China is a country that has undergone substantial economic and social change that has created great wealth in urban areas but also lingering rural poverty
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).
In China there is inequality both within the population as a whole and between different regions:
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: