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

Belgium: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 8.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
8.7%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
106th
of 113 countries
All-time high
9.5%
in 2007
All-time low
7.5%
in 2009
Years of data
33
1985–2022

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Belgium, 1985–2022

02468101985200320221985: 7.5 %1988: 8.9 %1991: 7.9 %1992: 7.6 %1993: 7.6 %1994: 8.2 %1995: 8.1 %1996: 8.3 %1997: 8.3 %1998: 8.1 %1999: 8.2 %2000: 8.2 %2001: 8 %2002: 7.6 %2003: 7.7 %2004: 8.5 %2005: 8.4 %2006: 8.7 %2007: 9.5 %2008: 8.5 %2009: 7.5 %2010: 7.6 %2011: 7.9 %2012: 8.2 %2014: 8.3 %2015: 8.5 %2016: 8.6 %2017: 8.5 %2018: 8.6 %2019: 8.7 %2020: 8.7 %2021: 8.7 %2022: 8.7 %

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

Analysis

Belgium recorded 8.7% for income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Belgium peaked at 9.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 2009.

Belgium ranks 106th of 113 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 8.2% 7.5% 8.9% 2
1990s 8.0% 7.6% 8.3% 9
2000s 8.3% 7.5% 9.5% 10
2010s 8.3% 7.6% 8.7% 9
2020s 8.7% 8.7% 8.7% 3

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 103 Montenegro 9.0% compare
  2. 104 Seychelles 8.8% compare
  3. 105 Guinea 8.7% compare
  4. 107 Iceland 8.6% compare
  5. 108 Cyprus 8.5% compare
  6. 109 North Macedonia 8.2% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Belgium?
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Belgium was 8.7% 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 Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 9.5% in 2007.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 2009.
How does Belgium rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
Belgium ranks 106th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.