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Global Inequality & Wealth DatA
Core Global Inequality Data Sources
World Inequality Database
🔗 https://wid.world/
The gold standard for historical and contemporary data on income and wealth inequality. Includes downloadable datasets, Gini coefficients, wealth shares, and tax records for more than 200 countries. Run by the wider research network associated with Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Gabriel Zucman.
Also: Find the World Inequality Report 2026 here.
🔗 https://wid.world/
The gold standard for historical and contemporary data on income and wealth inequality. Includes downloadable datasets, Gini coefficients, wealth shares, and tax records for more than 200 countries. Run by the wider research network associated with Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, and Gabriel Zucman.
Also: Find the World Inequality Report 2026 here.
World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP)
🔗 https://pip.worldbank.org
Interactive dashboards for poverty rates, Gini coefficients, income distribution, and urban-rural splits. Strong on comparability and regular updates.
🔗 https://pip.worldbank.org
Interactive dashboards for poverty rates, Gini coefficients, income distribution, and urban-rural splits. Strong on comparability and regular updates.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Data Center
🔗 https://hdr.undp.org/data-center
Source of the Human Development Index, Inequality-adjusted HDI, and Gender Inequality Index. Useful for longitudinal and multidimensional inequality indicators.
🔗 https://hdr.undp.org/data-center
Source of the Human Development Index, Inequality-adjusted HDI, and Gender Inequality Index. Useful for longitudinal and multidimensional inequality indicators.
OECD, Income Distribution and Poverty Database
🔗 https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm
Highly curated data for high- and middle-income countries. Especially useful for policy benchmarking on tax, welfare, and redistribution.
🔗 https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm
Highly curated data for high- and middle-income countries. Especially useful for policy benchmarking on tax, welfare, and redistribution.
Inequality.org
🔗 https://inequality.org
A strong public-facing resource that translates complex data on wealth and income gaps into clear stories, explainers, and visuals.
🔗 https://inequality.org
A strong public-facing resource that translates complex data on wealth and income gaps into clear stories, explainers, and visuals.
International Inequalities Institute, London School of Economics
🔗 https://www.lse.ac.uk/international-inequalities
One of the world’s leading research centres on structural inequality, with publications, events, and conceptual framing.
🔗 https://www.lse.ac.uk/international-inequalities
One of the world’s leading research centres on structural inequality, with publications, events, and conceptual framing.
Inequality Media
🔗 https://www.inequalitymedia.org/
Robert Reich’s platform for short, high-impact videos and digital content on how economic and social inequality are built into politics and institutions.
🔗 https://www.inequalitymedia.org/
Robert Reich’s platform for short, high-impact videos and digital content on how economic and social inequality are built into politics and institutions.
Oxfam
🔗 https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/economic-justice/extreme-inequality-and-poverty/
Reports, data, tools, and films related to inequality and poverty, often with strong advocacy framing and global comparisons.
🔗 https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/economic-justice/extreme-inequality-and-poverty/
Reports, data, tools, and films related to inequality and poverty, often with strong advocacy framing and global comparisons.
IMF, Fiscal Monitor: Tackling Inequality Series
🔗 https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/FM
Focused on fiscal policy, taxation, and redistribution. Especially useful for connecting inequality data to macroeconomic policy.
🔗 https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/FM
Focused on fiscal policy, taxation, and redistribution. Especially useful for connecting inequality data to macroeconomic policy.
Urban, Environmental, and Spatial Inequality
UN-Habitat, Urban Inequality Index (UII)
🔗 https://unhabitat.org
Measures inequality in access to housing, transport, and services across cities. Useful for connecting urban planning to social outcomes.
🔗 https://unhabitat.org
Measures inequality in access to housing, transport, and services across cities. Useful for connecting urban planning to social outcomes.
Global Data Lab, Subnational Human Development Database
🔗 https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/
Lets you map HDI and related development indicators within countries, often down to province or district level. Very useful for comparison and visual work.
🔗 https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/
Lets you map HDI and related development indicators within countries, often down to province or district level. Very useful for comparison and visual work.
