This statistic shows the inequality of income distribution in China from 2012 to 2022 based on the Gini Index. In 2022, China reached a score of 46.7 (0.467) points. The Gini Index is a statistical measure that is used to represent unequal distributions, e.g. income distribution. It can take any value between 1 and 100 points (or 0 and 1). The closer the value is to 100 the greater is the inequality. 40 or 0.4 is the warning level set by the United Nations. The Gini Index for South Korea had ranged at about 0.33 in 2021.
Income distribution in China
The Gini coefficient is used to measure the income inequality of a country. The United States, the World Bank, the US Central Intelligence Agency, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development all provide their own measurement of the Gini coefficient, varying in data collection and survey methods. According to the United Nations Development Programme, countries with the largest income inequality based on the Gini index are mainly located in Africa and Latin America, with South Africa displaying the world's highest value in 2021. The world's most equal countries, on the contrary, are situated mostly in Europe. The United States' Gini for household income has increased by more than ten percent since 1990, to 0.49 in 2021.
Development of inequality in China
Growing inequality counts as one of the biggest social, economic, and political challenges to many countries, especially emerging markets. Over the last 20 years, China has become one of the world's largest economies. As parts of the society have become more and more affluent, the country's Gini coefficient has also grown sharply over the last decades. As shown by the graph at hand, China's Gini coefficient ranged at a level higher than the warning line for increasing risk of social unrest over the last decade. However, the situation has slightly improved since 2008, when the Gini coefficient had reached the highest value of recent times.
Inequality of income distribution based on the Gini coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022
Characteristic
Gini index
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The Gini index is a statistical measure used to represent unequal distributions, e.g. income distribution. It can take any value between 1 and 100 points (or 0 and 1). The closer the value is to 100 the greater is the inequality. 40 or 0.4 is the warning level set by the United Nations.
Figures for earlier years have been taken from previous publications of the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (October 16, 2023). Inequality of income distribution based on the Gini coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/250400/inequality-of-income-distribution-in-china-based-on-the-gini-index/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Inequality of income distribution based on the Gini coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022." Chart. October 16, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/250400/inequality-of-income-distribution-in-china-based-on-the-gini-index/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2023). Inequality of income distribution based on the Gini coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/250400/inequality-of-income-distribution-in-china-based-on-the-gini-index/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Inequality of Income Distribution Based on The Gini Coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Oct 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/250400/inequality-of-income-distribution-in-china-based-on-the-gini-index/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Inequality of income distribution based on the Gini coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/250400/inequality-of-income-distribution-in-china-based-on-the-gini-index/ (last visited September 01, 2024)
Inequality of income distribution based on the Gini coefficient in China from 2012 to 2022 [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, October 16, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/250400/inequality-of-income-distribution-in-china-based-on-the-gini-index/