South Africa vs Zambia: Income inequality: Atkinson index
South Africa
0.5993
in 2023
Zambia
0.634
in 2023
South Africa rank
3rd
Zambia rank
1st
Income inequality: Atkinson index over time
- South Africa
- Zambia
How they compare
Zambia currently reports 0.634 against 0.5993 in South Africa, a difference of 0.0347.
That makes Zambia's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 14 shared years of data; in 2010 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 3rd and Zambia ranks 1st of 174 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Zambia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.6155 | 0.6054 | 0.0101 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 0.5993 | 0.634 | 0.0347 | Zambia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher income inequality: atkinson index, South Africa or Zambia?
- Zambia, at 0.634 against 0.5993 in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in income inequality: atkinson index between South Africa and Zambia?
- 0.0347, with Zambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zambia?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Zambia rank globally for income inequality: atkinson index?
- South Africa ranks 3rd and Zambia ranks 1st of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Income inequality: Atkinson index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Depending on the country and year, the data relates to income measured after taxes and benefits, or to consumption, per capita.