Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) was 36.0% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom, 1982–2021
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom stood at 36.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom peaked at 38.8% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 28.7%, in 1982.
That places United Kingdom 83rd out of 113 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 28.7% | — |
| 1983 | 29.1% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 29.6% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 29.7% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 29.9% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 30.2% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 30.9% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 30.9% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 32.9% | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 33.6% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 33.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 34.2% | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 34.4% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 34.5% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 35.6% | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 35.6% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 36.6% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 36.8% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 36.0% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 36.3% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 36.6% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 37.8% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 37.2% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 38.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 38.7% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 38.8% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 37.1% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 38.6% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 34.8% | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 35.8% | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 36.7% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 35.7% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 35.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 36.1% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 36.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 35.8% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 35.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 36.0% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.9% | 28.7% | 30.9% | 8 |
| 1990s | 34.8% | 32.9% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.5% | 36.0% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.8% | 34.8% | 36.7% | 8 |
| 2020s | 35.9% | 35.8% | 36.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
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 share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom?
- Income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) in United Kingdom was 36.0% in 2021, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2007.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.7% in 1982.
- How does United Kingdom rank for income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax)?
- United Kingdom ranks 83rd out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is income share of the richest 10% vs. gini coefficient (before tax) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 10% vs. Gini coefficient (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 10% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.