Top 10% Control 59% of Pakistan’s Wealth: Report

Income and wealth inequality in Pakistan remain sharply skewed, with the richest 10 percent of the population taking 42 percent of total national income, while the bottom half receives just 19 percent, according to the World Inequality Report 2026 The report shows that wealth concentration is even more severe. The top 10 percent of Pakistanis hold 59 percent of total wealth, while the richest 1 percent alone control 24 percent, highlighting deep structural imbalances in asset ownership. Pakistan’s average income per person stands at around 4,200 euros on a purchasing power parity basis, while average wealth is estimated at 15,700 euros. Despite these figures, the report notes only a marginal improvement in income distribution over the past decade, with the gap between the top 10 percent and bottom 50 percent narrowing slightly from 22 to 21.4 between 2014 and 2024. Gender disparities also persist. Female labour force participation declined during the period, falling from 9.8 percent to 8.5 percent, underlining limited economic inclusion of women in the country. “Overall, income and wealth are highly concentrated in Pakistan, with persistent gender gaps and only minor shifts in inequality trends,” the report stated. Globally, the study paints an even starker picture. The top 10 percent of income earners worldwide take more income than the remaining 90 percent combined, while the poorest half of the global population shares less than 10 percent. Wealth inequality is more extreme, with the top 10 percent owning about three-quarters of global wealth and the bottom half holding just 2 percent. The report also highlights the rise of ultra-rich individuals. The wealthiest 0.001 percent of the world’s population, fewer than 60,000 people, now own more wealth than the bottom 50 percent combined. Their share of global wealth has risen from nearly 4 percent in 1995 to over 6 percent today, growing at around 8 percent annually, nearly double the rate of the poorest half. “The result is a world where a tiny minority commands unprecedented financial power, while billions remain excluded from basic economic stability,” the report noted. The World Inequality Report 2026 is published by the World Inequality Lab, a Paris-based research centre that brings together economists and social scientists from around the world to study income and wealth distribution. The report draws on data from the World Inequality Database, one of the largest global datasets tracking inequality trends across countries over time, and is widely used by policymakers, researchers, and international institutions.