Share of the global wealth held by the richest percent 2002-2026

Share of the global net personal wealth held by the richest percent from 2002 to 2026

The richest 1 percent of adults held about 47.5 percent of all global net personal wealth in 2026, up from about 44 percent in 2002. The share rose to a peak of nearly 51 percent in 2016 before easing and then climbing again in recent years. The share of the world wealth held by the richest 1 percent is one of the single most powerful measures of global inequality, capturing in one number how far the fortunes of the top have pulled away from those of everyone else over the past two decades. At about 47.5 percent in 2026, the share of the richest 1 percent is close to its highest level in decades, a striking figure that means a single percent of adults holds nearly as much wealth as the entire rest of the world combined. Tracked over nearly a quarter of a century, the share of the richest 1 percent offers a long view of how global wealth concentration has evolved, through booms and busts, financial crises and recoveries, and the rise of a new class of the ultra-wealthy.

The concentration of wealth at the very top has grown over the past two decades, though not in a straight line. The trend builds on our global wealth distribution and billionaires around the world coverage.

A widening gap: the top 1 percent hold about 47.5 percent of global wealth and the top 10 percent more than 80 percent, while the bottom half hold just about 1 percent.

The share held by the richest 1 percent is one of the most closely watched measures of global inequality, tracking how far the wealth of the top has pulled away from the rest, themes our billionaire wealth distribution and total billionaire wealth coverage explores.

A note on the data. The figures show the share of global net personal wealth held by the richest 1 percent of adults from 2002 to 2026, in percent, from Credit Suisse and UBS data. The figures reflect a change in methodology after UBS took over Credit Suisse in 2023. Because the methodology changed after UBS took over Credit Suisse in 2023, the most recent figures are not perfectly comparable with the earlier ones, so the long-run trend should be read as broadly indicative rather than exact. The reference measure is the share of total net personal wealth, gross assets minus debts, held by the richest 1 percent of the adult population, expressed in percent and tracked from 2002 through 2026.

The Top 1 Percent Share Over Time

The table shows the share of global wealth held by the richest 1 percent from 2002 to 2026. It shows a rise to a peak around 2016, a dip toward the end of the decade, and a renewed climb in the most recent years. Reading down the table shows the arc of the past two decades, a rise from about 44 percent in 2002 to a peak near 51 percent in 2016, a dip toward the end of the decade, and a renewed climb to about 47.5 percent by 2026. Because the figures combine data from before and after the change in methodology, and because wealth shares move with asset prices, the year-to-year numbers should be read as broadly indicative of the trend rather than precise.

How Much Wealth Does the Top 1% Hold?

The richest 1 percent of adults held about 47.5 percent of all global wealth in 2026, close to half of everything owned in the world. That share is up from about 44 percent in 2002, having peaked at nearly 51 percent in 2016. The fact that a single percent of the world adults holds close to half of all the wealth on the planet is a startling measure of concentration, and its slow rise over two decades points to an inequality that has deepened rather than eased. The 47.5 percent share of 2026 is up more than 3 percentage points from about 44 percent in 2002, and although it sits below the 2016 peak of nearly 51 percent, it points to a long-run trend of rising concentration. The proximity of the figure to the symbolic halfway mark, with a single percent of adults holding close to half of all the wealth in the world, is what gives the statistic its power as a shorthand for the state of global inequality.

The rise in the share of the top 1 percent reflects the long boom in asset prices, especially shares and property, which are owned disproportionately by the wealthy, a pattern our billionaires by region coverage frames.

Close to half: the share of the richest 1 percent rose from about 44 percent in 2002 to a peak of nearly 51 percent in 2016, then eased and climbed again to about 47.5 percent.

The share has not risen in a straight line, dipping in the years after 2016 as some fortunes fell, before climbing again in the strong markets of the 2020s, showing how closely wealth concentration tracks the ups and downs of asset prices. The close link between the share of the top 1 percent and the ups and downs of the stock and property markets is one of the clearest lessons of the data, since the wealthy hold most of their fortunes in exactly these assets.

