106 |  Poland's wealth gap |
14.70% | 37.43% | 19.78% |
| 107 |  Madagascar's income inequality |
14.64% | 49.01% | 13.50% |
| 108 |  Burundi |
14.63% | 47.83% | 14.18% |
| 109 |  Kazakhstan's income inequality |
14.61% | 40.47% | 16.71% |
| 110 |  Kenya |
14.57% | 47.98% | 13.40% |
| 111 |  Bhutan's wealth gap |
14.54% | 42.82% | 14.95% |
| 112 |  Senegal |
14.54% | 48.07% | 13.73% |
| 113 |  Togo's income inequality |
14.40% | 48.75% | 12.25% |
| 114 |  Singapore's wealth gap |
14.20% | 46.28% | 16.65% |
| 115 |  income distribution in Tajikistan |
14.17% | 41.85% | 15.78% |
| 116 |  Comoros's wealth gap |
14.15% | 50.26% | 11.39% |
| 117 |  income distribution in Argentina |
14.15% | 41.72% | 13.31% |
| 118 |  Gambia |
14.09% | 46.30% | 14.79% |
| 119 |  Iran |
14.07% | 45.18% | 16.10% |
| 120 |  income distribution in Chad |
14.05% | 47.43% | 13.76% |
| 121 |  China |
14.05% | 41.80% | 14.11% |
| 122 |  Macao's income inequality |
14.00% | 41.66% | 14.36% |
| 123 |  Niger |
13.92% | 46.25% | 15.05% |
| 124 |  Guinea-Bissau |
13.84% | 48.23% | 13.94% |
| 125 |  Sierra Leone's wealth gap |
13.78% | 45.84% | 15.26% |
| 126 |  Nepal's wealth gap |
13.70% | 41.46% | 16.71% |
| 127 |  income distribution in Romania |
13.50% | 38.67% | 17.24% |
| 128 |  Morocco's income inequality |
13.43% | 48.20% | 14.39% |
| 129 | Azerbaijan's income inequality |
13.33% | 37.37% | 21.10% |
| 130 |  income distribution in Ethiopia |
13.26% | 44.64% | 16.09% |
| 131 |  Eritrea's wealth gap |
13.26% | 44.64% | 16.09% |
| 132 |  Germany |
13.25% | 38.11% | 18.43% |
| 133 |  Maldives's wealth gap |
13.07% | 39.49% | 18.09% |
| 134 | income distribution in Denmark |
13.01% | 33.49% | 21.81% |
| 135 | Spain's income inequality |
12.70% | 35.11% | 20.23% |
| 136 |  income distribution in Japan |
12.68% | 43.53% | 18.18% |
| 137 |  United Kingdom |
12.48% | 35.72% | 20.02% |
| 138 |  income distribution in Ireland |
12.26% | 36.07% | 19.02% |
| 139 |  Liberia's income inequality |
12.20% | 43.24% | 15.43% |
| 140 |  income distribution in Kyrgyzstan |
12.15% | 37.84% | 19.20% |
| 141 |  income distribution in Luxembourg |
12.10% | 34.76% | 19.61% |
| 142 | Hungary |
12.03% | 33.06% | 23.21% |
| 143 |  income distribution in Equatorial Guinea |
12.01% | 45.33% | 13.94% |
| 144 |  income distribution in Malaysia |
11.80% | 35.64% | 19.14% |
| 145 |  Gabon's wealth gap |
11.53% | 43.94% | 14.26% |
| 146 |  Mali |
11.44% | 43.82% | 15.16% |
| 147 | Switzerland's income inequality |
11.39% | 32.55% | 22.35% |
| 148 |  Estonia's wealth gap |
11.36% | 35.41% | 17.79% |
| 149 |  Greece |
11.25% | 34.25% | 19.43% |
| 150 |  Lithuania's wealth gap |
11.17% | 37.50% | 17.37% |
| 151 | New Zealand's wealth gap |
11.13% | 32.84% | 23.19% |
| 152 |  income distribution in Cyprus |
11.09% | 36.08% | 18.65% |
| 153 |  Portugal |
10.93% | 37.30% | 18.78% |
| 154 |  Moldova's wealth gap |
10.85% | 34.63% | 18.07% |
| 155 |  Andorra |
10.78% | 35.15% | 18.14% |
| 156 |  Monaco |
10.78% | 35.15% | 18.14% |
| 157 |  Liechtenstein's income inequality |
10.78% | 35.15% | 18.14% |
| 158 |  San Marino |
10.78% | 35.15% | 18.14% |
| 159 |  Montenegro |
10.76% | 36.93% | 16.01% |
| 160 |  Nigeria |
10.73% | 42.56% | 15.23% |
| 161 | Ukraine |
10.58% | 33.39% | 22.22% |
| 162 |  Mauritania |
10.44% | 40.26% | 16.89% |
| 163 | France's wealth gap |
10.39% | 33.38% | 20.65% |
| 164 | Malta |
10.15% | 33.77% | 20.37% |
| 165 |  Guinea |
9.99% | 39.50% | 17.53% |
| 166 |  income distribution in Canada |
9.90% | 34.13% | 17.80% |
| 167 |  income distribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
9.83% | 34.65% | 18.26% |
| 168 | Austria's income inequality |
9.78% | 32.67% | 22.60% |
| 169 | Norway |
9.75% | 30.64% | 24.46% |
| 170 | Finland's income inequality |
9.68% | 32.90% | 21.59% |
| 171 |  Australia's wealth gap |
9.66% | 33.74% | 17.43% |
| 172 |  Croatia's income inequality |
9.63% | 33.16% | 19.43% |
| 173 | Belarus |
9.54% | 32.56% | 22.77% |
| 174 |  income distribution in Albania |
9.33% | 35.77% | 16.49% |
| 175 |  Kosovo's wealth gap |
9.25% | 33.23% | 18.26% |
| 176 | Sweden's income inequality |
9.20% | 29.33% | 24.30% |
| 177 | Slovakia's wealth gap |
9.11% | 29.47% | 24.49% |
| 178 | Italy |
8.88% | 32.15% | 20.68% |
| 179 |  North Macedonia's income inequality |
8.80% | 32.11% | 19.94% |
| 180 | income distribution in Belgium |
8.63% | 32.12% | 21.11% |
| 181 |  Latvia's wealth gap |
8.59% | 34.17% | 18.28% |
| 182 | Iceland's wealth gap |
8.55% | 29.29% | 24.13% |
| 183 | Slovenia's income inequality |
7.38% | 29.39% | 22.49% |
| 184 | Netherlands's income inequality |
6.91% | 29.22% | 22.56% |
Last updated: April 8, 2026
Data source: World Inequality Database (WID). This dataset covers income distribution metrics for 199 countries from 1980 to 2024.