Which European countries hand the most income to the ultra-rich?

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · May 22, 2026 · 614 words · By Servet Yanatma

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What to know about Which European countries hand the most income to the ultra-rich?

The richest 0.1% in Europe receive about 4.5% of all income, but their share varies widely between countries.

Claims checked 16

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The richest 0.1% in Europe receive about 4.5% of all income, but their share varies widely between countries.

Why it matters

The share of income going to the richest 0.1% varies widely across Europe.

Common ground

In some countries, it is above 6%, while the European average is 4.5%.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Which European countries hand the most income to the ultra-rich??
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The Netherlands has the lowest share at 1.6%, followed by Cyprus (2.2%), Montenegro (2.3%), Slovenia (2.3%), Belgium (2.3%), Albania (2.4%) and Latvia (2.4%)?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/05/22/one-in-a-thousand-the-european-coun…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 8

schedule Pending 6

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “The Netherlands has the lowest share at 1.6%, followed by Cyprus (2.2%), Montenegro (2.3%), Slovenia (2.3%), Belgium (2.3%), Albania (2.4%) and Latvia (2.4%)”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 2: “The income share of the richest 0.1% ranges between 3.5% and 4.5% in Greece (4.5%), Switzerland (4.3%), Czechia (4.2%), Sweden (3.7%), Finland (3.5%) and Norway (3.5%)”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “It then rose again, nearing 5% in 2007”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “A study published by the WID by Guzzardi and Morelli puts the figure at 3.3% for 2021”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “Among EU countries, Estonia has the highest share at 8.3%, followed by Bulgaria (7.5%) and Poland (7%)”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence includes general Wikipedia lists and EU member state information, but does not contain the specific income share percentages for Estonia (8.3%), Bulgaria (7.5%), or Poland (7%).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This is a list of countries and territories by income inequality metrics, as calculated by the World Bank, UNU-WIDER, OCDE, and World Inequality Database, based on different indicators, like the Gini …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_in…

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web search NEUTRAL — Brunei ranks among the world’s richest countries in 2025, powered by vast hydrocarbons and a long-established LNG export industry. Nominal GDP is ~$15.6 billion and population about 0.46 million, unde…
https://www.worldatlas.com/gdp/the-richest-countries-in-the-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Click on the map and filters below to explore the countries of the European Union.EU Member State since 2007, Euro area member since 2026, Schengen area member since 2024 and more about Bulgaria's par…
https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-histor…

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Claim 6: “In Europe, the richest 0.1% took a 6.43% share of income in 1940”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “Data from the World Inequality Database shows the income share of this ultra-rich group ranges from 1.6% in the Netherlands to 10.2% in Georgia across 35 countries”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the World Inequality Database (WID) is mentioned as a source in the search results, the specific range (1.6% in Netherlands to 10.2% in Georgia) is not present in the provided evidence snippets.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Countries by level of economic inequality according to the World Bank (2022).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_in…

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web search NEUTRAL — World The source for global inequality data. Open access, high quality wealth and income inequality data developed by an international academic consortium.
https://wid.world/world/

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web search NEUTRAL — Top 10 Countries with the Highest Gini Coefficients - World Bank (%). South Africa ranks as the country with the lowest level of income equality in the world, thanks to a Gini coefficient of 63.0 when…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gini-coef…

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Claim 8: “Denmark (5.8%) and Romania (5.1%) are also above 5%”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence contains general information about Denmark and Romania's economy/happiness, but does not list the specific income shares of the richest 0.1% (5.8% and 5.1%).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Denmark. Northern Europe. High income.List of sovereign states by percentage of population living in poverty. List of countries by share of income of the richest one percent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_in…

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web search NEUTRAL — The latest macroeconomic forecast for Romania. 17 November 2025. Romania’s real GDP growth is expected to remain low at 0.7% in 2025 and 1.1% in 2026, as the necessary fiscal consolidation dampens pri…
https://economy-finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-surveillance-e…

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web search NEUTRAL — What does it take to be happy? The Nordic countries seem to have it all figured out. Finland and Denmark have consistently topped the United Nations’ most pr...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pm0Mn0-jYU

info

Claim 9: “Two EU candidate countries are also above 6%: Serbia (6.9%) and Turkey (6.1%)”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions that some countries are above 6%, but the specific figures for Serbia (6.9%) and Turkey (6.1%) are not found in the provided snippets.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Income from black market economic activity is not included. The Gini coefficient is a number between 0 and 100, where 0 represents perfect equality (everyone has the same income).List of countries by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_in…

