Inequality

One of the biggest issues in China today is growing inequality. The Gini coefficient measures inequality within a country. A score of 0 means perfect income equality. In 2014 China's Gini coefficient measured 0.46 which is substantially higher than most other developed nations (UK 0.34).

Information on the inequality of income and wealth in China

In China there is inequality both within the population as a whole and between different regions:

  • Guangdong is one of China's wealthiest provinces - in 2014 GDP per capita was $10,330
  • Guizhou is one of China's poorest provinces - in 2014 GDP per capita was $4,297

There are differences in the standard of living between people living in rural areas and people living in urban areas. The gap between urban and rural income is widening. In 2014:

  • average rural family income was $1,693
  • average urban family income was $4,610
  • in Shanghai and Beijing average incomes were considerably higher at $10,800
  • according to Fortune Magazine, China had 4 million individuals possessing wealth of more than $1 million and 596 with more than $1 billion