TOP 10 Countries by Income Share of Bottom 40% (Shared Prosperity, 2025)
Bottom 40 Percent Income Share: Latest World Bank Observations
The ranking compares countries by the latest available World Bank observation for the share of income or consumption received by the bottom 40 percent of the population. It should be read as a latest-observation comparison because household surveys are not conducted in the same year across countries.
The bottom-40 share is calculated from two official World Bank component series: income share held by the lowest 20 percent and income share held by the second 20 percent. Survey years are shown in the table because the indicator is survey-based, not an annual administrative statistic.
How to read the ranking
A higher bottom-40 share means the poorest two quintiles receive a larger part of measured household welfare. This often points to lower inequality, but it does not automatically mean high living standards: a country can have a relatively even distribution around a low average income.
Highest value in this snapshot
24.8%
Japan has the highest bottom-40 share among the displayed latest observations, based on the official World Bank component series used here.
Comparability note
Survey years differ
Rows should be compared as latest available observations, not as a same-year league table.
Ideal equality benchmark
40.0%
In a perfectly equal distribution, the bottom 40 percent would receive exactly 40 percent of total income or consumption.
Welfare concept
Income vs. consumption
Depending on the country and survey, the World Bank series may refer to income or consumption.
Ranking table: latest available bottom-40 income or consumption share
The table uses official World Bank WDI/PIP quintile-share series. The bottom-40 value is the sum of the lowest-20 share and the second-20 share for the same country and survey observation.
| Rank | Country | Survey year | Bottom 40 share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 2013 | 24.8% |
| 2 | Czechia | 2021 | 24.6% |
| 3 | Slovenia | 2023 | 24.2% |
| 4 | Finland | 2022 | 23.7% |
| 5 | Slovak Republic | 2021 | 23.7% |
| 6 | Norway | 2022 | 23.6% |
| 7 | Denmark | 2022 | 23.1% |
| 8 | Serbia | 2021 | 22.6% |
| 9 | Croatia | 2021 | 22.1% |
| 10 | Pakistan | 2018 | 21.8% |
Displayed values are rounded to one decimal place after summing the two World Bank component series. Because surveys are not synchronized across countries, this table is a latest-observation comparison rather than a same-year official ranking.
Chart: bottom-40 share in the latest observations
The chart shows how close the top group is: most displayed values cluster between about 22 and 25 percent. That is high by global standards, but still below the 40 percent level implied by perfect equality.
If the chart is unavailable, the ranked bars still show all 10 observations in the same order.
Methodology
The bottom-40 share is computed as the sum of two World Bank series: income share held by the lowest 20 percent and income share held by the second 20 percent. Both are sourced from the World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform and published through World Development Indicators.
Survey years differ because the underlying household surveys are not collected annually in every country. For some high-income economies, harmonized survey sources such as the Luxembourg Income Study may be used; for other countries, the underlying welfare concept may be income or consumption.
The ranking is restricted to latest available observations with usable values for both component series. Values are rounded to one decimal place in the table and chart. No extrapolated 2025 country values are added; rows use observed World Bank series values only.
How to use this indicator
A high bottom-40 share indicates that poorer households receive a relatively larger portion of measured household welfare. It is a distribution indicator, not a measure of the absolute income level of poor households.
The table shows why survey years matter. Japan appears high on the latest-observation list, but its observation is older than the European observations shown here. The ranking should not be read as a direct 2025 policy scorecard.
The indicator is strongest when used with related measures. Higher values usually signal a more equal lower part of the household distribution, but Gini, poverty, median income and survey-method notes are still needed before drawing policy conclusions.
FAQ
Is this a 2025 ranking?
No. It is a latest-observation ranking using World Bank survey-based data. The comparison is current as of the review date, but the survey years differ by country.
Why are two World Bank series added together?
The bottom 40 percent consists of the lowest quintile and the second quintile. World Bank WDI publishes these as separate component series, so the bottom-40 share is the sum of those two shares.
Does a higher bottom-40 share mean people are richer?
Not necessarily. It means the bottom 40 percent receives a larger share of measured income or consumption. Absolute living standards also depend on average income, prices, public services and household composition.
Why do some countries use income and others consumption?
Household surveys differ by country. The World Bank harmonizes the data where possible, but some observations are based on income and others on consumption, which affects comparability.
Why not include shared prosperity premium values here?
The shared prosperity premium is a growth measure over survey spells, not the same as a static income-share ranking. It should be presented separately with its own spell years and official series.
Sources
World Bank WDI — Income share held by lowest 20%
Official component series SI.DST.FRST.20 used as the first half of the bottom-40 calculation.
View sourceWorld Bank WDI — Income share held by second 20%
Official component series SI.DST.02ND.20 used as the second half of the bottom-40 calculation.
View sourceWorld Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform
Underlying source for World Bank poverty, inequality and shared prosperity estimates.
View sourceWorld Bank — Global Database of Shared Prosperity
Provides methodological context for bottom-40 growth indicators and shared prosperity spells.
View source
