At the start of 2015, half of households living in France reported gross wealth exceeding €158,000 and collectively held 92% of the total gross wealth. The wealthiest 10% held more professional assets, while the bottom 10% mainly had current accounts and regulated savings products along with non-expendable property, and were furthermore in debt. Real estate accounted for more than two-thirds of the gross wealth of households found in the middle of the spread, between the fourth and ninth deciles.

Wealth inequalities increased between 1998 and 2015, but have dipped slightly since 2010. Average financial and real estate wealth increased between 1998 and 2015 for the whole of the retail sector, except the 20% of households with the least wealth. The 70% of households with the greatest wealth benefited from the high valuation of property wealth (+133% in current euros) over the period, especially between 1998 and 2010. Similarly, financial wealth increased by 75% between 1998 and 2015, mainly during the period 2004-2010, benefiting everyone except the 20% accounted for by the least well-off households, which hold almost only current accounts and regulated savings accounts.

The divide between low- and well-off households is owed mainly to property ownership: the 60% best-off households account for 99% of the total mass of real estate assets. Wealth disparities can be explained by differences in living standards, followed by differences in age, making it possible to distinguish periods of life that are more devoted to accumulation and others to de-accumulation. The turning point seems to be occurring earlier than before: in 2015, those ages 55-64 held less wealth than those ages 50-54, and less wealth than did households of the same age in 2010.