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web search NEUTRAL — The share of income going to the richest 0.1% varies widely across Europe. In some countries, it is above 6%, while the European average is 4.5%. Experts say tax systems and wage inequality are ...
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/one-in-a-thousand-the-e…

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web search NEUTRAL — Bangladesh posted the highest percentage gain: 72.5%, rising from 0.397 to 0.685. Turkey climbed 29 ranking spots, the most of any country, moving from 79th to 50th. Singapore rose 25 spots, from 37th…
https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/hdi-by-country

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Claim 10: “Excluding Italy, the four largest economies cluster closely together, with ultra-rich groupsholding very similar shares: Spain (5%), Germany (4.9%), the UK (4.9%) and France (4.9%)”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence contains general definitions of income and tax department links, but no data regarding the income shares of the richest 0.1% for Spain, Germany, the UK, or France.

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web search NEUTRAL — National income, measured by statistics such as net national income (NNI), measures the total income of individuals, corporations, and government in the economy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · With this enhancement, taxpayers can conveniently make payments under the existing Income‑tax Act, 1961 for dues up to FY 2025‑26, as well as under the Income‑tax Act, 2025 for Tax Year 2…
https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/

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web search NEUTRAL — May 14, 2026 · The meaning of INCOME is a gain or recurrent benefit usually measured in money that derives from capital or labor; also : the amount of such gain received in a period of time.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/income

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Claim 11: “The latest figure for Italy in the WID is 2.0%, but this dates back to 2015”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 12: “That figure fell steadily, dropping to around 2.7% by the early 1980s”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 13: “Since around 2010 it has stayed relatively flat, standing at 4.54% in 2024”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 14: “the taxation system in Poland is regressive, that is, the rich pay relatively less than the poor”

SINGLE SOURCE

One search result mentions a PDF titled 'Tax System in Poland – Progressive or Regressive?', but the snippet does not provide the conclusion or the data to verify if the system is indeed regressive.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A regressive tax is a tax imposed in such a manner that the tax rate decreases as the amount subject to taxation increases. "Regressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, refer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regressive_tax

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web search NEUTRAL — Tax System in Poland – Progressive or Regressive? Article. Full-text available.Analysis of tax onpersonal income shows that it, as well as the whole tax system in the Russian Federation is constantlyd…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279102192_The_chall…

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web search NEUTRAL — Learn about CIT, PIT, VAT and other aspects of the Polish tax system. Our 2026 tax guideline for Poland is available for free download.
https://www.accace.com/tax-guideline-for-poland/

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Claim 15: “Ireland (4.8%) sits just behind them”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions Ireland's GDP per capita, but does not provide the income share of the richest 0.1% (4.8%).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Ireland rank as the three richest countries in Europe for 2025 with a GDP/Capita in PPP of $201,112, $152,394, and $147,878, respectively.
https://www.worldatlas.com/gdp/the-richest-countries-in-the-…

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web search NEUTRAL — List item The richest countries in the world are ranked using GDP, GDP per capita, purchasing power parity, and national net wealth. Small, high-income nations tend to perform well due to strong finan…
https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/richest-countries-in-…

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Claim 16: “The richest 0.1% in Europe receive about 4.5% of all income”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result from MSN explicitly mentions that the European average for the income share of the richest 0.1% is 4.5%. However, other provided search results are generic (Wikipedia lists or Oxfam emissions data) and do not provide independent corroboration of this specific income figure.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Southern Europe. High income.Income Decile 1 measures the percentage share of income of the bottom (poorest) 10% of the population.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_in…

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web search NEUTRAL — Since 1990, Europe’s richest 0.1% have increased their share of total emissions by 14%, while the bottom half have cut their share by 27%.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/europes-elite-emit-m…

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web search NEUTRAL — And the richest of the rich increased their wealth by even more. The top 0.1% gained 13% of the world’s wealth, and the top 0.001% – about 76,000 people – collected 4% of all the new wealth created si…
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/dec/14/world-ric…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.