Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in China

China: Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank was 0.5185 in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
0.5185
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
54th
of 109 countries
All-time high
0.5418
in 2010
All-time low
0.3782
in 1980
Years of data
36
1980–2015

Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank in China, 1980–2015

00.20.40.61980199720151980: 0.3781981: 0.3831982: 0.3861983: 0.3891984: 0.3941985: 0.4021986: 0.4121987: 0.4161988: 0.421989: 0.4291990: 0.4251991: 0.4411992: 0.4561993: 0.4711994: 0.4771995: 0.471996: 0.4661997: 0.4671998: 0.4681999: 0.4762000: 0.4912001: 0.4922002: 0.5172003: 0.5272004: 0.5272005: 0.5372006: 0.5362007: 0.542008: 0.5372009: 0.5362010: 0.5422011: 0.5352012: 0.5212013: 0.5272014: 0.5192015: 0.518

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2015, gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in China stood at 0.5185.

That represents a change of down 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in China peaked at 0.5418 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.3782, in 1980.

China ranks 54th of 109 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.4008 0.3782 0.4287 10
1990s 0.4616 0.425 0.477 10
2000s 0.5241 0.491 0.5397 10
2010s 0.5269 0.5185 0.5418 6

Countries ranked near China

  1. 51 Argentina 0.5242 compare
  2. 52 Guinea-Bissau 0.5238 compare
  3. 53 Israel 0.5191 compare
  4. 55 Bangladesh 0.5167 compare
  5. 55 Tajikistan 0.5167 compare
  6. 57 Iran 0.5149 compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More poverty & inequality data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in China?
Gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank in China was 0.5185 in 2015, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 0.5418 in 2010.
What is the lowest gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3782 in 1980.
How does China rank for gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank?
China ranks 54th out of 109 countries with data for 2015.
Is gini coefficient: world inequality database vs. world bank rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Gini coefficient: World Inequality Database vs. World Bank
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
109 places, 2,196 data points, 1913–2024
Last refreshed

The Gini coefficient measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of income after taxes and benefits.