At the start of 2018, half of households living in France declared gross wealth in excess of €163,100, together holding 92% of total gross wealth. Real estate represents over 70% of gross wealth for households between the fourth and ninth deciles. The wealthiest 10% have more professional assets, whereas the poorest 10% mainly have current accounts, regulated savings products and durables and are in greater debt.

Wealth inequality increased between 1998 and 2018. This rise can be explained mainly by the strong increase in value of real estate (+ 141% in constant euros), especially in the 1998 - 2010 period, which benefited the wealthiest households.

Looking at 2018, average wealth rises with age before stabilising between the age of 55 and 80 and then declining. Over a twenty-year period, the age at which wealth reaches its maximum increases with each generation. Between 2015 and 2018, gross wealth rose on average (+ 12.5%) for people living in a household whose composition remained stable. Conversely, it fell (– 6.4%) when the household profile changed, more often due to adults leaving the household rather than joining it. Between 2015 and 2018, there was little change in gross wealth for the 20% of people in the poorest stable households, whereas there was considerable volatility for the wealthiest 10%.

Over a three-year period, only a third of people in a stable household change position in terms of distribution of gross wealth (by more than one twentieth). Upward transitions are more common than downward ones (41% to a higher twentieth compared with 29% to a lower bracket).