Khaberni - The richest 10% of the world's population control three-quarters of personal wealth, according to the 2026 Global Inequality Report, and the situation is not much different regarding income, as the top 50% of income earners receive more than 90%, while the poorer half receives less than 10% of total incomes.
The report - published annually since 2018 - notes that the 2026 issue comes at a critical time, as living standards are declining for many around the world, while wealth and power are increasingly concentrated in the hands of the elite, according to a report by Al Jazeera English.
Wealth and Income
Wealth levels are not always linked to income levels, as the wealthy are not necessarily the highest earners, highlighting the ongoing gap between what people earn and what they own.
Wealth includes the total value of a person's assets, such as savings, investments, and real estate, after deducting their debts.
In 2025, the richest 10% of the world's population owned 75% of global wealth, while the middle segment representing 40% of the population held about 23%, and the poorer half owned only 2%.
Since the 1990s, the wealth of billionaires and millionaires has grown by approximately 8% annually, almost double the growth rate of the poorer half of the world's population.
The richest 0.001% (less than 60,000 millionaires) now control a wealth exceeding three times the wealth of half of the world's population.
The poor have made slight gains, but these are overshadowed by the rapid accumulation of wealth by the rich, resulting in a world where a tiny minority hold immense financial power, while billions continue to struggle to maintain their economic status.
Income is measured using earnings before taxes after deducting contributions to pension schemes and unemployment insurance.
In 2025, the richest 10% of the world's population controlled 53% of global income, while 40% of the population received 38%, and the poorest 50% received only 8%.
Regional Distribution of Wealth and Income
A person's birthplace remains one of the strongest factors determining the amount of their income and the wealth they can accumulate.
- In 2025, the average wealth of residents of North America and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, and island nations) that the report grouped together was 338% of the global average, making it the richest region in the world, and their income share was 290% of the global average, the highest in the world.
- They are followed by Europe and East Asia, both above the global average, while vast parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East are significantly below the global average.
Global inequality paints a bleak picture, yet the size of wealth and income gaps varies greatly from country to country. While some nations show a more balanced distribution, others reveal intense concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
The Greater Disparity
• South Africa records the highest levels of income inequality in the world, with the richest 10% receiving 66% of total income, while the poorer half receives only 6%.
• Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia show a similar trend, with the richest 10% receiving nearly 60% of earnings.
• European countries provide a more balanced picture; in Sweden and Norway, the lower half of the population receives about 25% of total income, while the upper half receives less than 30%.
• In many advanced economies, such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the UK, the upper half receives approximately 33-47% of total income, while the lower half receives 16-21%.
• In Asia, income distribution is unequal; in countries like Bangladesh and China, the distribution is more balanced, while in India, Thailand, and Turkey, 10% of the population dominates, controlling more than half of the total income.
Which countries experience the highest levels of wealth inequality?
• South Africa tops the list again, with the richest 10% of the population controlling 85% of personal wealth, leaving 50% of the population with negative shares, meaning their debts exceed their assets.
• Russia, Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia display a similar pattern, with the rich controlling 70% or more, while the poor receive only 2-3%.
• European countries such as Italy, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands are relatively more balanced; their middle 40% controls about 45% of the wealth, while the lower half receives a slightly larger share, though the richest 10% of the population still dominates. However, the lower half of the population in Sweden and Poland suffers from significant wealth shortages.
• Even wealthy nations like the United States, the UK, Australia, and Japan continue to suffer from large disparities, with the richest 10% of the population receiving more than half of the total income, while the poorer half receives only 1% to 5%.
• Emerging economies in Asia - including China, India, and Thailand - also show stark disparities, with the richest 10% controlling about 65% to 68% of the wealth, highlighting the continuous concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
