List of countries by income equality
- ️Wed Aug 03 2011
Differences in national income equality around the world as measured by the national Gini coefficient.
This is a list of countries or dependencies by income inequality metrics, including Gini coefficients, according to the United Nations (UN) and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Note that because the underlying household surveys differ in method and in the type of data collected, the distribution data are not strictly comparable across countries. The Gini coefficient is a number between 0 and 1, where 0 corresponds with perfect equality (where everyone has the same income) and 1 corresponds with perfect inequality (where one person has all the income — and everyone else has zero income). All Gini coefficients are before taxes which will tend to decrease the wealth of the upper income groups and decrease the value of the Gini coefficient. Income distribution can vary greatly from wealth distribution in a country. See: List of countries by distribution of wealth. Where information is unavailable it is marked N/A.
Income inequality can only be calculated accurately if all income data is included in the calculations.[1] Many financial transactions take place off the books in the so-called "shadow economy"; also called the cash economy, off-the-books economy, informal sector, black markets, System D., etc.. For 2002/2003 the estimated size of the "shadow", unrecorded, unregulated and untaxed, economies (in percent of official GDP) is an average of 43.2% in Africa, 43.4% in South and Central America, 40.1% in East and Central European countries, Russia and former Soviet Union countries, 30.8% in Asia (excluding Russia and Japan), and 16.3% in OECD countries (which varies from 28.2% in Greece to a low of about 8.4% in the United States, 9.4% in Switzerland, and 10.8% in Japan).[2][1]
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Key:
R/P 10%: The ratio of the average income of the richest 10% to the poorest 10%
R/P 20%: The ratio of average income of the richest 20% to the poorest 20%
Gini: Gini index, a quantified representation of a nation's Lorenz curve
UN: Data from the United Nations Development Programme.
CIA: Data from the Central Intelligence Agency's The World Factbook.
GPI: Data from the Global Peace Index.
| Country | UN R/P 10%[3] | UN R/P 20%[4] | UN Gini as a percentage[5] | CIA R/P 10%[6] | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage[7] | Year | GPI Gini as a percentage[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan |
60.0 | |||||||
 Albania |
7.2 | 4.8 | 31.1 | 7.2 | 2004 | 26.7 | 2005 | - |
 Algeria |
9.6 | 6.1 | 35.3 | 9.6 | 1995 | 35.3 | 1995 | - |
 Angola |
62.0 | |||||||
 Argentina |
31.6 | 17.8 | 48.8 | 35.0 | 2007 Jan.-Mar. | 41.4 | 2010 (3rd quarter) | - |
 Armenia |
8.0 | 5.0 | 33.8 | 25.8 | 2004 | 37.0 | 2006 | - |
 Australia |
12.5 | 7.0 | 35.2 | 12.7 | 1994 | 30.5 | 2006 | - |
 Austria |
6.9 | 4.4 | 29.1 | 6.8 | 2004 | 26.0 | 2007 | - |
 Azerbaijan |
9.7 | 6.0 | 36.5 | 9.5 | 2001 | 36.5 | 2001 | - |
 Bahrain |
36.0 | |||||||
 Bangladesh |
