World Inequality Report 2026
Context:
The World Inequality Lab (Paris School of Economics) released the World Inequality Report 2026 in December 2025.
The report (authored by notable economists like Thomas Piketty and Lucas Chancel) provides a comprehensive analysis of global wealth and income distribution trends.
Key Global Findings:
Extreme Wealth Concentration:
The world’s richest 0.001% (fewer than 60,000 people) own three times more wealth than the poorest 50% of the global population combined.
The top 10% of the global population owns 75% of the total wealth, while the bottom 50% owns just 2%
Since the 1990s, the wealth of billionaires has grown at approximately 8% annually, which is nearly twice the rate of growth experienced by the bottom half of the population.
Globally, women earn only 61% of what men earn per working hour (excluding unpaid work).
When unpaid work is included, this figure drops to just 32%..
The poorest half of the world contributes only 3% of carbon emissions associated with private capital ownership, whereas the top 10% account for about 77%.
India-Specific Findings:
Wealth Inequality:
The top 1% of the Indian population holds 40% of the total national wealth.
The top 10% controls about 65% of the total wealth
Income Inequality:
The top 10% of earners capture 58% of the total national income.
In contrast, the bottom 50% receives only 15% of the national income.
The income distribution in India remains heavily skewed. On average, individuals in the top 10% have an income of about $15,000 (PPP adjusted), while the bottom 50% earn just $1,100 (PPP adjusted).
This illustrates the severe inequality in earnings across different segments of society.
The report notes that female labor force participation in India remains very low at 15.7%, showing no significant improvement over the past decade.
Climate crisis and its links to wealth Inequality:
The wealthiest 10% of the global population are responsible for the lion’s share of carbon emissions, with their consumption of private capital ownership contributing heavily to global environmental degradation.
In contrast, the poorest half of the world’s population is responsible for only 3% of carbon emissions.