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Intergenerational Income Mobility around the World : A New Database

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  • Munoz, Ercio
  • Van der Weide, Roy

Abstract

This paper introduces a new global database with estimates of intergenerational income mobility for 87 countries, covering 84 percent of the world’s population. This marks a notable expansion of the cross-country evidence base on income mobility, particularly among low- and middle-income countries. The estimates indicate that the negative association between income mobility and inequality (known as the Great Gatsby Curve) continues to hold across this wider range of countries. The database also reveals a positive association between income mobility and national income per capita, suggesting that countries achieve higher levels of intergenerational mobility as they grow richer.

Suggested Citation

  • Munoz, Ercio & Van der Weide, Roy, 2025. "Intergenerational Income Mobility around the World : A New Database," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11166, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:11166
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ferreira, Francisco H. G. & Brunori, Paolo & Neidhöfer, Guido & Salas-Rojo, Pedro & Sirugue, Louis, 2025. "Inherited inequality in Latin America," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 130163, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Maré, David & Alimi, Omoniyi, 2026. "Intergenerational Earnings Persistence Across Ethnicities," IZA Discussion Papers 18422, IZA Network @ LISER.

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