Income share of the richest 20% — all countries

Income share of the richest 20% — Belgium

Income share of the richest 20% in Belgium in 2023 — 36.3%. Ranked 6 in the world out of 57. Since 1985, the indicator has risen by 1.4 pp.

2023 36.3% +0.2 pp vs 2022
World rank 6of 57
Period maximum 41.7%2000
Period minimum 34.5%1992

Trend over time

1985–2023 · % of income

Income share of the richest 20% — Belgium, 1985–20233436384042198519891993199720012005200920132017202120231985: 34.9%1988: 35.3%1992: 34.5%1995: 37.3%1997: 36.1%2000: 41.7%2003: 37%2004: 39.2%2005: 38.2%2006: 36.9%2007: 38%2008: 37.2%2009: 37.2%2010: 37.2%2011: 36.8%2012: 36.4%2013: 36.4%2014: 36.9%2015: 36.5%2016: 36.4%2017: 36.3%2018: 36.4%2019: 36.5%2020: 35.5%2021: 36%2022: 36.1%2023: 36.3%
Change over the period: +1.4 pp Annual average: 0.04 pp
Income share of the richest 20% — Belgium, by year Belgium All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2023 36.3 +0.2 pp
2022 36.1 +0.1 pp
2021 36 +0.5 pp
2020 35.5 −1 pp
2019 36.5 +0.1 pp
2018 36.4 +0.1 pp
2017 36.3 −0.1 pp
2016 36.4 −0.1 pp
2015 36.5 −0.4 pp
2014 36.9 +0.5 pp
2013 36.4 +0 pp
2012 36.4 −0.4 pp
2011 36.8 −0.4 pp
2010 37.2 +0 pp
2009 37.2 +0 pp
2008 37.2 −0.8 pp
2007 38 +1.1 pp
2006 36.9 −1.3 pp
2005 38.2 −1 pp
2004 39.2 +2.2 pp
2003 37
2000 41.7
1997 36.1
1995 37.3
1992 34.5
1988 35.3
1985 34.9

Western Europe, 2023

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of total income or consumption that goes to the richest twenty percent of the population. Under complete equality it would be twenty percent; in the most unequal countries of Latin America and Southern Africa it comes to more than sixty. The ratio of this share to the share of the poorest quintile — the quintile ratio, S80/S20 — was historically the first measure of inequality, and it speaks more clearly than the Gini index about the gap between the poles.

Important: There are no aggregates for country groups for the same reason as with the Gini index: the quintile of a group is not a union of national quintiles. Household surveys systematically understate the incomes of the richest, so real inequality is higher than measured.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.