Three metrics of inequality in China
China: Three metrics of inequality was 55.36 in 2015. ▲ Rising
Three metrics of inequality in China, 1979–2015
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 55.36 for three metrics of inequality in 2015.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, three metrics of inequality in China peaked at 56.47 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 37.83, in 1979.
China ranks 55th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Three metrics of inequality in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 37.83 | — |
| 1980 | 38.47 | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 38.94 | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 39.16 | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 39.43 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 39.92 | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 40.67 | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 41.65 | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 42.03 | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 42.38 | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 43.27 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 42.95 | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 44.47 | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 45.94 | +3.3% |
| 1993 | 47.42 | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 48.02 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 47.42 | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 46.84 | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 46.81 | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 46.9 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 47.82 | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 49.5 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 50.44 | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 53.15 | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 53.98 | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 54.31 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 55.51 | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 55.63 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 55.97 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 56 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 56.06 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 56.47 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 56.3 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 55.17 | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 56 | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 55.28 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 55.36 | +0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 55.36 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58.98, 94% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- China's 55.36 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.06, 99% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 37.83 | 37.83 | 37.83 | 1 |
| 1980s | 40.59 | 38.47 | 43.27 | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.46 | 42.95 | 48.02 | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.05 | 49.5 | 56.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.76 | 55.17 | 56.47 | 6 |
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 three metrics of inequality in China?
- Three metrics of inequality in China was 55.36 in 2015, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest three metrics of inequality recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 56.47 in 2010.
- What is the lowest three metrics of inequality recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.83 in 1979.
- How does China rank for three metrics of inequality?
- China ranks 55th out of 113 countries with data for 2015.
- Is three metrics of inequality rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. 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 Three metrics of inequality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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 before taxes and benefits.