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Inequality
The top 1% holds 40% of the country's wealth
The top 1% received 22.6% of national income in 2022-23. Its share of national wealth was 40.1%, close to twice as large (Bharti, Chancel, Piketty and Somanchi, World Inequality Lab, 2024). The bottom 50%'s wealth share is below 7%.
What follows. Within India's already-high inequality, wealth inequality is meaningfully higher than income inequality.
Income share of the top 1%
2004-2013 average 20.4%; 2014-2026 average 21.9%; latest 22.6% in 2022. Source, method and every year.
One of 37 readings of the dataset, rebuilt whenever the data are refreshed. Data vintage 2026-10-10. Cite as Raman, V.S., Some Perspective: India's Political Economy, 2004-2026, someperspective.info, CC BY 4.0.