As of 2023, the countries in Europe with the greatest share of national wealth taken by the top one percent of wealthy people were Russia, Turkey, and Hungary, with over two-thirds of wealth in Russia being owned by the wealthiest decile. On the other hand, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Slovakia were the countries with the smallest share of national wealth going to the top one percent, with more than half of wealth in the Netherlands going to the bottom 90 percent.

The indicator is a measure of the inequality of income distribution. It is calculated as the ratio of total income received by the 20 % of the population with the highest income (the top quintile) to that received by the 20 % of the population with the lowest income (the bottom quintile).

As of 2023, the European countries who had the greatest share of their national income taken by the top 10 percent of earners were Turkey, Russia, and Georgia, with high earners in these countries taking home around half of all income. By contrast, the top decile in Czechia, Iceland, and Slovakia took home a share of national income almost half as large, at between 26 and 29 percent. On average, the top 10 percent in Europe took home over a third of national income, while the bottom half earned less than a fifth.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) collects timely and comparable multidimensional microdata on income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions.

The EU-SILC collection is a key instrument for providing information required by the European Semester (_[1]) and the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the main source of data for microsimulation purposes and flash estimates of income distribution and poverty rates.

AROPE remains crucial to monitor European social policies, especially to monitor the EU 2030 target on poverty and social exclusion. For more information, please consult EU social indicators.

The EU-SILC instrument provides two types of data:

• Cross-sectional data pertaining to a given time or a certain time period with variables on income, poverty, social exclusion and other living conditions.
• Longitudinal data pertaining to individual-level changes over time, observed periodically over four‐or more year rotation scheme (Annex III (2) of 2019/1700).

EU-SILC collects:

• annual variables,
• three-yearly modules,
• six-yearly modules,
• ad-hoc new policy needs modules,
• optional variables.

The variables collected are grouped by topic and detailed topic and transmitted to Eurostat in four main files (D-File, H-File, R-File and P-file).

The domain ‘Income and Living Conditions’ covers the following topics: persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion, income inequality, income distribution and monetary poverty, living conditions, material deprivation, and EU-SILC ad-hoc modules, which are structured into collections of indicators on specific topics.

In 2023, in addition to annual data, in EU-SILC were collected: the three yearly module on labour market and housing, the six yearly module on intergenerational transmission of advantages and disadvantages, housing difficulties, and the ad hoc subject on households energy efficiency.

Starting from 2021 onwards, the EU quality reports use the structure of the Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS).

_{([1]) The European Semester is the European Union’s framework for the coordination and surveillance of economic and social policies.}

The ratio of the income of the top 20 percent of the income distribution to that of the bottom 20 percent has fallen been on a downward trend in the European Union since 2015. From its recent high of 5.22 in 2015, the ratio has now fallen to 4.66 in 2024.

The Gini coefficient is defined as the relationship of cumulative shares of the population arranged according to the level of equivalised disposable income, to the cumulative share of the equivalised total disposable income received by them.

European Union - Inequality of income distribution was 5.07 in December of 2019, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 5.22 in December of 2015 and a record low of 4.94 in December of 2010.

The Gini coefficient is a measure of income inequality, where a value of 0 would indicate perfect equality in the income distribution (i.e. everyone earns the same) and a value of 100 would indicate perfect inequality (one person earns everything). The Gini coefficient in both the European Union as a whole, as well as the Eurozone currency area, has been on a downward trajectory since its previous peak in 2014, when it reached a peak of 30.9 in both. As of 2024, the Gini coefficient in the EU and Eurozone has hit a new low, with values of 29.4 and 29.9 respectively, indicating that income inequality has fallen in the blocs over the past decade.

European Union - Income inequality for older people: Males was 4.16 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Income inequality for older people: Males - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - Income inequality for older people: Males reached a record high of 4.24 in December of 2019 and a record low of 4.02 in December of 2013.

The ratio of total income received by the 20 % of the population with the highest income (top quintile) to that received by the 20 % of the population with the lowest income (lowest quintile). Income must be understood as equivalised disposable income.

Historical dataset showing European Union income inequality - gini coefficient by year from N/A to N/A.

