|
INEQUALITY IN SOME COUNTRIES |
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|
% share of household income. by percentile groups |
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|
lowest |
Second |
Third |
Fourth |
Highest |
Highest |
||
|
Year |
20% |
quintile |
quintile |
quintile |
20% |
10% |
|
|
USA |
1985 |
4.7 |
11 |
17.4 |
25 |
41.9 |
25 |
|
India |
1983 |
8.1 |
12.3 |
16.3 |
22 |
41.4 |
26.7 |
|
Sri Lanka |
1985 |
4.8 |
8.5 |
12.1 |
18.4 |
56.1 |
43 |
|
Hong Kong |
1980 |
5.4 |
10.8 |
15.2 |
21.6 |
47 |
31.3 |
|
Data from World Dev. Report, 1992 |
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Inequality is not related to total GDP of a society. Sri Lanka, which is supposed to be an ideal for India in some ways, is far more unequal than India. There is very little difference in inequality between India and USA.
The critical thing is to worry about absolute poverty and NOT inequality.