7.5 | 4.9 | 33.4 | 7.5 | 2000 est. | 33.2 | 2005 | - |
 Belarus |
6.9 | 4.5 | 29.7 | 6.9 | 2002 | 27.9 | 2005 | - |
 Belgium |
8.2 | 4.9 | 33.0 | 8.3 | 2000 | 28.0 | 2005 | - |
 Belize |
49.2 | |||||||
 Benin |
9.4 | 6.0 | 36.5 | 9.4 | 2003 | 36.5 | 2003 | - |
 Bhutan |
32 | |||||||
 Bolivia |
93.9 | 42.3 | 57.2 | 157.3 | 2002 | 59.2 | 2006 | - |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
5.4 | 3.8 | 26.2 | 5.5 | 2001 | 56.2 | 2007 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Botswana |
43.0 | 20.4 | 60.5 | 63 | 1993 | - | ||
 Brazil |
40.6 | 21.8 | 55.0 | 49.8 | 2004 | 56.7 | 2005 | - |
 Bulgaria |
7.0 | 4.4 | 29.2 | 8.8 | 2005 | 29.8 | 2008 | - |
 Burkina Faso |
11.6 | 6.9 | 39.5 | 11.5 | 2003 | 39.5 | 2007 | - |
 Burundi |
19.3 | 9.5 | 42.4 | 19.3 | 1998 | 42.4 | 1998 | - |
 Cambodia |
12.2 | 7.3 | 41.7 | 12.0 | 2004 | 43 | 2007 est. | - |
 Cameroon |
15.7 | 9.1 | 44.6 | 15.4 | 2001 | 44.6 | 2001 | - |
 Canada |
9.4 | 5.5 | 32.6 | 9.5 | 2000 | 32.1 | 2005 | - |
 Central African Republic |
69.2 | 32.7 | 61.3 | 68.1 | 1993 | 61.3 | 1993 | - |
 Chad |
52.3 | |||||||
 Chile |
26.2 | 15.7 | 52.0 | 32.1 | 2003 | 54.9 | 2003 | - |
 China (PRC) |
21.6 | 12.2 | 46.9 | 21.8 | 2004 | 41.5 | 2007 | 46.9[9] |
 Colombia |
60.4 | 25.3 | 58.5 | 56.3 | 2008 | 58.5 | 2008 | - |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
55 | |||||||
 Congo |
56.2 | |||||||
 Costa Rica |
23.4 | 15.6 | 48.9 | 37.4 | 2003 | 48.0 | 2008 | - |
 Côte d'Ivoire |
16.6 | 9.7 | 44.6 | 17.0 | 2002 | 44.6 | 2002 | - |
 Croatia |
7.3 | 4.8 | 29.0 | 7.2 | 2003 est. | 29 | 2008 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Cuba |
30.0 | |||||||
 Cyprus |
29 | 2005 | - | |||||
 Czech Republic |
5.2 | 3.5 | 25.4 | 5.2 | 1996 | 26.0 | 2005 | - |
 Denmark |
8.1 | 4.3 | 24.7 | 12.0 | 2000 est. | 29 | 2007 | - |
 Dominican Republic |
25.3 | 14.3 | 50.0 | 29.4 | 2005 | 49.9 | 2005[10] | - |
 Ecuador |
35.2 | 17.3 | 54.4 | 17.5 | 2006 Oct. [11] | 47.9 | 2009 | - |
 Egypt |
8.0 | 5.1 | 34.4 | 8.0 | 2000 | 34.4 | 2001 | - |
 El Salvador |
38.6 | 20.9 | 46.9 | 55.4 | 2002 | 52.4 | 2002 | - |
 Equatorial Guinea |
65 | |||||||
 Estonia |
10.8 | 6.4 | 35.8 | 11.0 | 2003 | 34.0 | 2008 | - |
 Ethiopia |
6.6 | 4.3 | 30 | 6.5 | 2000 | 30 | 2000 | - |
 Finland |
5.6 | 3.8 | 26.9 | 5.7 | 2000 | 26.8 | 2008 | - |
 France |
9.1 | 5.6 | 32.7 | 8.3 | 2004 | 32.7 | 2008 | - |
 Gabon |
60 | |||||||
 The Gambia |
20.2 | 11.2 | 50.2 | 20.6 | 1998 | 50.2 | 1998 | - |
 Georgia |
15.4 | 8.3 | 40.4 | 15.2 | 2003 | 40.8 | 2009 | - |
 Germany |
6.9 | 4.3 | 28.3 | 6.9 | 2000 | 27.0 | 2006 | - |
 Ghana |
14.1 | 8.4 | 40.8 | 13.7 | 1999 | 39.4 | 2006 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Greece |
10.2 | 6.2 | 34.3 | 10.4 | 2000 est. | 33.0 | 2005 | - |
 Guatemala |
33.9 | 20.3 | 53.7 | 48.2 | 2002 | 55.1 | 2007 | - |
 Guinea |
10.5 | 6.6 | 38.6 | 21.6 | 2006 | 38.1 | 2006 | - |
 Guinea-Bissau |
19.0 | 10.3 | 47 | 84.8 | 1991 | - | ||
 Guyana |
26.0 | 1999 | 43.2 | 1999 | - | |||
 Haiti |
54.4 | 26.6 | 59.5 | 68.1 | 2001 | 59.2 | 2001 | - |
 Honduras |
59.4 | 17.2 | 55.3 | 35.2 | 2003 | 53.8 | 2003 | - |
 Hong Kong |