How Is Global Wealth Split Today?

Global wealth is split very unevenly. The richest 1 percent hold about 47.5 percent, the next 9 percent hold about 35 percent, and the next 40 percent hold about 16 percent, leaving the poorest half of the world adults with only about 1 percent. The way global wealth splits into a top that holds almost everything and a bottom half that holds almost nothing is the defining feature of the distribution, a gulf that has proved remarkably resistant to change. With the top 1 percent on about 47.5 percent, the next 9 percent on about 35 percent, and the next 40 percent on about 16 percent, the richest tenth of adults hold more than 80 percent of all wealth, leaving 1 percent for the bottom half. The four-way split of global wealth, from a top percent holding almost half to a bottom half holding almost nothing, is one of the most quoted illustrations of inequality, and it has changed remarkably little in its broad shape over the years.

The concentration at the top means the richest tenth of adults hold more than 80 percent of all wealth, while the bottom half hold almost nothing, a pattern our top billionaire countries coverage frames.

Top-heavy: the top 1 percent hold about 47.5 percent of global wealth, the next 9 percent about 35 percent, and the poorest half just about 1 percent.

The near-total exclusion of the bottom half of the world adults from wealth, holding just 1 percent between them, is the starkest feature of the global distribution, unchanged even as the world has grown far richer overall. The persistence of the bottom half near 1 percent, decade after decade, is a reminder that the great rise in global wealth has flowed overwhelmingly to those who were already wealthy, leaving the poorest largely untouched. Taken together, the country figures show that while wealth concentration varies widely, it is high almost everywhere, from the extreme levels of Russia and South Africa to the more moderate but still substantial concentration of Western Europe.

The Growing Fortune of the Top 1%

In dollar terms, the wealth of the top 1 percent has grown enormously, from about 55 trillion dollars in 2002 to more than 250 trillion in 2026. The rise reflects both the growing total of global wealth and the rising share held at the top. Tracking the wealth of the top 1 percent in dollars, rather than as a share, reveals the sheer scale of the fortunes involved, which have multiplied several times over as asset prices have soared through the past two decades. The wealth of the top 1 percent has risen from about 55 trillion dollars in 2002 to more than 250 trillion in 2026, a near-fivefold increase that far outpaces the growth of the world economy over the same period.

The near-fivefold rise in the wealth of the top 1 percent over two decades reflects the long boom in the value of shares, property and other assets, a rise our largest asset managers coverage frames.

A near-fivefold rise: the wealth of the top 1 percent rose from about 55 trillion dollars in 2002 to more than 250 trillion in 2026.

The growing fortune of the top 1 percent, now more than 250 trillion dollars, is larger than the combined economic output of every country in the world in a year, a measure of the sheer scale of wealth concentrated at the top. The sheer scale of the wealth now held by the top 1 percent, more than 250 trillion dollars, is difficult to grasp, dwarfing the annual output of the world economy and representing an unprecedented concentration of resources.

Which Countries Are the Most Unequal?

The share held by the richest 1 percent varies widely by country. It is highest in Russia, at about 59 percent, and South Africa and Brazil, at about 55 and 50 percent, while it is lower in Japan and much of Western Europe, at around 20 percent. The wide variation in wealth concentration from country to country shows that inequality is not fixed but shaped by history, policy and the structure of each economy, ranging from the extreme concentration of Russia to the more even spread of Japan. At about 59 percent, Russia has the highest top 1 percent wealth share of any major economy, more than double Japan roughly 19 percent, a range that captures the vast differences in wealth concentration around the world. The country-by-country picture is a reminder that the global figure is an average of very different national experiences, from societies where a small elite holds most of the wealth to those where it is spread more evenly.

The high concentration in Russia, South Africa and Brazil reflects their histories of inequality and the dominance of a small elite, while the lower shares in Japan and parts of Europe reflect more even distributions, a contrast our leading billionaires coverage frames.

