In rich countries, the wealthiest 10% own half of the wealth

The richest tenth of the world’s richest countries owns roughly half of the total household wealth in those countries. Except in the United States, where this share is close to 80%.

Also Interesting: 10 men have more wealth than 85 countries

n the 27 OECD countries for which data are available, the 10% of households with the highest wealth hold between 40% and 80% of the total wealth of all households. The concentration of ownership is much higher than that of income everywhere, but it is at very different levels in different countries.

Wealth is hyper-concentrated in the United States where the top 10% hold 79% of wealth. Spain and Italy, on the other hand, are among the countries where wealth is most evenly distributed among the population, even if the share of the wealthiest 10% is between 43% and 46% of the population. total. Be careful all the same: given the place of the informal economy in these countries, it is possible that the part which escapes the statistics is more important than elsewhere.

Share of wealth held by the wealthiest in rich countries
Unit:%
The wealthiest 10% hold …The wealthiest 1% owns …
United States7942
Germany6024
United Kingdom5220
Canada5117
France5119
Spain4616
Italy4312
Net wealth. 
Interpretation: in the United States, the wealthiest 10% held 79% of all household net wealth in 2016, according to the OECD. 
The wealthiest 1%, 42%.

Source: OECD – 2012 data for Spain, 2014 for France, Germany and Italy, 2015 for the United Kingdom, 2016 for the United States and Canada – © Observatory of inequalities

In France, according to OECD data, the tenth most advantaged holds a little more than half of the total wealth, which places our country in an intermediate position. Inequalities in wealth are comparable to the level observed in the United Kingdom, for example, and lower than that of Germany where the wealthiest 10% own 60% of the country’s total private assets.

If we look at the top of the top of heritages, the United States stands out clearly. The “top 1%” alone holds 42% of the total assets. In France, these same ultra-privileged hold a share of wealth (19% of total wealth in 2014 according to the OECD) which is at a level similar to that observed in other large rich countries: 24% in Germany, 17% in Canada, or 20% in the United Kingdom. In Italy and Spain, the concentration in the hands of this 1% is much more moderate, respectively 12% and 16% of the private wealth of their country

Also Read: Poorest Countries in the World

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