Income inequality: Atkinson index in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Income inequality: Atkinson index was 0.167 in 2023. ▬ Flat
Income inequality: Atkinson index in United Kingdom, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, income inequality: atkinson index in United Kingdom stood at 0.167.
The figure is down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income inequality: atkinson index in United Kingdom peaked at 0.188 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.1626, in 2014.
That places United Kingdom 140th out of 174 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Income inequality: Atkinson index in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.188 | — |
| 2011 | 0.1737 | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 0.1683 | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 0.1675 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 0.1626 | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 0.1684 | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 0.1708 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.1696 | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1657 | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.1756 | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 0.1695 | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 0.167 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 0.167 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.167 | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.167 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.1703, 98% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.167 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1561, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.171 | 0.1626 | 0.188 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1676 | 0.167 | 0.1695 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 137 Sweden 0.1694 compare
- 138 Greece 0.1682 compare
- 139 Algeria 0.1681 compare
- 141 Seychelles 0.1656 compare
- 142 Luxembourg 0.1644 compare
- 143 South Korea 0.1642 compare
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income inequality: atkinson index in United Kingdom?
- Income inequality: atkinson index in United Kingdom was 0.167 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income inequality: atkinson index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.188 in 2010.
- What is the lowest income inequality: atkinson index recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1626 in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for income inequality: atkinson index?
- United Kingdom ranks 140th out of 174 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income inequality: atkinson index rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income inequality: Atkinson index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Depending on the country and year, the data relates to income measured after taxes and benefits, or to consumption, per capita.