What it takes to join the global top 1% in 2026
About $1.31 million in net worth or $179,000 a year in income per adult — and why four in ten of the world’s top 1% live in the United States.
WealthPercentile › Blog
Blog: global income and wealth
Analysis, data stories and a library of the research behind the numbers — who the global top 1% are, how income is measured, and how wealth is spread across countries.
Why the same salary ranks differently depending on who measures it
A US income of $100,000 is in the top 18% by Census data but the top 26% on the broad international measure. Here is why both are right.
Average versus median wealth — where the gap is largest
In most rich countries the average adult has two to three times the net worth of the median adult. In some countries the gap is far larger. What the difference tells you.
Norway: how gross income changes with age
Median gross income in Norway rises steeply through the 20s and 30s and peaks in late middle age. New age-group comparisons from Statistics Norway data.
Research library: the key sources on global income and wealth
The datasets, reports and journal articles behind global inequality estimates — what each one measures and where to find it.