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

India: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 23.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
23.1%
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
9th
of 113 countries
All-time high
23.1%
in 2022
All-time low
6.3%
in 1982
Years of data
75
1923–2022

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in India, 1923–2022

510152025192319722022

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 India is 23.1%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.

The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in India peaked at 23.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.3%, in 1982.

That places India 9th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 14.6% 13.3% 15.9% 7
1930s 16.5% 13.7% 19.0% 10
1940s 15.6% 11.8% 19.5% 6
1950s 13.5% 11.7% 14.4% 7
1960s 13.0% 12.5% 13.5% 7
1970s 10.2% 8.2% 11.7% 7
1980s 9.6% 6.3% 11.4% 10
1990s 12.5% 10.3% 14.7% 9
2000s 19.7% 19.7% 19.7% 1
2010s 22.2% 21.7% 22.8% 8
2020s 22.4% 22.0% 23.1% 3

Countries ranked near India

  1. 6 Mexico 25.6% compare
  2. 7 Botswana 23.3% compare
  3. 8 Saudi Arabia 23.2% compare
  4. 10 Mozambique 22.7% compare
  5. 11 Tunisia 22.4% compare
  6. 12 Turkey 21.7% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in India?
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in India was 23.1% 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 India?
The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 2022.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 6.3% in 1982.
How does India rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
India ranks 9th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India 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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CSV · JSON — 75 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.