List of Countries by Wealth Equality: History
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This is a list of countries by distribution of wealth, including Gini coefficients. Wealth distribution can vary greatly from income distribution in a country (see List of countries by income equality). Higher Gini coefficients signify greater inequality in wealth distribution, with 0 being complete equality, whereas a value near 1 can arise in a situation where everybody has zero wealth except a very small minority. It is a common misconception that Scandinavian countries have low wealth inequality. This is not true. These countries have low income inequality, meaning that the income is relatively equal for everyone. However, their wealth inequality is very high, meaning that a small minority of the people owns the vast majority of wealth.

  • wealth inequality
  • low income
  • income distribution

1. List

The table below is for 2018. The GDP data is based on data from the World Bank[1]. The population data is based on data from the United Nations .[2] The Wealth Gini coefficients from 2008 are based on a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.[3] The Wealth Gini numbers come from the Global Wealth Databook 2018 by Credit Suisse.[4] Also the Gini Wealth coefficients for 2019 are shown.[5]

Country Wealth Gini (2008) Wealth Gini (2018) Wealth Gini (2019) Population (in thousands) Percentage of population Nominal GDP (in millions) Percentage of world GDP GDP per capita
 World 0.804 0.904 0.885 7,631,091.11 100.00% 85,909,816 100.00% 11258
 Afghanistan     0.655          
 Albania 0.642 0.629 0.637 2,882.74 0.04% 15,103 0.02% 5239
 Algeria 0.67 0.758 0.749 42,228.42 0.55% 173,758 0.20% 4115
 Angola     0.731          
 Antigua and Barbuda 0.747 0.838 0.823 96.28 0.00% 1,611 0.00% 16732
 Argentina 0.74 0.792 0.768 44,361.15 0.58% 519,872 0.61% 11719
 Armenia 0.684 0.645 0.663 2,951.74 0.04% 12,433 0.01% 4212
 Aruba     0.703          
 Australia 0.622 0.658 0.656 24,898.15 0.33% 1,433,904 1.67% 57591
 Austria 0.646 0.764 0.739 8,891.38 0.12% 455,286 0.53% 51205
 Azerbaijan 0.678 0.643 0.654 9,949.54 0.13% 46,940 0.05% 4718
 Bahamas     0.828          
 Bahrain     0.747          
 Bangladesh 0.66 0.671 0.678 161,376.71 2.11% 274,025 0.32% 1698
 Barbados 0.706 0.788 0.778 285.72 0.00% 4,990 0.01% 17465
 Belarus 0.628 0.614 0.621 9,452.62 0.12% 59,662 0.07% 6312
 Belgium 0.662 0.659 0.603 11,482.18 0.15% 542,761 0.63% 47270
 Belize 0.763 0.815 0.803 383.07 0.01% 1,871 0.00% 4884
 Benin 0.713 0.689 0.707 11,485.04 0.15% 10,354 0.01% 902
 Bolivia 0.762 0.779 0.764 11,050.00 0.14% 40,288 0.05% 3646
 Bosnia and Herzegovina     0.642          
 Botswana 0.751 0.783 0.8 2,254.07 0.03% 18,616 0.02% 8259
 Brazil 0.62 0.823 0.849 209,469.32 2.74% 1,868,626 2.18% 8921
 Brunei     0.787          
 Bulgaria 0.652 0.647 0.659 7,051.61 0.09% 65,133 0.08% 9237
 Burkina Faso 0.728 0.674 0.688 19,751.47 0.26% 14,125 0.02% 715
 Burundi 0.699 0.654 0.681 11,175.38 0.15% 3,037 0.00% 272