Context

Income inequality is a global issue reflecting the uneven distribution of wealth within and between countries. Developed nations exhibit varying income levels due to economic policies and labor dynamics, resulting in Gini coefficients of around 0.3 to 0.4. Conversely, developing nations often experience higher income disparities due to limited access to education, healthcare, and jobs, leading to Gini coefficients exceeding 0.4, exacerbating poverty cycles and social tensions. This inequality hampers economic growth, social cohesion, and upward mobility. Addressing it requires comprehensive policies, including progressive taxation and equitable resource distribution, to promote a more just and inclusive society.

Content

This dataset comprises historical information encompassing various indicators concerning Inequality in Income on a global scale. The dataset prominently features: ISO3, Country, Continent, Hemisphere, Human Development Groups, UNDP Developing Regions, HDI Rank (2021), and Inequality in Income from 2010 to 2021.

Dataset Glossary (Column-wise)

• ISO3 - ISO3 for the Country/Territory
• Country - Name of the Country/Territory
• Continent - Name of the Continent
• Hemisphere - Name of the Hemisphere
• Human Development Groups - Human Development Groups
• UNDP Developing Regions - UNDP Developing Regions
• HDI Rank (2021) - Human Development Index Rank for 2021
• Inequality in Income from 2010 to 2021 - Inequality in Income from year 2010 to 2021

Data Dictionary

• UNDP Developing Regions:
  • SSA - Sub-Saharan Africa
  • LAC - Latin America and the Caribbean
  • EAP - East Asia and the Pacific
  • AS - Arab States
  • ECA - Europe and Central Asia
  • SA - South Asia

Structure of the Dataset

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Acknowledgement

This Dataset is created from Human Development Reports. This Dataset falls under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO License. You can check the Terms of Use of this Data. If you want to learn more, visit the Website.

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European Union - Income inequality for older people: Females was 4.02 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Income inequality for older people: Females - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, European Union - Income inequality for older people: Females reached a record high of 4.19 in December of 2019 and a record low of 3.88 in December of 2013.

Finland - Inequality of income distribution was 3.73 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Finland - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, Finland - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 3.78 in December of 2023 and a record low of 3.54 in December of 2017.

European Union - Income inequality for older people was 4.11 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Income inequality for older people - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - Income inequality for older people reached a record high of 4.24 in December of 2019 and a record low of 3.97 in December of 2013.

The period from 1980 to 2023 saw an increase in the share of national income in Europe taken by the top 10 percent of earners. This period has generally been categorized by economists as a period of rising income inequality, especially when compared with the postwar period (1945-1970s) in Europe which saw a compression of the income distribution, with the middle classes in particular making large gains. As financial and labor markets were liberalized in the 1980s and as the effects of economic globalization took hold, however, a growing share of income went to the top earners. This European trend mirrors increases in inequality across the globe during this period, with the United States seeing a particularly sharp rise in the share taken by its top one percent. Rising income inequality has been linked to the rise of populism in Europe throughout the 2000s and 2010s, as voters sought to hit back at economic elites.

Lithuania - Inequality of income distribution was 6.54 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Lithuania - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, Lithuania - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 7.46 in December of 2015 and a record low of 5.32 in December of 2012.

France - Inequality of income distribution was 4.66 in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for France - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, France - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 4.66 in December of 2024 and a record low of 4.23 in December of 2018.

This article analyzes the impact of tax policy on income inequality in the European Union (EU). Each EU member-state has adopted a distinct set of fiscal policies. Although most member-states have coordinated their tax systems to promote economic growth, EU countries hold politically divergent views about income inequality and the power of taxation to redress inequality. This research applies linear regression methods incorporating regularization as well as fixed and random effects. Stacking generalization produces a composite model that dramatically improves predictive accuracy while aggregating causal inferences from simpler models. Social contributions, income taxes, and consumption taxes ameliorate inequality. Government spending, however, exacerbates inequality.

Euro Area - Inequality of income distribution was 5.02 in December of 2021, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Euro Area - Inequality of income distribution - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, Euro Area - Inequality of income distribution reached a record high of 5.22 in December of 2014 and a record low of 4.86 in December of 2010.