17.8 | 9.7 | 43.4 | 53.3 | 2007 | - | ||
 Hungary |
5.5 | 3.8 | 26.9 | 5.6 | 2002 | 28.0 | 2005 | - |
 Iceland |
28 | 2006 | - | |||||
 India |
8.6 | 5.6 | 36.8 | 8.6 | 2004 | 36.8 | 2004 | - |
 Indonesia |
7.8 | 5.2 | 34.3 | 7.9 | 2002 | 39.4 | 2005 | - |
 Iraq |
42 | |||||||
 Iran |
17.2 | 9.7 | 43 | 16.9 | 1998 | 44.5 | 2006 | 38.3[12] |
 Ireland |
9.4 | 5.6 | 34.3 | 9.4 | 2000 | 30.7 | 2008 | - |
 Israel |
13.4 | 7.9 | 39.2 | 11.8 | 2005 | 39.2 | 2008 | - |
 Italy |
11.6 | 6.5 | 36 | 11.7 | 2000 | 32 | 2006 | - |
 Jamaica |
17.3 | 9.8 | 45.5 | 17.0 | 2004 | 45.5 | 2004 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Japan |
4.5 | 3.4 | 24.9 | 4.5 | 1993 | 37.6 | 2008 | - |
 Jordan |
11.3 | 6.9 | 38.8 | 11.3 | 2003 | 39.7 | 2007 | - |
 Kazakhstan |
8.5 | 5.6 | 33.9 | 8.0 | 2004 est. | 28.8 | 2008 | - |
 Kenya |
13.6 | 8.2 | 42.5 | 18.6 | 2000 | 42.5 | 2008 | - |
 North Korea |
31.0 | |||||||
 South Korea |
7.8 | 4.7 | 31.6 | 8.6 | 2005 est. | 31.4 | 2009 | - |
 Kuwait |
30 | |||||||
 Kyrgyzstan |
6.4 | 4.4 | 30.3 | 6.4 | 2003 | 30.3 | 2003 | - |
 Laos |
8.3 | 5.4 | 34.6 | 8.4 | 2002 | 34.6 | 2002 | - |
 Latvia |
11.6 | 6.8 | 37.7 | 11.6 | 2003 | 36.0 | 2005 | - |
 Lebanon |
45 | |||||||
 Lesotho |
10.5 | 44.2 | 63.2 | 48.2 | 2002 est. | 63.2 | 1995 | - |
 Liberia |
12.8 | 52.6 | - | |||||
 Libya |
36.0 | |||||||
 Lithuania |
10.4 | 6.3 | 36 | 10.3 | 2003 | 36.0 | 2005 | - |
 Luxembourg |
6.8 | 2000 | 26 | 2005 | - | |||
 Macedonia |
12.5 | 7.5 | 39 | 12.3 | 2003 | 39 | 2003 | - |
 Madagascar |
19.2 | 11.0 | 47.5 | 19.3 | 2001 | 47.5 | 2001 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Malawi |
10.9 | 6.7 | 39 | 11.0 | 2004 | 39.0 | 2004 | - |
 Malaysia |
22.1 | 12.4 | 49.2 | 28.0 | 2003 est. | 46.1 | 2002 | - |
 Mali |
12.5 | 7.6 | 40.1 | 12.6 | 2001 | 40.1 | 2001 | - |
 Malta |
26 | 2007 | - | |||||
 Mauritania |
12.0 | 7.4 | 39 | 11.8 | 2000 | 39 | 2000 | - |
 Mauritius |
39 | 2006 est. | - | |||||
 Mexico |
21.6 | 12.8 | 51.6 | 24.6 | 2004 | 48.2 | 2008 | - |
 Moldova |
8.2 | 5.3 | 33.2 | 8.3 | 2003 | 33.2 | 2003 | - |
 Mongolia |
8.2 | 5.4 | 32.8 | 8.2 | 2002 | 32.8 | 2002 | - |
 Montenegro |
30 | 2003 | - | |||||
 Morocco |
11.7 | 7.2 | 39.5 | 11.9 | 1999 | 40.9 | 2005 est. | - |
 Mozambique |
18.8 | 9.9 | 47.3 | 18.8 | 2002 | 47.3 | 2002 | - |
 Myanmar |
11.6 | 1998 | 40 | |||||
 Namibia |
12.8 | 56.1 | 74.3 | 129.0 | 2003 | 70.7 | 2003 | - |
 Nepal |
15.8 | 9.1 | 47.2 | 15.6 | 2004 | 47.2 | 2008 | - |
 Netherlands |
9.2 | 5.1 | 30.9 | 9.2 | 1999 | 30.9 | 2007 | - |
 New Zealand |
12.5 | 6.8 | 36.2 | 36.2 | 1997 | - | ||
 Nicaragua |
31.0 | 8.8 | 52.3 | 15.4 | 2001 | 43.1 | 2001 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Niger |
46.0 | 20.7 | 50.5 | 44.3 | 1995 | 50.5 | 1995 | - |
 Nigeria |
17.8 | 9.7 | 43.7 | 17.5 | 2003 | 43.7 | 2003 | - |
 Norway |
6.1 | 3.9 | 25.8 | 6.0 | 2000 | 25.0 | 2008 | - |
 Oman |
32 | |||||||
 Pakistan |
6.5 | 4.3 | 30.6 | 6.6 | 2002 | 30.6 | 2008 | - |
 Panama |
49.9 | 23.9 | 54.9 | 61.4 | 2003 | 56.1 | 2003 | - |
 Papua New Guinea |
23.8 | 12.6 | 50.9 | 23.8 | 1996 | 50.9 | 1996 | - |
 Paraguay |
38.8 | 25.7 | 53.2 | 65.9 | 2003 | 53.2 | 2009 | - |
