Income share held by highest 10% in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Income share held by highest 10% was 25.0% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
25.0%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
76th
of 121 countries
All-time high
31.2%
in 2000
All-time low
21.9%
in 1978
Years of data
54
1968–2021

Income share held by highest 10% in United Kingdom, 1968–2021

0102030196819942021

Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.

Analysis

In 2021, income share held by highest 10% in United Kingdom stood at 25.0%.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share held by highest 10% in United Kingdom peaked at 31.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 21.9%, in 1978.

United Kingdom ranks 76th of 121 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 22.7% 22.3% 23.1% 2
1970s 22.7% 21.9% 23.8% 10
1980s 24.6% 22.9% 26.9% 10
1990s 27.5% 26.6% 28.7% 10
2000s 28.1% 26.5% 31.2% 10
2010s 25.6% 25.0% 26.4% 10
2020s 24.9% 24.9% 25.0% 2

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 73 Bangladesh 25.5% compare
  2. 73 Denmark 25.5% compare
  3. 75 Russia 25.1% compare
  4. 76 France 25.0% compare
  5. 76 South Korea 25.0% compare
  6. 76 Luxembourg 25.0% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share held by highest 10% in United Kingdom?
Income share held by highest 10% in United Kingdom was 25.0% in 2021, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
What is the highest income share held by highest 10% recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 31.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest income share held by highest 10% recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 21.9% in 1978.
How does United Kingdom rank for income share held by highest 10%?
United Kingdom ranks 76th out of 121 countries with data for 2021.
Is income share held by highest 10% rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Income share held by highest 10%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Income share held by highest 10%
Source
World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,305 data points, 1963–2025
Last refreshed

Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles.