Since the mid-1980s, income inequality in Italy has been increasing, with the top 10% of earners accounting for over 33% of total income by 2009. Similarly, the top 5% earned over 23% of income and the top 1% earned over 9% of income by 2009. Analysis of income distribution data from 1974-2009 shows concentration of income among high earners growing substantially over time in Italy.

1. Top
income
share
in
Italy
Since the mid-eighties, the concentration
of income has been increasing more and
more.
Vittorio Amato - http://www.docenti.unina.it/vittorio.amato

2. Top
10%
income
share
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
2000
2003
2006
2009
Italy: Top 10% income
share
Top 10%,
33,87
All the
others,
66,13
Vittorio Amato - http://www.docenti.unina.it/vittorio.amato

3. Top
5%
income
share
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
2000
2003
2006
2009
Italy: Top 5% income
share
Top 5%,
23,17
All the
others,
76,83
Vittorio Amato - http://www.docenti.unina.it/vittorio.amato

4. Top
1%
income
share
6
6,5
7
7,5
8
8,5
9
9,5
10
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
2000
2003
2006
2009
Italy: Top 1% income
share
Top 1%,
9,38
All the
others,
90,62
Vittorio Amato - http://www.docenti.unina.it/vittorio.amato

5. Pareto-­‐Lorenz
coefficient
2
2,1
2,2
2,3
2,4
2,5
2,6
2,7
2,8
2,9
Italy: Pareto-Lorenz coefficient
Vittorio Amato - http://www.docenti.unina.it/vittorio.amato

6. Sources
and
notes
O Source: author's elaborations based on data Alvaredo, Facundo and Pisano,
(2010). Top Incomes in Italy 1974-2004; in Atkinson, A. B. and Piketty, T.
(editors) Top Incomes: A Global Perspective, Oxford University Press, chapter
12. Series updated by the same authors.
O Data available on: http://topincomes.g-mond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/
O The Pareto-Lorenz coefficients were computed using the top shares estimates.
As a rule they were estimated from the top 0.1% share within the top 1%
share: a=1/[1-log(S1%/S0.1%)/log(10)].
Vittorio Amato - http://www.docenti.unina.it/vittorio.amato