Wealth share of the richest 1% in China

China: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 30.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
30.4%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
53rd
of 215 countries
All-time high
38.6%
in 1920
All-time low
15.8%
in 1950
Years of data
58
1820–2024

Wealth share of the richest 1% in China, 1820–2024

010203040182019222024

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

China recorded 30.4% for wealth share of the richest 1% in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in China peaked at 38.6% in 1920 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 1950.

That places China 53rd out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 58 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 28.0% 28.0% 28.0% 1
1850s 30.1% 30.1% 30.1% 1
1880s 37.2% 37.2% 37.2% 1
1900s 37.5% 37.5% 37.5% 1
1910s 37.2% 37.2% 37.2% 1
1920s 38.6% 38.6% 38.6% 1
1930s 38.6% 38.6% 38.6% 1
1940s 31.4% 31.4% 31.4% 1
1950s 15.8% 15.8% 15.8% 1
1960s 15.8% 15.8% 15.8% 1
1970s 15.8% 15.8% 15.8% 3
1980s 15.8% 15.8% 15.8% 10
1990s 16.8% 15.8% 19.2% 10
2000s 24.2% 19.6% 31.1% 10
2010s 29.0% 27.2% 30.4% 10
2020s 30.5% 30.3% 30.7% 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 51 Nicaragua 30.6% compare
  2. 51 Panama 30.6% compare
  3. 54 Austria 30.2% compare
  4. 55 Rwanda 30.2% compare
  5. 56 Monaco 30.1% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More reference data data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is wealth share of the richest 1% in China?
Wealth share of the richest 1% in China was 30.4% 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 China?
The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 1920.
What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 1950.
How does China rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
China ranks 53rd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Wealth share of the richest 1%
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
215 places, 10,553 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed

The 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.