 Cambodia 0.714 0.704 0.718 16,249.80 0.21% 24,542 0.03% 1510
 Cameroon 0.711 0.725 0.743 25,216.26 0.33% 38,675 0.05% 1534
 Canada 0.688 0.726 0.728 37,074.56 0.49% 1,713,342 1.99% 46213
 Central African Republic 0.782 0.768 0.777 4,666.38 0.06% 2,220 0.00% 476
 Chad 0.681 0.715 0.73 15,477.73 0.20% 11,273 0.01% 728
 Chile 0.777 0.773 0.798 18,729.17 0.25% 298,231 0.35% 15923
 China 0.55 0.714 0.702 1,427,647.79 18.71% 13,608,152 15.84% 9532
 Colombia 0.765 0.807 0.77 49,661.06 0.65% 331,047 0.39% 6666
 Comoros 0.711 0.766 0.783 832.32 0.01% 1,178 0.00% 1415
Template:Country data Congo, Dem. Rep.     0.755          
Template:Country data Congo, Rep.     0.769          
 Costa Rica 0.732 0.769 0.75 4,999.44 0.07% 60,130 0.07% 12027
 Croatia 0.654 0.631 0.645 4,156.41 0.05% 60,972 0.07% 14669
 Cyprus     0.801          
 Czech Republic 0.626 0.758 0.725 10,649.80 0.14% 245,226 0.29% 23026
 Denmark 0.808 0.835 0.838 5,752.13 0.08% 355,675 0.41% 61834
 Djibouti     0.729          
 Dominica 0.763 0.84 0.823 71.63 0.00% 551 0.00% 7693
 Dominican Republic 0.723 NA   10,627.15 0.14% 85,555 0.10% 8051
 Ecuador 0.76 0.776 0.759 17,084.36 0.22% 108,398 0.13% 6345
 Egypt 0.689 0.909 0.756 99,581.20 1.30% 250,895 0.29% 2520
 El Salvador 0.746 0.759 0.743 6,420.74 0.08% 26,057 0.03% 4058
 Equatorial Guinea 0.688 0.781 0.793 1,308.97 0.02% 13,432 0.02% 10262
 Eritrea     0.621          
 Estonia 0.675 0.715 0.716 1,322.91 0.02% 30,732 0.04% 23231
 Eswatini 0.78 NA   1,136.27 0.01% 4,711 0.01% 4146
 Ethiopia 0.652 0.612 0.62 109,224.41 1.43% 84,356 0.10% 772
 Fiji 0.709 0.694 0.702 883.49 0.01% 5,537 0.01% 6267
 Finland 0.615 0.767 0.742 5,522.59 0.07% 276,743 0.32% 50111
 France 0.73 0.687 0.696 64,990.51 0.85% 2,777,535 3.23% 42738
 Gabon 0.784 0.7 0.719 2,119.28 0.03% 16,854 0.02% 7953
 Gambia 0.723 0.755 0.771 2,051.36 0.03% 1,633 0.00% 796
 Georgia 0.725 0.678 0.687 4,002.95 0.05% 17,600 0.02% 4397
 Germany 0.667 0.816 0.816 83,124.41 1.09% 3,947,620 4.60% 47491
 Ghana 0.692 0.682 0.699 29,767.11 0.39% 65,556 0.08% 2202
 Greece 0.654 0.682 0.654 10,522.24 0.14% 218,032 0.25% 20721
 Grenada 0.763 0.842 0.827 111.45 0.00% 1,186 0.00% 10642
 Guatemala 0.779 NA   17,247.86 0.23% 78,460 0.09% 4549
 Guinea 0.693 0.716 0.741 12,414.29 0.16% 10,907 0.01% 879
 Guinea-Bissau 0.71 0.697 0.712 1,874.30 0.02% 1,458 0.00% 778
 Guyana 0.707 0.75 0.734 779.01 0.01% 3,879 0.00% 4979
 Haiti 0.755 0.82 0.801 11,123.18 0.15% 9,659 0.01% 868
 Honduras 0.743 0.804   9,587.52 0.13% 23,970 0.03% 2500
 Hong Kong 0.740 NA 0.777 7,482.50 0.10% 362,682 0.42% 48471
 Hungary 0.651 0.662 0.663 9,707.50 0.13% 157,883 0.18% 16264
 Iceland 0.664 0.731 0.694 336.71 0.00% 25,878 0.03% 76855
 India 0.669 0.854 0.832 1,352,642.28 17.73% 2,718,732 3.16% 2010
 Indonesia 0.764 0.84 0.833 267,670.55 3.51% 1,042,173 1.21% 3893
 Iran 0.707 0.705 0.705 82,531.70 1.08% 454,013 0.53% 5501
 Iraq     0.633          
 Ireland 0.581 0.83 0.796 4,818.69 0.06% 382,487 0.45% 79376
 Israel 0.677 0.766 0.777 8,381.51 0.11% 370,588 0.43% 44215
 Italy 0.609 0.689 0.669 60,627.29 0.79% 2,083,864 2.43% 34372
