Income Inequality by Country 2026

Executive summary

This index ranks 46 of the world's largest economies by income inequality (Gini index), using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. Colombia leads at 54.4 (2024); India is lowest among those ranked at 25.5. Sweden ranks 34th of 46 at 29.3 (2023). As reference points, the EU stands at n/a, the OECD at n/a and the world at n/a. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

Overview

The Gini index is the standard measure of income inequality: 0 would mean everyone earns the same, 100 that one person earns everything. This index ranks countries by their Gini coefficient — a higher number means a more unequal distribution of income.

The spread is stark. Several Latin American and African economies sit high on the scale, while the Nordics and parts of Central Europe are among the most equal societies on earth — a difference that shapes politics, social mobility and consumer markets.

What drives the ranking

Inequality is driven by the structure of wages, the tax-and-transfer system, education access and labour-market institutions. Redistributive welfare states compress the distribution; economies with weak safety nets and concentrated capital show wider gaps.

The Nordic model — high taxes, universal services and strong collective bargaining — produces some of the world's lowest Gini scores, a defining feature of the Swedish economy Affärslivet covers.

What the data reveals

The field is moderately spread at the top: the leader, Colombia, at 54.4 is about 1.6× the median of 33.1 across the 46 economies, and 1.01× the second-placed South Africa. In other words, income inequality (Gini index) varies widely but without an extreme outlier.

What the data says about Sweden: at 29.3 it ranks 34th of 46 — the lower half — below the median of 33.1. That places Sweden in the lower part of the field on income inequality (Gini index).

The spread is wide: the upper quartile of economies clusters around 36.1 and the lower quartile around 29.0, while the leader Colombia is 2.1× the lowest-ranked India (25.5). The quartile split is a cleaner read on typical income inequality (Gini index) than a simple average, which a few extreme values can distort.

Top 5 vs bottom 5

The five highest and five lowest economies on income inequality (Gini index) side by side — the clearest snapshot of the range across the 46 ranked economies.

Limitations & notes

This ranking uses the latest year each economy reports to the World Bank; reporting lags differ, so some countries carry data a year or two older than others (see the year column in the full table). It measures income inequality (Gini index) as the source defines it — not its causes, quality, or wider welfare implications, and not any single 'best' outcome. Every figure is an official World Bank series, not an Affärslivet estimate; the complete dataset with per-country years and sources is free to download and reproduce below.

How it has changed over time

The chart tracks income inequality (Gini index) for Colombia (the current leader) against Sweden over the past decade; the table below shows the top economies year by year.

By region

Median income inequality (Gini index) by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.

Biggest movers

The largest changes in income inequality (Gini index) over the available window — where the action has been.

Full ranking — 46 economies

Complete ranking by income inequality (Gini index), most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

Methodology & verification

Economies are ranked by income inequality (Gini index) using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. Gini figures come from household surveys of differing years and methods (income vs consumption, pre- vs post-tax), so cross-country comparison is approximate; the latest available year varies by country. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

Frequently asked questions

Glossary

Income Inequality (Gini Index)

Income inequality (Gini index) — as reported by the World Bank. ↗

World Bank Open Data

A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗

Purchasing-power parity (PPP)

A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗

Nominal (current US$)

A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗

GNI per capita

Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗

Reference year

The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗

Region aggregate

A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗

Sources

• World Bank Open Data — Income inequality (Gini index)
• World Bank Poverty & Inequality Platform
• World Bank Open Data (home)
• IMF World Economic Outlook (comparison)
• OECD Data
• Affärslivet — Sweden Economic Indicators

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