Wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium
Belgium: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 15.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium, 1980–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium is 15.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium peaked at 18.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 14.7%, in 2017.
Belgium ranks 214th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 17.7% | — |
| 1981 | 17.7% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 17.7% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 17.7% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 17.6% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 17.7% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 17.8% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 17.8% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 17.9% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 17.9% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 17.9% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 17.8% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 17.8% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 17.8% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 17.9% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 17.8% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 17.8% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 17.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 17.9% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 17.8% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 17.8% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 17.8% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 17.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 17.8% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 18.0% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 18.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 17.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 18.0% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 17.7% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 16.7% | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 16.2% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 16.4% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 15.5% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 14.7% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 14.8% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 14.9% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 14.8% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 14.9% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 14.9% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 15.0% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 15.5% | +3.5% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 15.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 27.5%, 56% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 15.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.1%, 64% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 17.8% | 17.6% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.8% | 17.8% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.9% | 17.8% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 14.7% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.0% | 14.8% | 15.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in Belgium was 15.5% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.7% in 2017.
- How does Belgium rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- Belgium ranks 214th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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 Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.