Top 1% income by country: the 2026 thresholds
The top 1% starts at about $591,000 a year in the US, $321,000 in the UK and $179,000 worldwide. Income thresholds for 77 countries.
Short answer: to be in the top 1% of adults by income you need roughly $591,000 a year in the United States, $321,000 in the United Kingdom, $315,000 in Canada, $398,000 in Australia and $329,000 in Germany. Against all adults in the world, the top 1% starts at $179,000.
The highest line is in Luxembourg ($1.06 million), followed by Singapore and the United States. In 25 of the 77 countries we cover, an income below $100,000 is already enough for the national top 1%.
What “income” means here
The figures are pre-tax income per adult (20 and over), as measured by the World Inequality Database: wages and salaries, self-employment income, pensions and benefits, plus capital income such as interest, dividends, rent and retained business profits. Couples’ income is split equally between the two adults.
This is broader than a salary. It is the best measure for comparing countries, but it is not the same as the figure on your payslip or tax return. US tax statistics on households, where married couples file together, give a higher top 1% line than our per-adult figure. We explain the differences in why the same salary ranks differently depending on who measures it. For the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, the calculator can also rank you on the official national income statistics.
Quick answers
- United States: $591,000 for the top 1%, $176,000 for the top 10%, median $53,500. US details · Is $100,000 a good income in the US?
- United Kingdom: $321,000 (top 1%), $116,000 (top 10%), median $48,900. UK details
- Canada: $315,000 (top 1%), $120,000 (top 10%), median $46,200. Canada details
- Australia: $398,000 (top 1%), $151,000 (top 10%), median $60,000. Australia details
- Germany: $329,000 (top 1%), $109,000 (top 10%), median $43,900. Germany details
- Norway: $495,000 (top 1%), median $102,000. Norway details
- India: $29,100 (top 1%), median $1,480. India details
The full list: top 1% income in 77 countries
“Top 1% line ÷ median” shows how far above a typical income the top 1% begins. “Top 1% get” is the share of all pre-tax income that goes to the top 1%.
| # | Country | Top 1% income from | Top 10% income from | Median income | Top 1% line ÷ median | Top 1% get (income) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | $1.06M | $409,000 | $195,000 | 5.4× | 10% |
| 2 | Singapore | $696,000 | $225,000 | $68,600 | 10× | 14% |
| 3 | United States | $591,000 | $176,000 | $53,500 | 11× | 21% |
| 4 | Ireland | $515,000 | $174,000 | $69,800 | 7.4× | 13% |
| 5 | Norway | $495,000 | $220,000 | $102,000 | 4.9× | 9.5% |
| 6 | Hong Kong | $495,000 | $127,000 | $36,500 | 14× | 18% |
| 7 | Switzerland | $454,000 | $191,000 | $90,600 | 5.0× | 10% |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates | $450,000 | $123,000 | $33,600 | 13× | 16% |
| 9 | Iceland | $420,000 | $180,000 | $95,300 | 4.4× | 8% |
| 10 | Australia | $398,000 | $151,000 | $60,000 | 6.6× | 11% |
| 11 | Denmark | $355,000 | $142,000 | $67,200 | 5.3× | 12% |
| 12 | Netherlands | $330,000 | $147,000 | $59,400 | 5.6× | 7.1% |
| 13 | Germany | $329,000 | $109,000 | $43,900 | 7.5× | 13% |
| 14 | United Kingdom | $321,000 | $116,000 | $48,900 | 6.6× | 13% |
| 15 | Taiwan | $318,000 | $79,700 | $24,100 | 13× | 19% |
| 16 | Canada | $315,000 | $120,000 | $46,200 | 6.8× | 12% |
| 17 | Belgium | $300,000 | $121,000 | $48,200 | 6.2× | 8.7% |
| 18 | Austria | $291,000 | $108,000 | $51,700 | 5.6× | 8.9% |
| 19 | Sweden | $279,000 | $117,000 | $63,300 | 4.4× | 9.5% |
| 20 | Japan | $277,000 | $44,600 | $24,700 | 11× | 13% |
| 21 | New Zealand | $266,000 | $89,000 | $43,000 | 6.2× | 12% |
| 22 | France | $261,000 | $92,900 | $42,100 | 6.2× | 12% |
| 23 | Malta | $242,000 | $88,400 | $33,900 | 7.1× | 11% |
| 24 | Finland | $237,000 | $102,000 | $46,500 | 5.1× | 9.4% |
| 25 | Uruguay | $230,000 | $56,100 | $16,700 | 14× | 18% |
| 26 | Costa Rica | $226,000 | $45,200 | $11,000 | 21× | 18% |
| 27 | Mexico | $209,000 | $35,500 | $6,630 | 32× | 21% |
| 28 | Chile | $203,000 | $34,100 | $7,420 | 27× | 22% |
| 29 | Estonia | $196,000 | $63,700 | $23,000 | 8.5× | 17% |
| 30 | Italy | $193,000 | $74,300 | $34,200 | 5.6× | 9.1% |
| 31 | Spain | $188,000 | $66,400 | $31,900 | 5.9× | 12% |
| 32 | South Korea | $186,000 | $67,100 | $25,300 | 7.4× | 14% |
| 33 | Portugal | $164,000 | $61,100 | $23,800 | 6.9× | 10% |
| 34 | Turkey | $163,000 | $32,400 | $8,450 | 19× | 21% |