 Ivory Coast 0.712 NA   25,069.23 0.33% 43,007 0.05% 1716
 Jamaica 0.686 0.788 0.775 2,934.85 0.04% 15,714 0.02% 5354
 Japan 0.547 0.631 0.626 127,202.19 1.67% 4,971,323 5.79% 39082
 Jordan 0.678 0.677 0.696 9,965.32 0.13% 42,231 0.05% 4238
 Kazakhstan 0.655 0.952 0.772 18,319.62 0.24% 179,340 0.21% 9790
 Kenya 0.699 0.732 0.745 51,392.57 0.67% 87,908 0.10% 1711
 Kuwait     0.763          
 Kyrgyzstan 0.68 0.673 0.681 6,389.50 0.08% 8,093 0.01% 1267
 Laos     0.794          
 Latvia 0.67 0.788 0.789 1,928.46 0.03% 34,409 0.04% 17843
 Lebanon 0.762 0.889 0.819 6,859.41 0.09% 56,639 0.07% 8257
 Lesotho 0.767 0.795 0.805 2,108.33 0.03% 2,739 0.00% 1299
 Liberia     0.727          
 Libya     0.659          
 Lithuania 0.666 0.655 0.663 2,801.27 0.04% 53,429 0.06% 19073
 Luxembourg 0.65 0.663 0.67 604.24 0.01% 70,885 0.08% 117312
 Macau 0.58 NA   667.40 0.01% 55,084 0.06% 82535
 Madagascar 0.722 0.702 0.722 26,262.31 0.34% 13,853 0.02% 527
 Malawi 0.736 0.733 0.751 18,143.22 0.24% 7,065 0.01% 389
 Malaysia 0.733 0.82 0.796 31,528.03 0.41% 358,582 0.42% 11373
 Maldives     0.724          
 Mali 0.75 0.682 0.707 19,077.76 0.25% 17,163 0.02% 900
 Malta 0.664 0.631 0.64 439.26 0.01% 14,553 0.02% 33131
 Mauritania 0.686 0.667 0.681 4,403.31 0.06% 5,235 0.01% 1189
 Mauritius 0.661 0.64 0.662 1,267.18 0.02% 14,220 0.02% 11222
 Mexico 0.749 0.8 0.777 126,190.78 1.65% 1,220,699 1.42% 9673
 Moldova     0.645          
 Mongolia     0.668          
 Montenegro     0.648          
 Morocco 0.69 0.802 0.766 36,029.09 0.47% 117,921 0.14% 3273
 Mozambique 0.689 0.7 0.716 29,496.00 0.39% 14,717 0.02% 499
 Myanmar     0.597          
 Namibia 0.847 0.776 0.788 2,448.30 0.03% 14,522 0.02% 5931
   Nepal     0.71          
 Netherlands 0.65 0.736 0.902 17,059.56 0.22% 913,658 1.06% 53557
 New Zealand 0.651 0.708 0.672 4,743.13 0.06% 204,924 0.24% 43204
 Nicaragua 0.755 0.778 0.759 6,465.50 0.08% 13,118 0.02% 2029
 Niger 0.729 0.66 0.682 22,442.83 0.29% 9,291 0.01% 414
 Nigeria 0.729 0.894 0.809 195,874.69 2.57% 397,270 0.46% 2028
 North Macedonia 0.661 0.655   2,082.96 0.03% 12,672 0.01% 6084
 Norway 0.633 0.791 0.798 5,337.96 0.07% 434,167 0.51% 81336
 Oman     0.786          
 Pakistan 0.698 0.65 0.665 212,228.29 2.78% 314,588 0.37% 1482
 Panama 0.766 0.795 0.78 4,176.87 0.05% 65,055 0.08% 15575
 Papua New Guinea 0.738 0.76 0.766 8,606.32 0.11% 23,498 0.03% 2730
 Paraguay 0.766 0.785 0.768 6,956.07 0.09% 40,497 0.05% 5822
 Peru 0.738 0.795 0.788 31,989.27 0.42% 222,045 0.26% 6941
 Philippines 0.717 0.826 0.837 106,651.39 1.40% 330,910 0.39% 3103
 Poland 0.657 0.722 0.677 37,921.59 0.50% 585,664 0.68% 15444
 Portugal 0.667 0.736 0.692 10,256.19 0.13% 240,675 0.28% 23466
 Puerto Rico 0.753 NA   3,039.60 0.04% 101,131 0.12% 33271
 Qatar     0.633          
 Romania 0.651 0.728 0.647 19,506.11 0.26% 239,553 0.28% 12281
 Russia 0.699 0.875 0.879 146,801.93 1.92% 1,657,555 1.93% 11291
 Rwanda 0.714 0.728 0.742 12,301.97 0.16% 9,509 0.01% 773
 Samoa     0.747          
 Sao Tome and Principe     0.674          
