| Countries with greatest inequality |
Gini index |
Lowest 20% |
Highest 20% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sierra Leone | 62.9 | 1.1% | 63.4% |
| 2. | Central African Republic | 61.3 | 2.0 | 65.0 |
| 3. | Swaziland | 60.9 | 2.7 | 64.4 |
| 4. | Brazil | 60.7 | 2.2 | 64.1 |
| 5. | Nicaragua | 60.3 | 2.3 | 63.6 |
| 6. | South Africa | 59.3 | 2.9 | 64.8 |
| 7. | Paraguay | 57.7 | 1.9 | 60.7 |
| 8. | Colombia | 57.1 | 3.0 | 60.9 |
| 9. | Chile | 56.7 | 3.3 | 61.0 |
| 10. | Honduras | 56.3 | 2.2 | 59.4 |
| 11. | Guinea-Bissau | 56.2 | 2.1 | 58.9 |
| 12. | Lesotho | 56.0 | 2.8 | 60.1 |
| 13. | Guatemala | 55.8 | 3.8 | 60.6 |
| 14. | Burkina Faso | 55.1 | 4.6 | 60.4 |
| 15. | Mexico | 53.1 | 3.5 | 57.4 |
| 16. | Zambia | 52.6 | 3.3 | 56.6 |
| 17. | Hong Kong, China | 52.2 | 4.4 | 57.1 |
| 17. | El Salvador | 52.2 | 3.3 | 56.4 |
| 19. | Papua New Guinea | 50.9 | 4.5 | 56.5 |
| 20. | Nigeria | 50.6 | 4.4 | 55.7 |
| 21. | Mali | 50.5 | 4.6 | 56.2 |
| 21. | Niger | 50.5 | 2.6 | 53.3 |
| 23. | Gambia | 50.2 | 4.0 | 55.3 |
| 24. | Zimbabwe | 50.1 | 4.7 | 55.7 |
| 25. | Venezuela | 49.5 | 3.0 | 53.2 |
| 26. | Malaysia | 49.2 | 4.4 | 54.3 |
| 27. | Russia | 48.7 | 4.4 | 53.7 |
| 28. | Panama | 48.5 | 3.6 | 52.8 |
| 29. | Cameroon | 47.7 | 4.6 | 53.1 |
| 30. | Dominican Republic | 47.4 | 5.1 | 53.3 |
| Countries with greatest equality |
Gini Index |
Lowest 20% |
Highest 20% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Slovakia | 19.5 | 11.9% | 31.4% |
| 2. | Belarus | 21.7 | 11.4 | 33.3 |
| 3. | Hungary | 24.4 | 10.0 | 34.4 |
| 4. | Denmark | 24.7 | 9.6 | 34.5 |
| 5. | Japan | 24.9 | 10.6 | 35.7 |
| 6. | Sweden | 25.0 | 9.6 | 34.5 |
| 7. | Czech Republic | 25.4 | 10.3 | 35.9 |
| 8. | Finland | 25.6 | 10.0 | 35.8 |
| 9. | Norway | 25.8 | 9.7 | 35.8 |
| 10. | Bulgaria | 26.4 | 10.1 | 36.8 |
| 11. | Luxembourg | 26.9 | 9.4 | 36.5 |
| 12. | Italy | 27.3 | 8.7 | 36.3 |
| 13. | Slovenia | 28.4 | 9.1 | 37.7 |
| 14. | Belgium | 28.7 | 8.3 | 37.3 |
| 15. | Egypt | 28.9 | 9.8 | 39.0 |
| 15. | Rwanda | 28.9 | 9.7 | 39.1 |
| 17. | Croatia | 29.0 | 8.8 | 38.0 |
| 17. | Ukraine | 29.0 | 8.8 | 37.8 |
| 19. | Germany | 30.0 | 8.2 | 38.5 |
| 20. | Austria | 31.0 | 6.9 | 38.0 |
| 21. | Romania | 31.1 | 8.0 | 39.5 |
| 22. | Pakistan | 31.2 | 9.5 | 41.1 |
| 23. | Canada | 31.5 | 7.5 | 39.3 |
| 24. | Korea, South | 31.6 | 7.5 | 39.3 |
| 25. | Poland | 31.6 | 7.8 | 39.7 |
| 26. | Indonesia | 31.7 | 9.0 | 41.1 |
| 27. | Latvia | 32.4 | 7.6 | 40.3 |
| 27. | Lithuania | 32.4 | 7.8 | 40.3 |
| 29. | Spain | 32.5 | 7.5 | 40.3 |
| 30. | Netherlands | 32.6 | 7.3 | 40.1 |
NOTE: Countries are ranked according to the Gini index (or coefficient), a measure of income inequality within a country. A country's Gini rating is between 0 and 100, with 0 indicating perfect equality and 100 indicating absolute inequality. (The U.S. rates 40.8 on the Gini index—the poorest 20% of its population receives 5.2% of incomethe richest 20% receives 46.4%.)
Source: World Development Index 2002, The World Bank.
