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

Denmark: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 12.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
12.6%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
73rd
of 113 countries
All-time high
13.1%
in 2014
All-time low
6.7%
in 1981
Years of data
42
1981–2022

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Denmark, 1981–2022

0510151981200120221981: 6.7 %1982: 6.9 %1983: 8.3 %1984: 9.1 %1985: 9.7 %1986: 8.7 %1987: 8.5 %1988: 8.1 %1989: 8.4 %1990: 8.4 %1991: 8.3 %1992: 8.4 %1993: 8.4 %1994: 9.4 %1995: 9.5 %1996: 9.8 %1997: 10.7 %1998: 10.5 %1999: 11.6 %2000: 11.8 %2001: 10.3 %2002: 9.8 %2003: 9.4 %2004: 10 %2005: 11.2 %2006: 11.7 %2007: 11.2 %2008: 10.6 %2009: 9.7 %2010: 11.6 %2011: 11.7 %2012: 12 %2013: 12.4 %2014: 13.1 %2015: 12.9 %2016: 13 %2017: 12.8 %2018: 12.7 %2019: 12.4 %2020: 12.4 %2021: 12.6 %2022: 12.6 %

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 Denmark stood at 12.6%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Denmark peaked at 13.1% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 1981.

Denmark ranks 73rd of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 8.3% 6.7% 9.7% 9
1990s 9.5% 8.3% 11.6% 10
2000s 10.6% 9.4% 11.8% 10
2010s 12.5% 11.6% 13.1% 10
2020s 12.5% 12.4% 12.6% 3

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 71 United Kingdom 12.9% compare
  2. 72 Benin 12.8% compare
  3. 74 Argentina 12.5% compare
  4. 75 Spain 12.5% compare
  5. 76 Nigeria 12.3% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Denmark?
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Denmark was 12.6% 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 Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 2014.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 1981.
How does Denmark rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
Denmark ranks 73rd out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Denmark 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 — 42 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.