In 2023, the median US CEO pay ratio reached 260 to 1 while real wages for production and nonsupervisory workers rose just 1.0% against a 4.1% CPI increase. Across the OECD, redistributive policies still only reduce inequality by an average 21% measured through the Gini before and after taxes and transfers. The gap looks even starker when you line up wealth and income concentration, from a 0.40 Gini for income in South Africa to a 0.80 net wealth Gini in the United States.
Key Takeaways
- 0.40 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for South Africa (latest year shown in the dataset)
- 0.34 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for Brazil (latest year shown in the dataset)
- 0.35 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for Mexico (latest year shown in the dataset)
- In 2022, the top 1% wealth share in France was 20% (World Inequality Database country profile for France shows top 1% wealth share)
- In 2023, the share of U.S. households with no retirement savings was 28% (Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) data release summary)
- In 2022, the top 1% wealth share in India was 29% (World Inequality Database country profile for India shows top 1% wealth share)
- In 2022, 51% of global poverty ($2.15/day) was concentrated in five countries (World Bank poverty estimates summary by country concentration for latest poverty year)
- In 2020, 11.4% of the U.S. population were below the Census poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau poverty report, latest year shown in the series)
- In 2022, 6.6% of U.S. households were food insecure without enough consistent access (USDA ERS breakdown in key statistics graphics)
- In 2022, the U.K. Gini index for disposable income was 0.34 after taxes and transfers (OECD income distribution dataset / OECD inequality and poverty dashboard)
- The median gender pay gap in the European Union was 5.3% in 2023 (Eurostat gender pay gap, latest available)
- In 2022, the gender unemployment rate gap between men and women in the EU was 1.0 percentage point (Eurostat labour market indicators, latest available)
- In 2024, 46.8% of Black workers in the U.S. were in lower-wage jobs (EPI / analysis using occupational and wage data published in EPI’s wage inequality brief)
- Net inequality (Gini after taxes and transfers minus Gini before taxes and transfers) reduces income inequality by 21% in the EU on average (OECD measure of redistributive impact from “Gini before/after taxes”).
- 23.6% of total wealth is held by the top 1% in Canada in 2022 (World Inequality Database country profile for Canada, top 1% wealth share series).
Inequality remains high worldwide, with the EU’s redistribution cutting Gini by 21% and the US still facing deep gaps.
Related reading
01 · Category
Income Inequality9 stats
01
0.40 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for South Africa (latest year shown in the dataset)
02
0.34 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for Brazil (latest year shown in the dataset)
03
0.35 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for Mexico (latest year shown in the dataset)
04
0.50 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for Namibia (latest year shown in the dataset)
05
0.29 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for Denmark (latest year shown in the dataset)
06
0.43 Gini coefficient for the Gini index of income inequality (World Bank estimate) for the United States (latest year shown in the dataset)
07
The top 1% received 20% of pre-tax national income in the United Kingdom (World Inequality Database / inequality share figures as shown by WID for UK)
08
The bottom 50% received 13% of pre-tax national income in the United States (World Inequality Database / WID country profile for US shows the bottom 50% share)
09
5.2x gap between the top 10% and bottom 10% incomes in Germany (ratio of equivalised disposable income, latest OECD year in dashboard).
Interpretation
Income Inequality Interpretation
Income inequality varies widely across countries, with very high levels in Namibia at a 0.50 Gini coefficient and the UK’s top 1% taking 20% of pre-tax income, while Denmark sits much lower at 0.29, showing that income concentration can be dramatically different even within the same overall income inequality category.
02 · Category
Wealth Inequality6 stats
01
In 2022, the top 1% wealth share in France was 20% (World Inequality Database country profile for France shows top 1% wealth share)
02
In 2023, the share of U.S. households with no retirement savings was 28% (Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) data release summary)
03
In 2022, the top 1% wealth share in India was 29% (World Inequality Database country profile for India shows top 1% wealth share)
04
In 2022, the top 1% wealth share in China was 26% (World Inequality Database country profile for China shows top 1% wealth share)
05
In 2022, the top 1% wealth share in South Africa was 13% (World Inequality Database country profile for South Africa shows top 1% wealth share)
06
In 2022, the richest 10% in the EU owned 60% of total wealth (ECB Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) inequality distribution results summary)
Interpretation
Wealth Inequality Interpretation
Wealth inequality remains highly concentrated across countries, with the top 1% holding 20% to 29% of national wealth in France, India, and China in 2022, and the poorest retirement security in the US reflected by 28% of households having no retirement savings in 2023.