Russia leads: the top 1 percent hold about 59 percent of national wealth in Russia, against about 19 percent in Japan, with the United States on about 35 percent.

The United States, with the top 1 percent holding about 35 percent of national wealth, is more unequal than most of Western Europe, reflecting the concentration of its enormous fortunes at the very top. The relatively high concentration in the United States, greater than in most of Western Europe, is a reminder that wealth inequality is not confined to developing or transition economies but is a feature of the richest country in the world.

The Global Wealth Gini

The global wealth Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality where 0 is perfect equality and 1 is total concentration, stands at about 0.88 in 2026. It has remained extremely high throughout the period, reflecting the persistence of extreme wealth inequality. The global wealth Gini coefficient, a single summary measure of inequality, captures how extreme the concentration of wealth has become, standing far above the levels seen for income and close to the theoretical maximum. At about 0.88, the global wealth Gini coefficient sits close to the theoretical maximum of 1, far above the figure for income inequality and a stark measure of how concentrated the world wealth has become.

The very high global wealth Gini, far above the levels seen for income, reflects the way wealth is even more concentrated than earnings, built up and passed down over generations, a pattern our global stock markets by country coverage frames.

Extreme and stable: the global wealth Gini coefficient stands at about 0.88, far above income inequality and close to its theoretical maximum.

The stability of the global wealth Gini at such a high level, despite the rise of billions of people out of poverty, shows how deeply entrenched wealth inequality remains at the global level. The stubborn stability of the global wealth Gini at such an extreme level, even as billions have risen out of poverty, underlines how the reduction of poverty and the concentration of wealth at the top can proceed side by side. Looking ahead, the global wealth Gini seems likely to remain extremely high, since the forces concentrating wealth at the top, above all rising asset prices, show little sign of easing.

The Rising Share of Billionaires

Billionaires hold a growing share of global wealth. Their combined fortunes have risen from about 1.5 percent of all global wealth in 2010 to about 4 percent in 2026, as the largest fortunes have grown faster than the rest. The rising share of global wealth held by billionaires is one of the clearest signs of concentration at the very top, as the largest fortunes have grown faster than global wealth as a whole for well over a decade. Billionaires share of global wealth has risen from about 1.5 percent in 2010 to about 4 percent in 2026, meaning a group of a few thousand people now holds one dollar in every twenty-five of the world wealth.

The rising share of billionaires reflects the extraordinary growth of the very largest fortunes, especially in technology, which have outpaced the growth of global wealth as a whole, a boom our Nasdaq stock market coverage frames.

Rising fast: billionaires share of global wealth rose from about 1.5 percent in 2010 to about 4 percent in 2026, faster than any other group.

Although billionaires are a tiny fraction of the top 1 percent, their share of global wealth has grown faster than that of any other group, reflecting the concentration of wealth at the very apex of the distribution. The faster growth of the billionaire share than of any other group captures the way the very largest fortunes have outpaced not just the rest of society but even the rest of the wealthy, concentrating wealth ever more tightly at the apex.

Concentration Since 2002, by Country

Wealth concentration has risen within many countries since 2002. In Russia the share of the top 1 percent rose from about 45 to 59 percent, in India from about 32 to 40 percent, and in China from about 25 to 31 percent, while Western shares changed less. Looking at how concentration has changed within individual countries since 2002 reveals a more varied picture than the global figure alone, with the sharpest rises in the fast-growing and transition economies.

The sharp rise in concentration in Russia, India and China reflects the rapid creation of new fortunes as their economies grew and opened, a shift our biggest companies by market value coverage frames.

Concentration rose: since 2002 the top 1 percent share rose from about 45 to 59 percent in Russia and from about 32 to 40 percent in India.

The more modest changes in the United States and Western Europe reflect their already high and more stable levels of concentration, though even there the share of the top 1 percent has drifted upward over the period. The drift upward in concentration even in the United States and Western Europe, where levels were already high, shows that the trend toward greater wealth inequality has been broad-based, if less dramatic in the established rich world.

