Top Wealth Share Declined But Bottom 50% Still Has Nothing

The top 10% wealth share fell from 80-90% in 19th-century Europe to around 50-60% today (60-70% in the US), but this gain went mostly to the next 40%, while the bottom 50% still holds only about 2% of wealth in the US and 4% in France—meaning their children receive almost nothing in inheritance while top-10% children receive 60-70% of the total.