What does the Gini coefficient measure?

The Gini coefficient measures income (or wealth) inequality within a population on a scale from 0 to 1. A value of 0 means perfect equality where everyone earns the same, and 1 means one person holds all the income.

What is the difference between the 0-1 and 0-100 scales?

They carry identical information. The 0-1 scale is the raw coefficient; the 0-100 scale (the Gini index) simply multiplies it by 100. A coefficient of 0.35 equals a Gini index of 35.

What counts as high inequality?

Roughly, an index below 30 is relatively equal, 30 to 40 is moderate, and above 40 is high. Some highly unequal economies exceed 50, with parts of southern Africa among the most unequal in the world.

Does a low Gini mean a country is rich?

No. Gini measures the spread of income, not its level. A poor country can be quite equal and a rich country quite unequal. Always read Gini alongside income-level measures like GDP per capita.

How current is this data?

Values reflect the most recent World Bank estimate available for each country, which can be several years old because household surveys are infrequent. Check the source for the survey year before citing.

Gini Coefficient by Country Reference

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Income inequality, country by country

This reference lists the Gini coefficient — the standard measure of income inequality — for the world’s countries, drawn from World Bank estimates. It is shown on both the 0–1 coefficient scale and the equivalent 0–100 index scale, along with an inequality band so you can scan the global picture quickly.

How it works

The Gini coefficient comes from the Lorenz curve, which plots the cumulative share of income against the cumulative share of population from poorest to richest. If income were perfectly equal the curve would be a 45° line. Gini is the area between that line of equality and the actual Lorenz curve, divided by the whole area under the line:

Gini = area between equality line and Lorenz curve
       --------------------------------------------
              total area under equality line

The result runs from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (one person owns everything). Multiplying by 100 gives the Gini index. The band classifies each country as Low (under 30), Moderate (30–39.9), or High (40 and above).

Tips and notes

Sort ascending by Gini to find the world’s most equal economies — they cluster in northern and central Europe.
Gini measures the spread of income, not its level, so always pair it with a measure of average income before drawing conclusions about living standards.
Two countries can share a Gini value yet have very different income distributions, because Gini compresses the whole distribution into one number.