Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in India
India: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 22.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in India, 1980–2022
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%: world inequality database vs. world bank in India is 22.7%, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in India peaked at 22.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.1%, in 1982.
India ranks 3rd of 109 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.3% | — |
| 1981 | 6.7% | -8.5% |
| 1982 | 6.1% | -8.5% |
| 1983 | 10.4% | +69.7% |
| 1984 | 9.1% | -12.8% |
| 1985 | 10.8% | +18.6% |
| 1986 | 11.2% | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 10.6% | -4.7% |
| 1988 | 11.5% | +7.8% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 10.8% | -5.4% |
| 1991 | 10.3% | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 10.3% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 12.7% | +23.5% |
| 1994 | 12.6% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 13.3% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 13.4% | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 14.1% | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 14.7% | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 19.5% | +32.0% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | +8.8% |
| 2013 | 21.6% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 21.3% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 21.7% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 22.4% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 22.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 22.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 21.6% | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 21.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 21.8% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 22.7% | +4.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 22.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15.6%, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +69.7% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.5% | 6.1% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.5% | 10.3% | 14.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 19.5% | 19.5% | 19.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 21.9% | 21.2% | 22.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 22.0% | 21.6% | 22.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in India?
- Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in India was 22.7% 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%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.1% in 1982.
- How does India rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
- India ranks 3rd out of 109 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.1%. 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%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.