The Top 0.001% Pull Away

At the very top, the richest 0.001 percent, a group of about 56,000 people, have pulled away fastest. Their share of global wealth has risen from about 3.7 percent in 1995 to about 6.1 percent in 2025, according to the World Inequality Report. The pulling away of the ultra-rich, the richest 0.001 percent, is perhaps the most extreme expression of rising wealth concentration, as a group small enough to fit in a stadium has come to hold a growing slice of the world wealth. The share of the richest 0.001 percent has risen from about 3.7 percent in 1995 to about 6.1 percent in 2025, meaning about 56,000 people now hold more than the poorest four billion combined.

The rise of the ultra-rich reflects the concentration of wealth at the very apex, where a few thousand fortunes have grown faster than almost any other group, a pattern our crypto market coverage frames.

The ultra-rich pull away: the share of the richest 0.001 percent, about 56,000 people, rose from about 3.7 percent in 1995 to about 6.1 percent in 2025.

The fact that about 56,000 people now hold more wealth than the poorest half of the world population combined is perhaps the starkest single measure of how extreme wealth concentration has become at the very top. The comparison between the 56,000 people at the very top and the poorest four billion is perhaps the most vivid illustration of global wealth inequality, a gap so vast it can be hard to comprehend.

Where Concentration Rose the Most

The change in the share of the top 1 percent since 2002 varies widely. Concentration rose most in Russia and India, by more than 8 percentage points, followed by China and the United States, while it fell slightly in a few Western European countries. The pattern of where wealth concentration has risen the most since 2002 offers a map of the changing geography of inequality, dominated by the transition and fast-growing economies rather than the established rich nations. Russia roughly 14 percentage point rise in the top 1 percent share since 2002, and India about 8 points, dwarf the changes in the United States and Western Europe, marking the sharpest rises in wealth concentration.

The differing paths reflect the very different histories of these economies, with the fast-growing and transition economies seeing the sharpest rises in concentration, a contrast our leading investment banks coverage frames.

Sharpest in the East: the top 1 percent share rose most in Russia and India since 2002, while it changed little or fell slightly in parts of Western Europe.

The overall trend, of rising concentration in most large economies, has pushed the global share of the top 1 percent upward over the period, even as the picture has varied from one country to the next. The broad rise in concentration across most large economies, pushing the global share of the top 1 percent upward, shows that the trend is not the story of any one country but a widespread feature of the modern global economy. Whether global concentration continues to rise will depend on the path of asset prices and on policy, but the broad trend of the past two decades has been clearly toward a larger share for the richest 1 percent.

The Top 1% Share in Numbers

A few numbers capture the picture. The richest 1 percent held about 47.5 percent of global wealth in 2026, up from 44 percent in 2002, the top 0.001 percent held about 6 percent, and the poorest half of the world held just 1 percent. These figures together track the rising share of the richest 1 percent over two decades, a measure of growing global wealth concentration driven by soaring asset prices and led by the ultra-rich at the very top. The picture that emerges is of wealth concentration that has risen over two decades and now sits close to its highest level in decades, with the very richest pulling away fastest of all at the apex of the distribution.

The figures matter because the share held by the richest measures how far the wealth of the top has pulled away from the rest, a picture our euro to dollar exchange rate coverage sets in the global context.

Together these figures show a world in which wealth has grown more concentrated at the very top over two decades, with the richest 1 percent holding close to half of everything, and the ultra-rich pulling away fastest.

Wealth of the Richest Percent: The Big Picture

Taken together, the rising share of the richest 1 percent maps two decades of growing wealth concentration, driven by soaring asset prices and led by the ultra-rich, a story our gold as an investment coverage sets against other assets.

Whether the share of the top keeps rising will depend on markets, growth and policy, but wealth concentration remains close to its highest level in decades, alongside the markets in our hedge fund assets and federal funds rate overviews.

Frequently Asked Questions: Top 1% Wealth Share