IPUMS International
🔗 https://international.ipums.org/international/
Harmonized census microdata from around the world, strong for housing, migration, education, occupation, and household structure.
🔗 https://international.ipums.org/international/
Harmonized census microdata from around the world, strong for housing, migration, education, occupation, and household structure.
Our World in Data, Inequality / Poverty / Wealth
🔗 https://ourworldindata.org/inequality
Clear visualizations, regularly updated, and very good for storytelling and presentations. Pulls together material from WID, the World Bank, and others.
🔗 https://ourworldindata.org/inequality
Clear visualizations, regularly updated, and very good for storytelling and presentations. Pulls together material from WID, the World Bank, and others.
UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inequality and Environment
🔗 https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/inequality-and-environment
A useful source on ecological inequality, climate vulnerability, and environmental justice.
🔗 https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/inequality-and-environment
A useful source on ecological inequality, climate vulnerability, and environmental justice.
Africa-Focused and Regional Resources
African Development Bank, Africa Inequality Data
🔗 https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/africa-information
Contains Gini coefficients, Palma ratios, and other sectoral inequality metrics for African countries.
🔗 https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/africa-information
Contains Gini coefficients, Palma ratios, and other sectoral inequality metrics for African countries.
DataFirst, University of Cape Town
🔗 https://www.datafirst.uct.ac.za/
A major microdata repository for South African and African household, labour, and census data. Excellent for deep statistical work using datasets like GHS, NIDS, and Census.
🔗 https://www.datafirst.uct.ac.za/
A major microdata repository for South African and African household, labour, and census data. Excellent for deep statistical work using datasets like GHS, NIDS, and Census.
UNU-WIDER, World Income Inequality Database (WIID)
🔗 https://www.wider.unu.edu/project/wiid-world-income-inequality-database
A major alternative to WID, with broad historical coverage of Gini indices and income shares.
🔗 https://www.wider.unu.edu/project/wiid-world-income-inequality-database
A major alternative to WID, with broad historical coverage of Gini indices and income shares.
African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research (ACEIR)
🔗 https://www.aceir.uct.ac.za/
An important African research centre producing inequality research, dashboards, and country reports.
🔗 https://www.aceir.uct.ac.za/
An important African research centre producing inequality research, dashboards, and country reports.
Analytical and Visualization Tools
Gapminder Tools
🔗 https://www.gapminder.org/tools
Interactive scatterplots and time-series tools for visualizing life expectancy, income, and inequality over time.
🔗 https://www.gapminder.org/tools
Interactive scatterplots and time-series tools for visualizing life expectancy, income, and inequality over time.
Our World in Data Grapher API
🔗 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher
Useful for building custom inequality visualizations using structured, reusable data feeds.
🔗 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher
Useful for building custom inequality visualizations using structured, reusable data feeds.
Mapbox + OpenStreetMap + HDX (Humanitarian Data Exchange)
🔗 https://data.humdata.org
Spatial datasets for mapping inequality, urban density, infrastructure access, and humanitarian conditions.
🔗 https://data.humdata.org
Spatial datasets for mapping inequality, urban density, infrastructure access, and humanitarian conditions.
WorldPop + Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
🔗 https://www.worldpop.org
🔗 https://dhsprogram.com
Geo-coded population and health inequality data that are especially useful for high-resolution mapping and subnational analysis.
🔗 https://www.worldpop.org
🔗 https://dhsprogram.com
Geo-coded population and health inequality data that are especially useful for high-resolution mapping and subnational analysis.
Research Portals and Policy Trackers
ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization
🔗 https://ilostat.ilo.org
Strong for labour market inequality, gender wage gaps, informal employment, and labour-force structure.
🔗 https://ilostat.ilo.org
Strong for labour market inequality, gender wage gaps, informal employment, and labour-force structure.
Policy Inequality Database
🔗 https://policyinequality.org
Tracks policy levers related to inequality, including taxation, welfare, education, and labour reforms.
🔗 https://policyinequality.org
Tracks policy levers related to inequality, including taxation, welfare, education, and labour reforms.
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resource guides