| 35 | Brazil | $160,000 | $25,400 | $5,790 | 28× | 23% |
| 36 | Lithuania | $153,000 | $73,500 | $19,000 | 8.1× | 9.1% |
| 37 | Slovenia | $151,000 | $66,200 | $30,200 | 5.0× | 8% |
| 38 | Croatia | $146,000 | $50,800 | $21,200 | 6.9× | 9.6% |
| 39 | Argentina | $144,000 | $37,900 | $10,500 | 14× | 17% |
| 40 | Romania | $139,000 | $43,700 | $14,500 | 9.6× | 14% |
| 41 | Cyprus | $136,000 | $57,600 | $22,800 | 6.0× | 8% |
| 42 | Peru | $134,000 | $19,600 | $5,430 | 25× | 24% |
| 43 | Greece | $133,000 | $49,400 | $22,900 | 5.8× | 11% |
| 44 | Poland | $133,000 | $47,500 | $19,700 | 6.8× | 15% |
| 45 | Czechia | $133,000 | $50,700 | $30,100 | 4.4× | 10% |
| 46 | Hungary | $132,000 | $41,700 | $22,000 | 6.0× | 12% |
| 47 | Bulgaria | $125,000 | $34,000 | $11,800 | 11× | 18% |
| 48 | Latvia | $125,000 | $47,200 | $17,000 | 7.4× | 9.3% |
| 49 | Russia | $124,000 | $28,400 | $11,100 | 11× | 24% |
| 50 | South Africa | $112,000 | $20,000 | $2,210 | 51× | 22% |
| 51 | Colombia | $102,000 | $22,200 | $3,330 | 31× | 17% |
| 52 | Slovakia | $101,000 | $49,100 | $25,800 | 3.9× | 7.5% |
| 53 | China | $94,100 | $28,500 | $9,720 | 9.7× | 16% |
| 54 | Malaysia | $81,400 | $29,500 | $11,200 | 7.3× | 13% |
| 55 | Thailand | $71,100 | $15,800 | $3,580 | 20× | 19% |
| 56 | Algeria | $64,600 | $14,400 | $4,890 | 13× | 23% |
| 57 | Iran | $56,400 | $14,000 | $4,170 | 14× | 16% |
| 58 | Ghana | $52,200 | $12,200 | $3,180 | 16× | 15% |
| 59 | Morocco | $49,400 | $15,100 | $3,520 | 14× | 13% |
| 60 | Egypt | $43,000 | $10,100 | $2,910 | 15× | 19% |
| 61 | Côte d’Ivoire | $42,100 | $10,700 | $3,190 | 13× | 12% |
| 62 | Indonesia | $40,100 | $10,700 | $2,930 | 14× | 18% |
| 63 | Philippines | $37,200 | $10,100 | $3,040 | 12× | 17% |
| 64 | Vietnam | $36,400 | $10,300 | $3,220 | 11× | 16% |
| 65 | Kenya | $31,300 | $7,350 | $2,040 | 15× | 14% |
| 66 | Senegal | $29,400 | $6,900 | $2,070 | 14× | 13% |
| 67 | India | $29,100 | $4,080 | $1,480 | 20× | 23% |
| 68 | Cambodia | $25,800 | $6,910 | $2,180 | 12× | 18% |
| 69 | Bangladesh | $21,500 | $6,410 | $2,260 | 9.5× | 16% |
| 70 | Uganda | $20,800 | $4,290 | $1,150 | 18× | 21% |
| 71 | Tanzania | $19,400 | $3,780 | $1,030 | 19× | 18% |
| 72 | Rwanda | $18,100 | $3,150 | $918 | 20× | 19% |
| 73 | Pakistan | $17,800 | $4,930 | $1,790 | 10.0× | 17% |
| 74 | Nigeria | $15,000 | $4,130 | $1,330 | 11× | 12% |
| 75 | Nepal | $14,000 | $4,140 | $1,400 | 10× | 14% |
| 76 | Niger | $12,200 | $2,700 | $884 | 14× | 14% |
| 77 | Ethiopia | $10,800 | $3,050 | $1,040 | 10× | 10% |
| World | $179,000 | $40,800 | $4,190 | 43× | 24% |
Click a column to sort. US dollars at ECB rates of 2026-10-09; per adult (20+).
Three patterns in the data
1. Rich, equal countries have high lines but small gaps. In Norway the top 1% starts at 4.9× the median income, in Sweden at 4.4×. The line is high because typical incomes are high, not because the top pulls away.
2. In Latin America and South Africa the gap is enormous. In South Africa the top 1% line is 51× the median, in Mexico 32× and in Brazil 28×. They are also among the countries where the top 1% take the largest share of all income (22% in South Africa, 23% in Brazil).
3. The United States combines both. A high median ($53,500) and a wide gap (11×) give the US one of the highest top 1% lines in the world. The top 1% receive 21% of all pre-tax income, against 13% in the UK and 13% in Germany.
Luxembourg is a special case: a small country with a large financial sector, where national income per adult is far above that of its neighbours. Treat its figures with extra care.
How rare is a six-figure income?
Worldwide, an income of $100,000 a year puts you in the top 2.9% of adults; $250,000 puts you in the top 0.5%. In the United States, $100,000 is in the top 26% and $250,000 in the top 5.2% on this per-adult measure.
Frequently asked questions
What income is top 1% in the US?
About $591,000 a year in pre-tax income per adult. The top 5% starts at $256,000 and the top 10% at $176,000.
What income is top 1% in the world?
About $179,000 a year per adult. Half the world’s adults have less than $4,190. See what it takes to join the global top 1%.
Is the top 1% by income the same people as the top 1% by wealth?
Partly. Many high earners are not (yet) wealthy, and many wealthy people, such as retirees and heirs, have modest incomes. Compare the wealth lines in top 1% net worth by country.
Where does my income rank?
Enter it in the calculator to see your rank in your country and the world, and how long it might take to reach the next group with the path to the top tool.