Income share held by lowest 20% - Country Ranking

Definition: Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

Source: World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For mor

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

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Rank Country Value Year
1 Azerbaijan 10.80 2005
2 Belarus 10.30 2020
3 Armenia 10.20 2020
4 Slovenia 10.10 2019
4 Czech Republic 10.10 2019
6 Ukraine 10.00 2020
6 Moldova 10.00 2019
8 Kazakhstan 9.80 2018
9 Iceland 9.70 2017
10 Pakistan 9.60 2018
11 Slovak Republic 9.50 2019
11 Kiribati 9.50 2019
11 Denmark 9.50 2019
14 Algeria 9.40 2011
14 Kyrgyz Republic 9.40 2020
14 Timor-Leste 9.40 2014
17 Finland 9.20 2019
17 United Arab Emirates 9.20 2018
19 Belgium 9.00 2019
19 Egypt 9.00 2017
21 Myanmar 8.90 2017
22 Iraq 8.80 2012
22 Norway 8.80 2019
24 Ireland 8.70 2018
25 Netherlands 8.60 2019
25 Bangladesh 8.60 2016
27 Cyprus 8.50 2019
27 Guinea 8.50 2018
29 Fiji 8.40 2019
30 Albania 8.30 2019
30 Nepal 8.30 2010
32 Jordan 8.20 2010
32 Poland 8.20 2018
34 India 8.10 2011
34 Malta 8.10 2019
34 Estonia 8.10 2019
34 Sweden 8.10 2019
38 Croatia 8.00 2019
38 Hungary 8.00 2019
38 France 8.00 2018
41 Austria 7.90 2019
41 Lebanon 7.90 2011
41 Mongolia 7.90 2018
41 Sierra Leone 7.90 2018
41 Germany 7.90 2018
46 Guinea-Bissau 7.80 2018
46 Sudan 7.80 2014
46 Tunisia 7.80 2015
49 Japan 7.70 2013
50 Niger 7.60 2018
50 Portugal 7.60 2019
52 Russia 7.50 2020
52 Nauru 7.50 2012
52 Mali 7.50 2018
52 Korea 7.50 2016
52 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.50 2011
52 Switzerland 7.50 2018
52 Mauritania 7.50 2014
52 Vanuatu 7.50 2019
52 Thailand 7.50 2020
61 Uzbekistan 7.40 2003
61 Tajikistan 7.40 2015
61 The Gambia 7.40 2015
64 Ethiopia 7.30 2015
64 Australia 7.30 2018
64 Yemen 7.30 2014
67 Syrian Arab Republic 7.20 2003
67 Liberia 7.20 2016
67 Luxembourg 7.20 2019
67 Mauritius 7.20 2017
71 Sri Lanka 7.10 2016
71 Canada 7.10 2017
71 Latvia 7.10 2019
71 Indonesia 7.10 2021
71 Nigeria 7.10 2018
71 Senegal 7.10 2018
71 Chad 7.10 2018
78 Côte d'Ivoire 7.00 2018
78 Georgia 7.00 2020
78 Lithuania 7.00 2019
78 Lao PDR 7.00 2018
78 Benin 7.00 2018
78 Greece 7.00 2019
78 Solomon Islands 7.00 2012
78 Seychelles 7.00 2018
86 Malawi 6.90 2019
86 Burundi 6.90 2013
86 Tanzania 6.90 2018
89 Samoa 6.80 2013
89 Tonga 6.80 2015
89 United Kingdom 6.80 2017
92 China 6.70 2019
92 Vietnam 6.70 2018
92 Bhutan 6.70 2017
92 Morocco 6.70 2013
96 Tuvalu 6.60 2010
97 São Tomé and Principe 6.40 2017
97 Serbia 6.40 2019
99 El Salvador 6.30 2019
100 Dominican Republic 6.20 2020
100 Spain 6.20 2019
100 Philippines 6.20 2018
100 Kenya 6.20 2015
104 Uganda 6.10 2019
104 North Macedonia 6.10 2018
104 Italy 6.10 2018
104 Turkmenistan 6.10 1998
108 Iran 6.00 2019
108 Zimbabwe 6.00 2017
108 Rwanda 6.00 2016
108 Gabon 6.00 2017
112 Togo 5.80 2018
112 Malaysia 5.80 2015
114 Madagascar 5.70 2012
114 Uruguay 5.70 2020
114 Cabo Verde 5.70 2015
114 Bulgaria 5.70 2019
114 Romania 5.70 2019
119 Dem. Rep. Congo 5.50 2012
119 Haiti 5.50 2012
119 Chile 5.50 2020
119 Trinidad and Tobago 5.50 1992
119 Burkina Faso 5.50 2018
124 Djibouti 5.40 2017
124 Turkey 5.40 2019
126 Montenegro 5.30 2018
126 Paraguay 5.30 2020
126 Jamaica 5.30 2004
129 Israel 5.20 2018
130 Papua New Guinea 5.10 2009
130 United States 5.10 2019
130 Nicaragua 5.10 2014
133 Mexico 5.00 2020
134 Argentina 4.80 2020
134 Peru 4.80 2020
136 Bolivia 4.70 2020
136 Ghana 4.70 2016
138 Lesotho 4.60 2017
139 Cameroon 4.50 2014
139 Brazil 4.50 2020
139 Guatemala 4.50 2014
139 Comoros 4.50 2014
143 Guyana 4.20 1998
143 Congo 4.20 2011
143 Mozambique 4.20 2014
143 Venezuela 4.20 2006
147 Ecuador 4.10 2020
148 Costa Rica 4.00 2020
149 Botswana 3.90 2015
150 Angola 3.80 2018
151 Eswatini 3.70 2016
152 Honduras 3.60 2019
152 Panama 3.60 2019
154 Central African Republic 3.30 2008
155 Belize 3.20 1999
156 St. Lucia 3.10 2016
157 Zambia 2.90 2015
158 Colombia 2.80 2020
158 Namibia 2.80 2015
160 South Africa 2.40 2014

