Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in China
China: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 14.0% in 2015. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in China, 1979–2015
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in China is 14.0%, measured in 2015.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in China peaked at 15.6% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 1979.
That places China 63rd out of 113 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.6% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 7.7% | 6.6% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.3% | 8.2% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 10.5% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 13.8% | 15.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in China?
- Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in China was 14.0% in 2015, 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 2009.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 1979.
- How does China rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
- China ranks 63rd out of 113 countries with data for 2015.
- Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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 — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of income received by the richest 1%. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.