Statement from the World Inequality Lab on the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts’ Report on Global Inequality

The World Inequality Lab warmly welcomes the release of the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts’ Report on Global Inequality, published today, November 4, 2025. Led by Joseph E. Stiglitz and joined by experts Adriana Abdenur, Winnie Byanyima, Jayati Ghosh, Imraan Valodia, and Wanga Zembe-Mkabile, the report underscores a truth we have long championed in our own World Inequality Reports (2018, 2022): Inequality is a policy choice. Combating it is both necessary and possible.

The report’s findings are stark and urgent. Among other findings, it reveals that wealth inequality is far higher than income inequality globally. Between 2000 and 2024, the richest 1% captured 41% of all new wealth, while the bottom half of humanity received just 1%.

Among its key recommendations, the report advocates for the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality (IPI), modeled after the IPCC, to systematically track inequality trends and address their root causes. The World Inequality Lab strongly endorses this proposal, which aligns with and can scale up the work we have been doing for over a decade. In collaboration with more than 200 research fellows, we have built the World Inequality Database, the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource for measuring and tracking inequality globally.

Thomas Piketty, co-director of the World Inequality Lab, states:

“The decision by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to place inequality at the heart of the G20 agenda is historic. It marks a significant step forward on the long road toward greater equality. It is no coincidence that countries from the Global South—Brazil and South Africa—have led the charge to put tax justice and social justice on the G20 agenda in recent years.”

Lucas Chancel, co-director of the World Inequality Lab, adds:

“The proposal for an International Panel on Inequality, inspired by the IPCC, is of immense relevance. The extreme concentration of wealth and power threatens democracy worldwide. An independent global panel to track inequality would be a game changer.”

Rowaida Moshirf, co-director and head of data at the World Inequality Lab, notes:

“The Stiglitz report draws on data from the World Inequality Database (WID), which is updated annually by the World Inequality Lab in collaboration with a global network of researchers. As the most comprehensive and coordinated effort to measure and track inequality worldwide, this work serves as a public good and must be scaled up and sustained. The proposals in the report provide a clear and actionable framework to do so”.

On December 10, 2025, the World Inequality Lab will release the 2026 World Inequality Report, offering the latest and most comprehensive analysis of global inequality data, and complementing the findings of the Stiglitz report.