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Development Relevance: The World Bank Group’s goal of promoting shared prosperity has been defined as fostering income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the welfare distribution in every country. Income distribution data and the Gini coefficient measure inequality in income or consumption and important indicators for measuring shared prosperity.

Limitations and Exceptions: Despite progress in the last decade, the challenges of measuring poverty remain. The timeliness, frequency, quality, and comparability of household surveys need to increase substantially, particularly in the poorest countries. The availability and quality of poverty monitoring data remains low in small states, countries with fragile situations, and low-income countries and even some middle-income countries. The low frequency and lack of comparability of the data available in some countries create uncertainty over the magnitude of poverty reduction. Besides the frequency and timeliness of survey data, other data quality issues arise in measuring household living standards. The surveys ask detailed questions on sources of income and how it was spent, which must be carefully recorded by trained personnel. Income is generally more difficult to measure accurately, and consumption comes closer to the notion of living standards. And income can vary over time even if living standards do not. But consumption data are not always available: the latest estimates reported here use consumption data for about two-thirds of countries. However, even similar surveys may not be strictly comparable because of differences in timing or in the quality and training of enumerators. Comparisons of countries at different levels of development also pose a potential problem because of differences in the relative importance of the consumption of nonmarket goods. The local market value of all consumption in kind (including own production, particularly important in underdeveloped rural economies) should be included in total consumption expenditure but may not be. Most survey data now include valuations for consumption or income from own production, but valuation methods vary.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Inequality in the distribution of income is reflected in the share of income or consumption accruing to a portion of the population ranked by income or consumption levels. The portions ranked lowest by personal income receive the smallest shares of total income. Data on the distribution of income or consumption come from nationally representative household surveys. Where the original data from the household survey were available, they have been used to directly calculate the income or consumption shares by quintile. Otherwise, shares have been estimated from the best available grouped data. The distribution data have been adjusted for household size, providing a more consistent measure of per capita income or consumption. No adjustment has been made for spatial differences in cost of living within countries, because the data needed for such calculations are generally unavailable. For further details on the estimation method for low- and middle-income economies, see Ravallion and Chen (1996). Survey year is the year in which the underlying household survey data were collected or, when the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the year in which most of the data were collected. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

Unit of Measure: %

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (indu