Income inequality: Atkinson index in China
China: Income inequality: Atkinson index was 0.3029 in 2023. ▬ Flat
Income inequality: Atkinson index in China, 2013–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 0.3029 for income inequality: atkinson index in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, income inequality: atkinson index in China peaked at 0.3174 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.2886, in 2014.
That places China 70th out of 174 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Income inequality: Atkinson index in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.3142 | — |
| 2014 | 0.2886 | -8.2% |
| 2015 | 0.3035 | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 0.3081 | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.3123 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 0.3174 | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 0.3069 | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 0.3056 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.3029 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.3029 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.3029 | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.3029 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.2515, 1.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
- China's 0.3029 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2171, 1.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.3073 | 0.2886 | 0.3174 | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.3036 | 0.3029 | 0.3056 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More poverty & inequality data for China
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 0.999 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 6,418 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.5767 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 22.1 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 22.1% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is income inequality: atkinson index in China?
- Income inequality: atkinson index in China was 0.3029 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest income inequality: atkinson index recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.3174 in 2018.
- What is the lowest income inequality: atkinson index recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2886 in 2014.
- How does China rank for income inequality: atkinson index?
- China ranks 70th out of 174 countries with data for 2023.
- Is income inequality: atkinson index rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income inequality: Atkinson index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.