We assess income inequality across French and British colonial empires between 1920 and 1960, exploiting for the first time income tax tabulations. As measured by top income shares, inequality was high in colonies. Europeans comprised the bulk of top income earners, and only a minority of autochthons could compete income-wise. Top income shares were no higher in settlement colonies, those territories were wealthier and the average European settler was less rich than the average expatriate. Inequality among autochthons was moderate, and inequality among Europeans was similar to that of the metropoles. The post-WWII fall in income inequality can be explained by the one among Europeans, mirroring that of the metropoles, and does not imply that the European/autochthon income gap was very much reduced. After independence, the mass recruitment of state employees induced a large increase in inequality among autochthons. Dualistic structures lost their racial dimension and changed shape, yet persisted.

我们首次利用所得税表来评估 1920 年至 1960 年间法国和英国殖民帝国的收入不平等。根据最高收入份额衡量，殖民地的不平等程度很高。欧洲人占最高收入者的大部分，只有少数本土人可以在收入方面进行竞争。定居殖民地的最高收入份额并不高，这些领土更富裕，而欧洲定居者的平均收入不如外籍人士的平均水平。土著人之间的不平等是中等的，欧洲人之间的不平等与大都市的不平等相似。二战后收入不平等的下降可以用欧洲人之间的收入差距来解释，反映了大都市的收入差距，但这并不意味着欧洲/本土收入差距缩小了很多。独立后，国家雇员的大规模招聘导致土著人之间的不平等大幅增加。二元结构失去了种族维度并改变了形状，但仍然存在。