A new analysis by Oxfam and the International Trade Union Confederation reveals that CEO pay increased 20 times faster than worker wages globally in 2025. The report highlights widening inequality, with real wages falling 12% since 2019 while CEO compensation surged 54%.
The average CEO received $8.4 million in total compensation in 2025, up from $7.6 million in 2024. In contrast, global worker pay declined 12% when adjusted for inflation, equivalent to 108 days of unpaid work over the six-year period.
The analysis also found that billionaires earned $2,500 per second in dividends in 2025, based on investment portfolios of over 1,000 billionaires. For every two hours, the average billionaire received more in dividends than the average worker earned in annual pay.
Inequality in the US was worse than the global average, with CEO pay increasing 20.4 times faster than worker pay. Among 384 S&P 500 CEOs, pay rose 25% from 2024 to 2025, while average hourly earnings for private-sector workers increased just 1.3%.
The top 10 highest-paid CEOs collectively received over $1 billion in 2025, with Blackstone, Broadcom, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft each paying their CEOs more than $100 million. A 16% gender pay gap was also found among top corporations, meaning women effectively work for free after 4 November each year.
Oxfam and the ITUC called for government action to cap CEO pay, tax the super-rich, and ensure minimum wages keep pace with inflation. “We can’t continue to let a handful of super-rich people siphon off the rewards of work that belong to millions,” said Amitabh Behar, executive director of Oxfam International.
