This figure, via Paul Krugman , shows the income share of the top 1 percent in the United Kingdom. The broad pattern is very similar to what U.S. data shows. The figure suggests that the explanation of growing inequality over the past several decades cannot be U.S.-specific but must have broader applicability.You can generate more plots like this here . You find a similar U-shaped pattern in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand but much less so in France, Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Might the rising share of the top 1 percent be related to the increasing use of English as a global language?