## Chart of the Week: Sharing the Wealth: Inequality and Who Owns What

_IMF Blog, December 7, 2017_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Chart of the Week: Sharing the Wealth: Inequality and Who Owns What](https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2017/12/07/chart-of-the-week-sharing-the-wealth-inequality-and-who-owns-what)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/blogs/articles/2017/12/07/chart-of-the-week-sharing-the-wealth-inequality-and-who-owns-what/index.md)
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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: The Editors
- Published: December 7, 2017

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### Overview
- Authors: The Editors
- Date: December 7, 2017
- Context: Chart of the Week from the October Fiscal Monitor focusing on wealth inequality—the distribution of wealth across households or individuals at a given time.
- Visual note: Luxury yachts in Monaco: The surge in top incomes, combined with high savings, has resulted in growing wealth inequality (photo: Eric Gaillard/Newscom).

### Key findings on wealth versus income
- Wealth is more unequally distributed than income.
- For the countries listed (all part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development):
  - The average share of wealth held by the top 10 percent of households is 50 percent.
  - The average share of income held by the top 10 percent is 24 percent.
- In the United States:
  - The top 1 percent holds nearly 40 percent of total net wealth.
- Financial assets (such as equities, life insurance, and pensions) make up a large share of household wealth at the very top.

### Recent trends and causes
- Wealth inequality has risen considerably in recent decades.
- The surge in top incomes, combined with high savings, has resulted in growing wealth inequality.

### Fiscal policy responses highlighted
- Fiscal policy is a powerful tool for governments to address high and rising income and wealth inequality.
- The Fiscal Monitor emphasizes that equity and efficiency can and must go hand-in-hand.
- Policymakers need to consider both taxes and transfers, with many policy options available.
- The Fiscal Monitor focuses on three policy debates:
  - Progressive taxation
  - Universal basic income (UBI)
  - Public spending on education and health

*Source: Chart of the Week from the October Fiscal Monitor, as summarized on the IMF blog page "Chart of the Week: Sharing the Wealth: Inequality and Who Owns What" (The Editors, December 7, 2017).*

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## References

- [https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/BLOG-1024x600-CoTW-luxary-boats-wine-bottle-Eric-Gaillard-Newscom-rtrleight257834.jpg](https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/BLOG-1024x600-CoTW-luxary-boats-wine-bottle-Eric-Gaillard-Newscom-rtrleight257834.jpg)
- [Fiscal Monitor](http://www.imf.org/en/publications/fm/issues/2017/10/05/fiscal-monitor-october-2017)
- [https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Chart4_SharingTheWealth_v3.gif](https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Chart4_SharingTheWealth_v3.gif)
- [Fiscal Monitor](https://blogs.imf.org/2017/10/11/inequality-fiscal-policy-can-make-the-difference/)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2017/12/07/chart-of-the-week-sharing-the-wealth-inequality-and-who-owns-what_