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

Germany: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 13.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
13.3%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
65th
of 113 countries
All-time high
13.6%
in 2007
All-time low
8.8%
in 1995
Years of data
42
1981–2022

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

0510151981200120221981: 9.4 %1982: 9.2 %1983: 9.4 %1984: 9.4 %1985: 9.6 %1986: 10 %1987: 10.4 %1988: 11.3 %1989: 11.8 %1990: 11.4 %1991: 10.3 %1992: 9.6 %1993: 9.2 %1994: 8.9 %1995: 8.8 %1996: 9.5 %1997: 10.3 %1998: 11 %1999: 10.6 %2000: 10.5 %2001: 10.3 %2002: 10.1 %2003: 9.4 %2004: 10.6 %2005: 12.1 %2006: 12.7 %2007: 13.6 %2008: 13.4 %2009: 13 %2010: 12.9 %2011: 12.8 %2012: 12.6 %2013: 13.1 %2014: 13.3 %2015: 13.3 %2016: 13.2 %2017: 13.2 %2018: 13 %2019: 13.1 %2020: 13.1 %2021: 13.1 %2022: 13.3 %

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

Analysis

Germany recorded 13.3% for income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in 2022.

The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Germany peaked at 13.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 1995.

Germany ranks 65th 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.

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Germany, 1981 to 2022.
Year % Change
1981 9.4%
1982 9.2% -2.1%
1983 9.4% +2.0%
1984 9.4% +0.1%
1985 9.6% +1.5%
1986 10.0% +4.4%
1987 10.4% +4.3%
1988 11.3% +8.6%
1989 11.8% +4.5%
1990 11.4% -3.0%
1991 10.3% -10.0%
1992 9.6% -6.8%
1993 9.2% -4.1%
1994 8.9% -3.1%
1995 8.8% -1.6%
1996 9.5% +8.7%
1997 10.3% +7.7%
1998 11.0% +6.8%
1999 10.6% -3.0%
2000 10.5% -1.4%
2001 10.3% -2.0%
2002 10.1% -1.8%
2003 9.4% -6.4%
2004 10.6% +12.0%
2005 12.1% +14.3%
2006 12.7% +5.0%
2007 13.6% +7.2%
2008 13.4% -1.2%
2009 13.0% -3.5%
2010 12.9% -0.8%
2011 12.8% -0.5%
2012 12.6% -1.7%
2013 13.1% +4.1%
2014 13.3% +1.2%
2015 13.3% +0.0%
2016 13.2% -0.1%
2017 13.2% -0.5%
2018 13.0% -1.4%
2019 13.1% +0.4%
2020 13.1% +0.0%
2021 13.1% +0.3%
2022 13.3% +1.5%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 13.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 11.8%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Germany's 13.3% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.8%, 1.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10.1% 9.2% 11.8% 9
1990s 10.0% 8.8% 11.4% 10
2000s 11.6% 9.4% 13.6% 10
2010s 13.0% 12.6% 13.3% 10
2020s 13.1% 13.1% 13.3% 3

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 62 Togo 14.1% compare
  2. 63 China 14.0% compare
  3. 64 Madagascar 14.0% compare
  4. 66 Cameroon 13.3% compare
  5. 67 Senegal 13.1% compare
  6. 68 Tajikistan 13.1% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Germany?
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Germany was 13.3% 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 Germany?
The highest recorded value was 13.6% in 2007.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 1995.
How does Germany rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
Germany ranks 65th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany 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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Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/incomes-of-the-richest/germany/

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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

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