In most Western European countries, lower-income tiers are larger, and middle- and upper-income tiers are smaller, when the U.S. median income is used to define middle-income boundaries | Pew Research Center

April 20, 2017

Middle Class Fortunes in Western Europe

In most Western European countries, lower-income tiers are larger, and middle- and upper-income tiers are smaller, when the U.S. median income is used to define middle-income boundaries

In most Western European countries, lower-income tiers are larger, and middle- and upper-income tiers are smaller, when the U.S. median income is used to define middle-income boundaries

Download

In most Western European countries, lower-income tiers are larger, and middle- and upper-income tiers are smaller, when the U.S. median income is used to define middle-income boundaries

1…12 131415 16…21

Infographic Gallery

Middle Class Fortunes in Western Europe
Up to eight-in-ten adults live in middle-income households in selected countries in Western Europe; the U.S. has the greatest shares in lower- and upper-income households
Decrease in shares middle-income led to rising shares in lower- and upper-income tiers in most countries
The income status of adults improved the most in the Netherlands and Ireland
Households in Luxembourg have the highest income overall, Italy and Spain lag behind
Ireland and Norway lead other countries in growth in household income
The earnings of households in Luxembourg, Norway and the U.S. lead the earnings of households in other countries in all income tiers
In many Western European countries, households in all income tiers experienced a greater increase in income than in the U.S.
Upper-income households hold a disproportionately high and rising share of aggregate income in most countries
Who is ‘middle income’ and ‘upper income’ in Western Europe and the U.S. in 2010?
What it takes to be middle income changes over time
Smaller shares of adults are in the lower-income tier based on their disposable (after-tax) income than their gross (pretax) income
Larger shares of adults are in the middle-income tier based on their disposable (after-tax) income than their gross (pretax) income
Smaller shares of adults are in the upper-income tier based on their disposable (after-tax) income than their gross (pretax) income
In most Western European countries, lower-income tiers are larger, and middle- and upper-income tiers are smaller, when the U.S. median income is used to define middle-income boundaries
The shares of adults living in middle-income households fell in many countries in Western Europe
Household incomes in most countries in Western Europe rose faster than in the U.S. from 1991 to 2010
Share of middle-income adults rises with national household income; U.S. appears an exception
The middle class in the U.S. is smaller than in Western Europe
Luxembourg households in all income tiers earn more than households in the U.S. and other Western European countries
What it takes to be middle income varies by country
What share lives on how much