 Peru |
26.1 | 15.2 | 50.5 | 31.5 | 2003 | 52 | 2008 | - |
 Philippines |
15.5 | 9.3 | 44.5 | 15.5 | 2003 | 45.8 | 2006 | - |
 Poland |
8.8 | 5.6 | 34.5 | 8.7 | 2002 | 34.9 | 2005 | - |
 Portugal |
15.0 | 8.0 | 38.5 | 9.2 | 1995 est. | 38.5 | 2007 | - |
 Qatar |
39 | |||||||
 Romania |
7.5 | 4.9 | 31.0 | 7.4 | 2003 | 32.0 | 2008 | - |
 Russia |
12.7 | 7.6 | 39.9 | 12.8 | 2002 | 42.3 | 2008 | - |
 Rwanda |
18.6 | 9.9 | 46.8 | 18.2 | 2000 | 46.8 | 2000 | - |
 Saudi Arabia |
32.0 | |||||||
 Senegal |
12.3 | 7.4 | 41.3 | 12.4 | 2001 | 41.3 | 2001 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Serbia |
26 | 2008 | - | |||||
 Sierra Leone |
87.2 | 57.6 | 62.9 | 87.2 | 1989 | 62.9 | 1989 | - |
 Singapore |
17.7 | 9.7 | 42.5 | 17.3 | 1998 | 48.1 | 2008 | - |
 Slovakia |
6.7 | 4.0 | 25.8 | 6.7 | 1996 | 26 | 2005 | - |
 Slovenia |
5.9 | 3.9 | 28.4 | 5.9 | 1998 | 28.4 | 2008 | - |
 Somalia |
30 | |||||||
 South Africa |
33.1 | 17.9 | 57.8 | 31.9 | 2000 | 65.0 | 2005 | - |
 Spain |
10.3 | 6.0 | 34.7 | 10.2 | 2000 | 32.0 | 2005 | - |
 Sri Lanka |
11.1 | 6.9 | 40.2 | 36.1 | 2003/04 fiscal year | 49 | 2007 | - |
 Sudan |
51 | |||||||
 Swaziland |
25.1 | 13.0 | 50.4 | 25.4 | 2001 | 50.4 | 2001 | - |
 Sweden |
6.2 | 4.0 | 25.0 | 6.2 | 2000 | 23.0 | 2005 | - |
 Switzerland |
9.0 | 5.5 | 33.7 | 8.9 | 2000 | 33.7 | 2008 | - |
 Syria |
42.0 | |||||||
 Taiwan (ROC) |
6.1 | 2002 est. | 33 | 2000[13] | - | |||
 Tajikistan |
7.8 | 5.2 | 32.6 | 7.8 | 2003 | 32.8 | 2006 | - |
 Tanzania |
9.2 | 5.8 | 34.6 | 9.3 | 2000 | 34.6 | 2000 | - |
 Thailand |
12.6 | 7.7 | 42 | 12.4 | 2002 | 43 | 2006 | - |
| UN R/P 10% | UN R/P 20% | UN Gini as a percentage | CIA R/P 10% | Year | CIA Gini as a percentage | Year | GPI Gini 2008 as a percentage | |
 Timor-Leste |
38 | 2002 est. | - | |||||
 Trinidad and Tobago |
12.9 | 7.6 | 38.9 | - | ||||
 Tunisia |
13.4 | 7.9 | 39.8 | 13.7 | 2000 | 40 | 2005 est. | - |
 Turkey |
6.6 | 4.6 | 41.2 | 17.1 | 2003 | 41 | 2007 | - |
 Turkmenistan |
12.3 | 7.7 | 40.8 | 12.2 | 1998 | 40.8 | 1998 | - |
 Uganda |
16.6 | 9.2 | 45.7 | 16.4 | 2002 | 45.7 | 2002 | - |
 Ukraine |
5.9 | 4.1 | 28.1 | 7.6 | 2006 | 31.0 | 2006 | - |
 United Arab Emirates |
31 | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
13.8 | 7.2 | 36.0 | 13.6 | 1999 | 34.0 | 2005 | - |
 United States |
15.9 | 8.4 | 40.8 | 15.0 | 2007 est. | 45.0 | 2007 | - |
 Uruguay |
20.1 | 10.2 | 47.1 | 17.9 | 2003 | 45.2 | 2006 | - |
 Uzbekistan |
10.6 | 6.2 | 36.8 | 10.6 | 2003 | 36.8 | 2003 | - |
 Venezuela |
18.8 | 16.0 | 49.5 | 50.3 | 2003 | 41.0 | 2009 | - |
 Vietnam |
6.9 | 4.9 | 34.4 | 10.0 | 2004 | 37.0 | 2004 | - |
 Yemen |
8.6 | 5.6 | 33.4 | 8.6 | 2003 | 37.7 | 2005 | - |
| World | 12.0 | 2002 est. | - |
See also
- List of countries by distribution of wealth
- Income inequality metrics
References
- ^ a b Underground economy and income inequality: two connected aspects in the oncoming context of Italian federalism. By Iacopo Odoardi and Carmen Pagliari. Vol. 15 No. 1, 2011. Global & Local Economic Review.