 Saudi Arabia 0.737 0.81 0.834 33,702.76 0.44% 786,522 0.92% 23337
 Senegal 0.697 0.705 0.726 15,854.32 0.21% 24,130 0.03% 1522
 Serbia NA NA 0.676 8,802.74 0.12% 50,597 0.06% 5748
 Seychelles 0.76 0.679 0.704 97.09 0.00% 1,590 0.00% 16376
 Sierra Leone 0.687 0.671 0.694 7,650.15 0.10% 4,085 0.00% 534
 Singapore 0.689 0.758 0.757 5,757.50 0.08% 364,157 0.42% 63249
 Slovakia 0.629 0.498 0.498 5,453.02 0.07% 105,905 0.12% 19421
 Slovenia 0.626 0.646 0.662 2,077.84 0.03% 54,008 0.06% 25992
 Solomon Islands     0.7          
 South Africa 0.763 0.806 0.806 57,792.52 0.76% 368,289 0.43% 6373
 South Korea 0.579 0.67 0.606 51,709.10 0.68% 1,619,424 1.89% 31318
 Spain 0.57 0.697 0.694 46,692.86 0.61% 1,419,042 1.65% 30391
 Sri Lanka 0.665 0.687 0.7 21,228.76 0.28% 88,901 0.10% 4188
 St. Lucia     0.728          
 St. Vincent and the Grenadines     0.818          
 Sudan     0.687          
 Suriname     0.832          
 Sweden 0.742 0.865 0.867 9,971.63 0.13% 556,086 0.65% 55767
  Switzerland 0.803 0.741 0.705 8,570.15 0.11% 705,140 0.82% 82279
 Syria     0.699          
 Taiwan     0.751          
 Tajikistan     0.656          
 Tanzania 0.676 0.65 0.661 56,313.44 0.74% 58,001 0.07% 1030
 Thailand 0.71 0.902 0.846 69,428.45 0.91% 504,993 0.59% 7274
 Timor-Leste     0.565          
 Togo 0.711 0.719 0.734 7,889.10 0.10% 5,359 0.01% 679
 Tonga     0.682          
 Trinidad and Tobago 0.689 0.748 0.732 1,389.84 0.02% 23,808 0.03% 17130
 Tunisia 0.693 0.683 0.705 11,565.20 0.15% 39,871 0.05% 3447
 Turkey 0.718 0.871 0.794 82,340.09 1.08% 771,350 0.90% 9368
 Turkmenistan     0.63          
 Uganda 0.723 0.714 0.729 42,729.03 0.56% 27,461 0.03% 643
 Ukraine 0.667 0.955 0.847 44,246.16 0.58% 130,832 0.15% 2957
 United Arab Emirates     0.796          
 United Kingdom 0.697 0.747 0.746 67,141.68 0.88% 2,855,297 3.32% 42526
 United States 0.801 0.852 0.852 327,096.26 4.29% 20,544,343 23.91% 62808
 Uruguay 0.708 0.741 0.721 3,449.29 0.05% 59,597 0.07% 17278
 Vanuatu     0.688          
 Venezuela     0.743          
 Vietnam 0.682 0.708 0.761 95,545.96 1.25% 245,214 0.29% 2566
 Yemen 0.613 0.801 0.798 28,498.68 0.37% 26,914 0.03% 944
 Zambia 0.766 0.787 0.798 17,351.71 0.23% 26,720 0.03% 1540
 Zimbabwe 0.845 0.707 0.719 14,438.81 0.19% 31,001 0.04% 2147

The content is sourced from: https://handwiki.org/wiki/Finance:List_of_countries_by_wealth_equality

References

  1. "Gross Domestic Product 2018". 2018. https://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf. 
  2. "World Population Prospects, the 2019 revision". June 2019. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx. 
  3. The Level and Distribution of Global Household Wealth. April 2008. By James B. Davies, Susanna Sandström, Anthony Shorrocks, and Edward N. Wolff. http://www.nber.org/papers/w15508
  4. "Global Wealth Databook 2018". http://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2018.pdf. 
  5. "Global wealth databook 2019". https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2019.pdf. 
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