Income share held by highest 20% in France
France: Income share held by highest 20% was 39.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Income share held by highest 20% in France, 1970–2023
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 2023, income share held by highest 20% in France stood at 39.7%.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share held by highest 20% in France peaked at 44.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 38.3%, in 2006.
France ranks 87th of 123 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Income share held by highest 20% in France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 44.4% | — |
| 1975 | 43.3% | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 41.7% | -3.7% |
| 1984 | 41.1% | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 40.2% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 39.8% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 39.7% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 39.6% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 40.4% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 40.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 40.5% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 40.0% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 39.8% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 39.2% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 38.5% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 38.3% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 40.9% | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 41.2% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 40.8% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 41.8% | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 41.4% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 41.3% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 40.9% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 40.6% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 40.9% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 40.2% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 40.0% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 39.2% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 38.8% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 39.4% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 39.2% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 39.7% | +1.3% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 39.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 39.9%, 99% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- France's 39.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 39.1%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 43.1% | 41.7% | 44.4% | 3 |
| 1980s | 41.1% | 41.1% | 41.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 39.9% | 39.6% | 40.4% | 5 |
| 2000s | 40.0% | 38.3% | 41.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 39.2% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.3% | 38.8% | 39.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
More poverty & inequality data for France
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 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 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,281 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -13.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 43.81 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 43.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share held by highest 20% in France?
- Income share held by highest 20% in France was 39.7% in 2023, 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 20% recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 1970.
- What is the lowest income share held by highest 20% recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.3% in 2006.
- How does France rank for income share held by highest 20%?
- France ranks 87th out of 123 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income share held by highest 20% rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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 20%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.