- ^ The Size of the Shadow Economies of 145 Countries all over the World: First Results over the Period 1999 to 2003. December 2004. By Friedrich Schneider (University of Linz and IZA Bonn). Institute for the Study of Labor.
- ^ Data show the ratio of the income or expenditure share of the richest group to that of the poorest. Human Development Report 2009, UNDP, accessed on July 30, 2011.
- ^ Data show the ratio of the income or expenditure share of the richest group to that of the poorest. Human Development Report 20087-2008, UNDP, accessed on February 3, 2008.
- ^ Human Development Report 2010, United Nations Development Programme. Table 3 has the Gini coefficients by country. The year is not given for the Gini coefficient.
- ^ Data show the ratio of the household income or consumption share of the richest group to that of the poorest. Household income or consumption by percentage share (%), The World Factbook, CIA, updated on January 24, 2008. Note: To calculate the value given in the table for this article, the highest 10% value was divided by the lowest 10% value.
- ^ Distribution of family income - Gini index, The World Factbook, CIA, updated on January 24, 2008.
- ^ Global Peace Index calculation incorporates UN Gini scores where available, so countries with a UN Gini calculation are left blank in this column. At [1] click on each country to see its Gini coefficient. Year is not given. "There are, nevertheless, some problems with the Gini-coefficient; there is a considerable lag in the publication of statistics for many countries suffers, forcing the Economist Intelligence Unit to estimate the coefficient for a sizeable proportion of the 153 countries in the GPI. These problems of measurement look likely to persist for the foreseeable future, and the use of other measures of income inequality may be more effective."
- ^ Stephen Young (2010) Geni Coefficient Nation Multimedia
- ^ Data are for urban households.
- ^ Data for urban households only.
- ^ http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf
- ^ "CIA - The World Factbook 2002 - Field Listing - Distribution of family income - Gini index". Faqs.org. http://www.faqs.org/docs/factbook/fields/2172.html. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
External links
- Global Peace Index Map of Gini data for 2007-2010
- The World Distribution of Household Wealth
- A map of world poverty
- It's the Inequality, Stupid. March/April 2011 Issue. Mother Jones (magazine). Many charts, with sources.
- Who Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power. July 2011. By G. William Domhoff. Many charts, and sources. See table 4 for wealth distribution by country. See table 7 for income distribution by country.
- Alan Grayson says United States has fifth-most unequal wealth distribution in world. 10 October 2011. PolitiFact. Discusses income distribution too.
- CHARTS: Here's What The Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About.... 11 October 2011. Business Insider.
- Shadow economies all over the world : new estimates for 162 countries from 1999 to 2007. Friedrich Schneider, Andreas Buehn, Claudio E. Montenegro. July 2010. World Bank.
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