In the third quarter of 2024, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over 67 percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the second quarter of 2024. Comparatively, the wealth of the bottom 50 percent of earners has been slowly increasing since the start of the 2010s, though remains low. Wealth distribution in the United States by generation can be found here.

In the first quarter of 2024, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2023, 7.4 percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States follows closely behind China as the country with the most billionaires in the world. Elon Musk alone held around 219 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the Top 0.1% (99.9th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBSTP1300) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about shares, net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Households; Net Worth, Level (BOGZ1FL192090005Q) from Q4 1987 to Q4 2024 about net worth, Net, households, and USA.

In the first quarter of 2024, 51.8 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by members of the baby boomer generation. In comparison, millennials own around 9.4 percent of total wealth in the U.S. In terms of population distribution, there is almost an equal share of millennials and baby boomers in the United States.

In the third quarter of 2024, 51.6 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by members of the baby boomer generation. In comparison, millennials owned around ten percent of total wealth in the U.S. In terms of population distribution, there is almost an equal share of millennials and baby boomers in the United States.

In Brazil, the richest percent holds nearly half of the country's total wealth, indicating a high level of inequality in the Latin American country. Meanwhile, in Japan, the richest percent held less than 20 percent of the total wealth. Worldwide, South Africa had the highest Gini index, a measure of income distribution.

Russia National Wealth Fund: USD data was reported at 135.474 USD bn in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 122.092 USD bn for Jan 2025. Russia National Wealth Fund: USD data is updated monthly, averaging 88.230 USD bn from Jan 2008 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 206 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 210.622 USD bn in Jun 2022 and a record low of 31.920 USD bn in Aug 2008. Russia National Wealth Fund: USD data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Government and Public Finance – Table RU.FE001: National Wealth Fund: Total Amount. Total amount of National Wealth Fund in US Dollar equivalent

In 2023, Switzerland led the ranking of countries with the highest average wealth per adult, with approximately 709,600 U.S. dollars per person. Luxembourg was ranked second with an average wealth of around 607,500 U.S. dollars per adult, followed by Hong Kong SAR. However, the figures do not show the actual distribution of wealth. The Gini index shows wealth disparities in countries worldwide. Does wealth guarantee a longer life? As the old adage goes “money can’t buy you happiness”, yet wealth and income are continuously correlated to the quality of life of individuals in different countries around the world. While greater levels of wealth may not guarantee a higher quality life, it certainly increases an individual’s chances of having a longer one. Although they do not show the whole picture, life expectancy at birth is higher in the more wealthier world regions. Does money bring happiness? A number of the world’s happiest nations also feature in the list of those countries for which average income was highest. Finland, however, which was the happiest country worldwide in 2022, is missing in the list of top twenty countries with the highest wealth per adult. As such, the explanation for this may be the fact that the larger proportion of the population has access to a high income relative to global levels. Measures of quality of life Criticism of the use of income or wealth as a proxy for quality of life led to the creation of the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Although income is included within the index, it also has other factors taken into account such as health and education. As such, the countries with the highest human development index can be correlated to those with the highest income levels. That said, none of the above measures seek to assess the physical and mental environmental impact of a high quality of life sourced through high incomes. The happy planet index demonstrates that the inclusion of experienced well-being and ecological footprint in place of income and other proxies for quality of life results in many of the world’s materially poorer nations being included in the happiest.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the Bottom 50% (1st to 50th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBSB50215) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

Over 21 million individuals residing in the United States belonged to the global top one percent of ultra high net worth individuals worldwide in 2022. China ranked second, with over five million top one percent wealth holders globally. France followed in third.