03 · Category
Poverty & Deprivation4 stats
01
In 2022, 51% of global poverty ($2.15/day) was concentrated in five countries (World Bank poverty estimates summary by country concentration for latest poverty year)
02
In 2020, 11.4% of the U.S. population were below the Census poverty threshold (U.S. Census Bureau poverty report, latest year shown in the series)
03
In 2022, 6.6% of U.S. households were food insecure without enough consistent access (USDA ERS breakdown in key statistics graphics)
04
In 2022, 19.3% of the world’s population lived on less than $3.65 a day (World Bank poverty estimates at $3.65/day)
Interpretation
Poverty & Deprivation Interpretation
For the Poverty and Deprivation category, the data shows that deprivation remains widespread and highly concentrated, with 19.3% of the world living under $3.65 a day while 51% of those in extreme poverty are concentrated in just five countries.
04 · Category
Policy & Institutions1 stats
01
In 2022, the U.K. Gini index for disposable income was 0.34 after taxes and transfers (OECD income distribution dataset / OECD inequality and poverty dashboard)
Interpretation
Policy & Institutions Interpretation
In 2022, the UK’s Gini index for disposable income was 0.34 after taxes and transfers, suggesting that Policy and Institutions via redistribution substantially shape inequality levels even though income inequality remains far from zero.
05 · Category
Labor & Segregation5 stats
01
The median gender pay gap in the European Union was 5.3% in 2023 (Eurostat gender pay gap, latest available)
02
In 2022, the gender unemployment rate gap between men and women in the EU was 1.0 percentage point (Eurostat labour market indicators, latest available)
03
In 2024, 46.8% of Black workers in the U.S. were in lower-wage jobs (EPI / analysis using occupational and wage data published in EPI’s wage inequality brief)
04
In 2023, the U.S. CEO pay ratio median was 260:1 (Economic Policy Institute summary of pay ratio data trends reported for the US)
05
In 2023, real wages in the U.S. for production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 1.0% year-over-year while CPI rose 4.1% (BLS real earnings and CPI series comparison)
Interpretation
Labor & Segregation Interpretation
Labor and segregation remain tightly linked as the EU’s gender pay gap still stands at 5.3% in 2023 and women’s unemployment rates differ from men’s by 1.0 percentage point in 2022, while in the US 46.8% of Black workers are concentrated in lower-wage jobs and even top pay remains extremely skewed with a 260 to 1 CEO pay ratio in 2023.
More related reading
06 · Category
Tax & Transfers1 stats
01
Net inequality (Gini after taxes and transfers minus Gini before taxes and transfers) reduces income inequality by 21% in the EU on average (OECD measure of redistributive impact from “Gini before/after taxes”).
Interpretation
Tax & Transfers Interpretation
On average across the EU, tax and transfers cut net income inequality by 21%, showing that redistribution mechanisms substantially narrow the gap between Gini before and after they take effect.
08 · Category
Poverty & Living Standards4 stats
01
9.0% of the population in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023 (Eurostat Europe 2020 poverty indicator).
02
22.5% of the population in the EU were at risk of poverty after social transfers in 2023 (Eurostat table on at-risk-of-poverty rate).
03
29.9% of working-age adults in the EU were living in households with very low work intensity in 2023 (Eurostat low work intensity indicator).
04
14.1% of the population in the EU reported unmet medical needs in 2023 due to cost or distance (Eurostat indicator “Unmet need for medical examination”).
Interpretation
Poverty & Living Standards Interpretation
In the EU, poverty and living standards pressures are clearly persistent as 22.5% of people were at risk of poverty after social transfers in 2023 and an even larger 29.9% of working-age adults lived in households with very low work intensity.
09 · Category
Labor Market Inequality3 stats
01
13.7% of U.S. workers were in unions in 2023 (BLS union membership annual averages; union membership rate).
02
1.09x ratio of the average hourly earnings of women to men in the United States in 2023 (BLS “Women’s earnings as a percent of men’s”).
03
3.2% of U.S. adults were living in poverty in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau official poverty rate).
Interpretation
Labor Market Inequality Interpretation
In 2023, labor market inequality in the United States was still evident as only 13.7% of workers were unionized and women earned just 1.09 times what men earned on average, while 3.2% of adults lived in poverty.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Inequality Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/inequality-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Inequality Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/inequality-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Inequality Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/inequality-statistics.
Sources & references
36 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+25 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)