India continues to be one of the most unequal countries in the world, according to the 2026 World Inequality Report released on Wednesday. The study says inequality in the country has barely changed in the past decade, with wealth and income heavily concentrated among the richest groups.
The report shows that the top 1 percent of India’s population holds 40 percent of the nation’s wealth. The richest 10 percent together own about 65 percent of all wealth, while the bottom 50 percent owns only a very small share.
Income is also sharply divided. The top 10 percent of earners take home about 58 percent of the national income, while the bottom half receives only 15 percent. The report adds that the income gap between these groups has remained largely unchanged from 2014 to 2024.
According to the study, the average annual income in India is about 6,200 euros per person based on purchasing power parity. The average wealth is around 28,000 euros per person on the same basis.
Female labour participation remains extremely low at 15.7 percent, with no meaningful improvement over the past decade. The report says inequality in India is deeply rooted across income, wealth and gender, showing long-standing divisions that continue to shape the economy.
The report also looks at the global situation. It says wealth has reached record levels around the world, yet it remains highly uneven. It notes that fewer than 60,000 people globally, described as the top 0.001 percent, own three times more wealth than the entire bottom half of the world’s population. In most regions, the richest 1 percent hold more wealth than the bottom 90 percent combined.
Ricardo Gómez Carrera, the lead author of the report, said inequality often stays hidden until it becomes shocking. He said the report gives a voice to inequality and to the billions of people whose opportunities are limited by today’s economic structures.
The 2026 report is the third edition since the project began in 2018. It was released during South Africa’s presidency of the G20, which drew attention to rising global inequality and weakening international cooperation. The study also explores newer forms of inequality, including the impact of climate change, gender gaps, unequal access to education and widening regional divides.
