The richest 0.1% of earners in Europe receive around 4.5% of total income on average, according to data from the World Inequality Database, but the share varies sharply across the continent, highlighting deep differences in tax systems, labour markets and redistribution policies.
Across 35 countries including EU member states, candidate countries, EFTA members and the United Kingdom, the income share of this ultra-wealthy group ranges from 1.6% in the Netherlands to 10.2% in Georgia. The figures reflect 2024 data or the most recent available year after 2020, with the exception of Italy, where the latest estimate dates back to 2015. Income is measured before taxes and social transfers.
Within the European Union, Estonia records the highest share at 8.3%, followed by Bulgaria at 7.5% and Poland at 7%. Serbia and Turkey, both EU candidate countries, also report elevated levels at 6.9% and 6.1% respectively. Denmark stands at 5.8%, while Romania is at 5.1%, both above the European average.
At the other end of the scale, the Netherlands shows the lowest share at 1.6%. Cyprus, Montenegro, Slovenia, Belgium, Albania and Latvia all remain below 2.5%, indicating a much lower concentration of income at the very top.
Among Europe’s largest economies, the distribution is relatively tight. Spain records 5%, while Germany, the United Kingdom and France each stand at 4.9%. Ireland is slightly lower at 4.8%, just above the continental average.
Researchers say differences are shaped by economic structures and policy choices. Dr Pawel Bukowski of University College London said taxation and redistribution systems play a central role in determining how income is shared across society. He noted that in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, lower levels of redistribution and more regressive tax systems contribute to higher income concentration at the top.
Dr Salvatore Morelli of the University of Roma Tre added that variations also reflect differences in pension systems, labour market institutions and the visibility of capital income in official statistics. In some countries, stronger wage bargaining systems and broader social insurance frameworks help compress incomes and limit top-end concentration.
He pointed to Scandinavian and several Western European countries as examples where collective bargaining and labour protections contribute to lower shares for top earners compared with many post-transition economies.
Over the long term, the share of income going to Europe’s richest 0.1% has fluctuated significantly. It stood at 6.43% in 1940, declined steadily to around 2.7% in the early 1980s, then rose again to nearly 5% before the 2008 financial crisis. Since 2010, it has remained relatively stable at just above 4.5%.
The latest figure for 2024 places the share at 4.54%, suggesting that while extreme inequality has not returned to mid-20th century peaks, income concentration at the very top remains a persistent feature of Europe’s economic landscape.
