Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 9.0% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
9.0%
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
86th
of 109 countries
All-time high
10.6%
in 2006
All-time low
4.9%
in 1982
Years of data
38
1982–2021

Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in United Kingdom, 1982–2021

02.557.5101982200120211982: 4.9 %1983: 5 %1984: 5.2 %1985: 5.3 %1986: 5.4 %1987: 5.6 %1988: 6.1 %1989: 6.1 %1990: 7.2 %1991: 7.3 %1992: 7.2 %1993: 7.6 %1994: 8 %1995: 7.7 %1996: 9.2 %1997: 9.5 %1998: 8.9 %1999: 8.6 %2000: 8.1 %2001: 8.1 %2002: 8.4 %2003: 9.1 %2004: 9.7 %2005: 9.1 %2006: 10.6 %2007: 10.5 %2008: 8.5 %2009: 8.8 %2010: 7 %2011: 7.6 %2012: 9 %2015: 8.8 %2016: 8.8 %2017: 8.2 %2018: 9.3 %2019: 9.2 %2020: 8.6 %2021: 9 %

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 United Kingdom is 9.0%, measured in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in United Kingdom peaked at 10.6% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 1982.

United Kingdom ranks 86th of 109 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 5.5% 4.9% 6.1% 8
1990s 8.1% 7.2% 9.5% 10
2000s 9.1% 8.1% 10.6% 10
2010s 8.5% 7.0% 9.3% 8
2020s 8.8% 8.6% 9.0% 2

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 84 Canada 9.1% compare
  2. 85 Lithuania 9.1% compare
  3. 87 Albania 8.9% compare
  4. 88 Latvia 8.7% compare
  5. 89 Montenegro 8.5% compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in United Kingdom?
Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in United Kingdom was 9.0% in 2021, 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 10.6% in 2006.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 1982.
How does United Kingdom rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
United Kingdom ranks 86th out of 109 countries with data for 2021.
Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank
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
109 places, 2,196 data points, 1913–2024
Last refreshed

The share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.