World Inequality Report 2026 (WIR) Reveals India's Extreme Income and Wealth Concentration

Key facts

• The World Inequality Report 2026 (WIR) situates India as one of the world’s most unequal large economies.
• In India, the top 10% earners capture 58% of national income.
• In India, the bottom 50% receives only 15% of national income.
• The top 10% in India holds about 65% of national wealth.
• The top 1% in India holds about 40% of national wealth.
• India's average annual income per capita (PPP) is 6,200 Euros.
• India's average wealth per capita (PPP) is 28,000 Euros.
• India's female labour participation rate is 15.7%, showing no improvement over the past decade.
• In 1980, a larger share of India’s population was in the “middle-40%” globally, but now almost all are in the bottom 50% globally.
• Globally, the top 10% of the population earn 53% of global income, while the bottom 50% receive only 8%.
• Globally, the top 10% own 75% of all global wealth, while the bottom 50% own only 2%.
• The global top 0.001% (fewer than 60,000 people) hold three times more wealth than the poorest 50% of humanity combined.
• Since the 1990s, the wealth of billionaires has grown at approximately 8% annually, nearly twice the rate of growth experienced by the bottom half of the population.