Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in United States
United States: Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 14.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Income share of the richest 1%: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in United States, 1913–2024
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 States is 14.9%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in United States peaked at 20.3% in 1917 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 1970.
United States ranks 41st of 109 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 112 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 19.1% | 17.6% | 20.3% | 7 |
| 1920s | 17.4% | 15.0% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 1930s | 15.3% | 13.2% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 1940s | 12.4% | 9.1% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 1950s | 10.1% | 9.1% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.3% | 8.2% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.0% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.3% | 8.1% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.0% | 11.1% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 13.2% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.9% | 14.4% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 13.8% | 14.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.51 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.5014 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0594 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.8696 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9189 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 143.86 2010 = 100 (2024)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in United States?
- Income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank in United States was 14.9% in 2024, 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 20.3% in 1917.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 1970.
- How does United States rank for income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank?
- United States ranks 41st out of 109 countries with data for 2024.
- Is income share of the richest 1%: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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 — 112 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured after taxes and benefits.