United States US: Surface Area data was reported at 9,831,510.000 sq km in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 9,831,510.000 sq km for 2016. United States US: Surface Area data is updated yearly, averaging 9,629,090.000 sq km from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2017, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9,831,510.000 sq km in 2017 and a record low of 9,629,090.000 sq km in 1999. United States US: Surface Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Sum;

United States US: Arable Land: Hectares per Person data was reported at 0.474 ha in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.484 ha for 2014. United States US: Arable Land: Hectares per Person data is updated yearly, averaging 0.760 ha from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2015, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.983 ha in 1961 and a record low of 0.474 ha in 2015. United States US: Arable Land: Hectares per Person data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Arable land (hectares per person) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.; ; Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.; Weighted average;

In 2022, about 40 percent of adults in Mexico held a net worth under 10,000 U.S. dollars. In contrast, merely 393,000 Mexicans (that is, 0.4 percent of the total) had a net worth of over one million U.S. dollars. Mexico is one of the most unequal countries in Latin America regarding wealth distribution, with 78.7 percent of the national wealth held by the richest ten percent of the population.

The minimum salaryThe minimum wage per day guaranteed by law in Mexico was decreed to increase by 22 percent between 2021 and 2022, reaching 172.87 Mexican pesos in 2022. In the Free Zone located near the northern border the minimum daily wage was raised to 260.34 Mexican pesos.This represented the fourth consecutive incrase since 2019, but could prove to be insufficient to maintain the wellbeing of Mexican workers after the soaring inflation rate registered in 2022 and the economic impact of the COVID-19 in Mexican households. The legal minimum salary has a long history in the North American country, it was first implemented with the approval of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States in 1917. Income inequality in Latin AmericaLatin America, as other developing regions in the world, generally records high rates of inequality, with a Gini coefficient ranging between 38 and 54 among the region’s countries. Moreover, many of the countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide are found in Latin America. According to the Human Development Report 2019, wealth redistribution by means of tax transfers improves Latin America's Gini coefficient to a lesser degree than it does in advanced economies. Wider access to education and health services, on the other hand, have been proven to have a greater direct effect in improving Gini coefficient measurements in the region.

Income InequalityThe level of income inequality among households in a county can be measured using the Gini index. A Gini index varies between zero and one. A value of one indicates perfect inequality, where only one household in the county has any income. A value of zero indicates perfect equality, where all households in the county have equal income.The United States, as a country, has a Gini Index of 0.47 for this time period. For comparision in this map, the purple counties have greater income inequality, while orange counties have less inequality of incomes. For reference, Brazil has an index of 0.58 (relatively high inequality) and Denmark has an index of 0.24 (relatively low inequality).The 5-year Gini index for the U.S. was 0.4695 in 2007-2011 and 0.467 in 2006-2010. Appalachian Regional Commission, September 2013Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, 5-Year American Community Survey, 2006-2010 & 2007-2011

United States US: Urban Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data was reported at 0.187 % in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.187 % for 2000. United States US: Urban Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 0.187 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.187 % in 2010 and a record low of 0.187 % in 2010. United States US: Urban Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Urban land area below 5m is the percentage of total land where the urban land elevation is 5 meters or less.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Weighted Average;

United States US: Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data was reported at 1.168 % in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.168 % for 2000. United States US: Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 1.168 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.168 % in 2010 and a record low of 1.168 % in 2010. United States US: Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Land area below 5m is the percentage of total land where the elevation is 5 meters or less.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Weighted Average;

Amongst the selected Latin American countries, Chile was the nation where billionaires' wealth equated to the largest share of the national GDP in 2021, reaching 16.1 percent. It was closely followed by Brazil, where the wealth of the super-rich represented 14.2 percent of the country's economic output. The average wealth of billionaires' in Brazil amounted to 2.42 billion U.S. dollars.

United States NCUA: State: Assets data was reported at 687,447,695.145 USD th in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 681,321,576.773 USD th for Mar 2018. United States NCUA: State: Assets data is updated quarterly, averaging 432,710,692.135 USD th from Mar 2005 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 54 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 687,447,695.145 USD th in Jun 2018 and a record low of 294,449,564.671 USD th in Mar 2005. United States NCUA: State: Assets data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Credit Union Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.KB046: Financial Data: National Credit Union Administration: State Institutions.

As of January 1, 2024, the volume of Russia's National Wealth Fund reached approximately 155.3 billion U.S. dollars. The figure saw a decrease from one year prior. Over the observed period, the highest volume was recorded as of January 1, 2021, at nearly 179 billion U.S. dollars.