Tiny elite holds triple the wealth of poorest half

Just 0.001% hold wealth equal to three times the poorest half of humanity

World Inequality Report 2026 finds extreme wealth concentration, linking inequality to climate injustice, gender gaps and fragile democracies, and urging urgent global action on taxation, finance and public investment systems.

Global inequality has reached an alarming level, with a tiny elite controlling an unprecedented share of the world’s wealth, according to the World Inequality Report 2026.

The report shows that fewer than 60,000 people, representing just 0.001% of the global population, own three times more wealth than the poorest half of humanity combined. At the same time, the top 10% of income earners receive more income than the remaining 90% together, while the poorest half receive less than 10% of total global income.

Based on data compiled by around 200 researchers, the report finds that wealth is far more concentrated than income. The richest 10% of the world’s population now owns about 75% of global wealth, while the bottom half owns only around 2%.

In most regions, the top 1% is wealthier than the bottom 90% combined and wealth inequality is increasing rapidly. The share of global wealth held by the top 0.001% has risen from nearly 4% in 1995 to more than 6% today. Meanwhile, the wealth of multimillionaires has grown almost twice as fast as that of the poorest half since the 1990s.

The authors, led by economist Ricardo Gómez-Carrera of the Paris School of Economics, warn that inequality has reached levels that demand urgent attention. They say extreme concentration of wealth threatens economic stability, democratic institutions and environmental sustainability.

The World Inequality Report 2026 marks the third edition of this flagship series, following the 2018 and 2022 editions. It draws on the work of more than 200 scholars worldwide affiliated with the World Inequality Lab and contributes to the largest database on the historical evolution of global inequality. The research has helped reshape how policymakers, scholars and citizens understand the scale and causes of inequality, highlighting the growing separation of the global rich and the urgent need for fair taxation at the top. Its findings have informed debates on fiscal reform, wealth taxation and redistribution from national parliaments to the G20.

Produced in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, the report expands its focus beyond income and wealth to include climate and inequality, gender disparities, unequal access to human capital, global financial imbalances and growing territorial divides. Together, these dimensions show that inequality now affects every aspect of economic and social life.

One of the starkest gaps is in access to human capital. Average education spending per child in sub-Saharan Africa stands at around €200, compared with €7,400 in Europe and €9,000 in North America and Oceania. This gap of more than 40 to one is far wider than income differences alone and continues to shape life chances across generations, entrenching a geography of opportunity.

South Asia, including Bangladesh, reflects many of these challenges, where economic growth has not translated into equal gains for all. Millions across the region remain vulnerable to rising living costs, climate shocks and limited access to quality education and healthcare.

The report also criticises the global financial system, saying it favours rich countries that can borrow cheaply and earn higher returns abroad. As a result, around 1% of global GDP flows each year from poorer to richer countries through net income transfers, nearly three times the amount provided as global development aid.

On gender inequality, the report finds that women earn on average only 61% of what men earn per hour when unpaid work is excluded. When unpaid domestic and care labour is included, women’s earnings fall to just 32% of men’s, revealing how invisible labour deepens inequality.

The findings also link inequality to the climate crisis. The wealthiest 10% of the global population are responsible for about 77% of carbon emissions linked to private capital ownership, while the poorest half account for only 3%, despite being the most vulnerable to climate impacts. The report stresses that addressing climate change requires reforming financial and investment systems that concentrate both wealth and emissions.

Commenting on the findings, Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, said the report underlines the deep links between climate injustice and unequal power structures. “Climate justice cannot be achieved without confronting extreme wealth concentration and the models of domination that drive overconsumption and environmental destruction. Ecological masculinity offers an alternative, rooted in care, responsibility and collective wellbeing, rather than extraction, control and profit at any cost,” he said.

The report further highlights rising territorial divides within countries, where gaps between large cities and smaller towns are widening. Unequal access to public services, jobs and economic opportunities has weakened social cohesion and made redistributive reforms harder to achieve.

The report concludes that such extreme inequality is no longer just a moral issue but a direct threat to social stability and economic resilience. Without urgent action, it warns, widening wealth gaps could fuel social unrest, weaken democratic institutions and undermine global efforts to address climate and development crises. It calls for renewed global cooperation through progressive taxation, investment in education and health, climate accountability linked to private capital and inclusive political institutions capable of rebuilding trust and solidarity.