Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Australia

Australia: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 11.0% in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
11.0%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
87th
of 113 countries
All-time high
16.9%
in 1950
All-time low
5.2%
in 1976
Years of data
76
1910–2022

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Australia, 1910–2022

57.51012.51517.5191019662022

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2022, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Australia stood at 11.0%.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Australia peaked at 16.9% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1976.

That places Australia 87th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 16.7% 16.7% 16.7% 1
1930s 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 1
1940s 12.7% 12.7% 12.7% 1
1950s 10.2% 8.2% 16.9% 10
1960s 7.7% 7.3% 8.4% 10
1970s 6.0% 5.2% 6.9% 10
1980s 6.4% 5.3% 9.2% 10
1990s 7.6% 6.9% 8.3% 10
2000s 9.9% 8.9% 10.9% 10
2010s 10.3% 9.7% 10.9% 10
2020s 10.7% 10.0% 11.0% 3

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 84 Moldova 11.8% compare
  2. 85 Guinea-Bissau 11.0% compare
  3. 86 Luxembourg 11.0% compare
  4. 88 Malta 10.9% compare
  5. 89 Switzerland 10.6% compare
  6. 90 Ethiopia 10.5% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Australia?
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Australia was 11.0% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 16.9% in 1950.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1976.
How does Australia rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
Australia ranks 87th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax)
Unit
%
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
113 places, 3,075 data points, 1820–2024
Last refreshed

The share of income received by the richest 1%. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.