Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 12.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
12.1%
Change on year
down 28.0%
World rank
80th
of 113 countries
All-time high
22.4%
in 2010
All-time low
7.2%
in 1986
Years of data
102
1921–2022
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand, 1921–2022
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand stood at 12.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 28.0% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand peaked at 22.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 1986.
New Zealand ranks 80th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 102 years of available data.
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 20.7% | — |
| 1922 | 19.3% | -6.7% |
| 1923 | 20.1% | +4.0% |
| 1924 | 20.0% | -0.4% |
| 1925 | 20.3% | +1.4% |
| 1926 | 19.8% | -2.5% |
| 1927 | 19.4% | -1.7% |
| 1928 | 20.9% | +7.8% |
| 1929 | 20.0% | -4.5% |
| 1930 | 19.1% | -4.4% |
| 1931 | 19.3% | +1.0% |
| 1932 | 19.5% | +1.1% |
| 1933 | 19.7% | +0.9% |
| 1934 | 18.9% | -4.0% |
| 1935 | 18.9% | -0.1% |
| 1936 | 19.6% | +3.5% |
| 1937 | 15.6% | -20.5% |
| 1938 | 13.9% | -10.9% |
| 1939 | 14.8% | +6.4% |
| 1940 | 14.0% | -5.2% |
| 1941 | 13.8% | -1.2% |
| 1942 | 13.6% | -1.2% |
| 1943 | 13.5% | -1.2% |
| 1944 | 13.3% | -1.3% |
| 1945 | 13.1% | -1.3% |
| 1946 | 14.2% | +8.1% |
| 1947 | 14.5% | +2.3% |
| 1948 | 14.6% | +0.3% |
| 1949 | 15.1% | +3.4% |
| 1950 | 17.4% | +15.7% |
| 1951 | 14.8% | -15.3% |
| 1952 | 14.8% | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 14.8% | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 14.4% | -3.2% |
| 1955 | 13.2% | -7.9% |
| 1956 | 13.4% | +1.6% |
| 1957 | 13.1% | -2.3% |
| 1958 | 11.1% | -15.7% |
| 1959 | 11.6% | +4.5% |
| 1960 | 11.4% | -1.8% |
| 1961 | 11.2% | -1.1% |
| 1962 | 11.1% | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 11.2% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 11.4% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 10.4% | -8.9% |
| 1966 | 10.1% | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 10.2% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 10.3% | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 10.2% | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 10.0% | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 11.1% | +10.4% |
| 1973 | 11.6% | +5.1% |
| 1974 | 10.8% | -6.9% |
| 1975 | 9.0% | -16.6% |
| 1976 | 10.8% | +19.4% |
| 1977 | 8.7% | -19.1% |
| 1978 | 8.5% | -2.6% |
| 1979 | 8.1% | -4.7% |
| 1980 | 7.7% | -4.5% |
| 1981 | 7.6% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 7.7% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 8.6% | +11.6% |
| 1984 | 8.5% | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 8.1% | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 7.2% | -11.1% |
| 1987 | 7.9% | +9.1% |
| 1988 | 8.2% | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 9.9% | +21.4% |
| 1990 | 11.9% | +20.5% |
| 1991 | 10.6% | -11.5% |
| 1992 | 11.3% | +6.7% |
| 1993 | 11.9% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 12.3% | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 12.4% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 11.8% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 12.6% | +6.7% |
| 1998 | 13.8% | +9.4% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | +10.7% |
| 2000 | 11.6% | -24.1% |
| 2001 | 12.4% | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 12.5% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 12.9% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 21.1% | +64.2% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | -23.7% |
| 2006 | 10.1% | -37.6% |
| 2007 | 10.5% | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | +55.4% |
| 2009 | 18.7% | +15.0% |
| 2010 | 22.4% | +19.5% |
| 2011 | 19.7% | -11.9% |
| 2012 | 13.6% | -30.8% |
| 2013 | 12.2% | -10.9% |
| 2014 | 11.8% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 11.5% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 10.7% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 13.0% | +9.2% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | +29.0% |
| 2022 | 12.1% | -28.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 20.0% | 19.3% | 20.9% | 9 |
| 1930s | 17.9% | 13.9% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 1940s | 14.0% | 13.1% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 1950s | 13.9% | 11.1% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 10.8% | 10.1% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.9% | 8.1% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.2% | 7.2% | 9.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.4% | 10.6% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.2% | 10.1% | 21.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.6% | 10.7% | 22.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.0% | 12.1% | 16.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More economy & growth data for New Zealand
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.71 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.37 Percent per annum (2029)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate -3.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.1924 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 9,511 constant 2015 US$ per person (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 0.9117 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2596 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), per capita 12,830 current US$ per person (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.4289 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand?
- Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in New Zealand was 12.1% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 1986.
- How does New Zealand rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
- New Zealand ranks 80th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of income received by the richest 1% of the population. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.