World Inequality Report, 2026

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Economy | Reports

Why in news?

The World Inequality Report 2026 was released recently, which highlights extreme and persistent economic disparities worldwide.

Released by – World Inequality Lab.
The 2026 report is the 3^rd report in the series after earlier 2018 and 2022 editions.

Key findings

Global Wealth Inequality – The wealthiest 0.001% now hold 3 times the assets of the bottom 50% of humanity, with their share climbing from 4% in 1995 to over 6% 2025, amid rising inequality and declining global cooperation.
Global Wealth Distribution – The richest 10% command 75% of global wealth, while the poorest 50% hold just 2%.
- The top 1% alone control 37%, more than 18 times the bottom half. Even the one-in-a-million elite together own 3%, surpassing the wealth of billions.
- The bottom half of humanity is as large as the combined adult populations of China, India, the US, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, and Russia.
Gender Inequality – For including domestic and care work, women average 53 weekly hours, while men average 43.
Pay gap – Excluding unpaid work, women earn 61% of men’s hourly income and when unpaid labor is included, falls to just 32%.
Climate Inequality –
- Poorest 50% of global population is responsible for only 3% of carbon emissions linked to private capital ownership.
- Top 10% is accounts for 77% of emissions, Top 1% alone responsible for 41% of emissions, nearly double the entire bottom 90% combined.

India specific insights

Income distribution – Top 10% of earners capturing 58% of national income, while bottom 50% receive only 15%.
Wealth distribution – Richest 10% holding around 65% of total wealth and the top 1% holding about 40% of total wealth.
Comparison with 2022 Report – Top 10% in India held 57% of the total national income while the bottom 50% share was 13% in 2021 (Inequality has worsened further in just 4 years).
Female labor participation – Remains very low at 15.7%, stagnant for a decade.

References

Indian Express | World Inequality Report, 2026