Wealth inequality in Bangladesh: Only one percent of the richest people own one-fourth of the wealth

In Bangladesh, the income and wealth distribution gap between the rich and the poor has not decreased significantly in the last decade. This is the picture that emerges from the Global Inequality Report 2026 published by the Paris School of Economics.

The report says that a significant portion of the country's total wealth is in the hands of a limited number of people. The richest 10 percent of the people own 58 percent of the total wealth. Of this, the top 1 percent of the richest people control about one-fourth of the wealth. In contrast, 50 percent of the country's population owns only 4.7 percent of the wealth.

Income distribution inequality is also at a similar level. 41 percent of the national income goes to the top 10 percent of the income earners. However, the bottom half of the population receives only 19 percent of the income. Although income inequality has decreased somewhat in the last decade, the change is very limited—the inequality index in 2014 fell from 22 to just 21 in 2024.

The report also mentions that the average annual per capita income in Bangladesh is 6,100 euros, which is about 873,000 taka (based on purchasing power parity). The average wealth is 30,000 euros, or about 429,000 taka (based on purchasing power parity).

Women's participation in the economy is still significantly low - only 22.3 percent. The report identifies this as a reflection of long-standing gender inequality in the country's labor market. There has been no major change in Bangladesh in terms of income and wealth inequality in a decade. The desired progress in reducing inequality is still at a limited level.

The report, released on December 10, also paints a picture of global inequality. Three-quarters of the world's private wealth is in the hands of the top 10 percent of people, of which 37 percent is concentrated in just 1 percent of the world's richest.