Table : TABLE 3.2Income disparities in selected countries*

Ratio of wealth of richest 10% to poorest 10% of the population†

Country

HDI rank, 2001

1987–1995‡ Richest 10% to poorest 10%

HDI rank, 2003

1998–2000‡ Richest 10% to poorest 10%

HDI rank, 2009

2004–2007‡,§ Richest 10% to poorest 10%

Middle and South America

Bolivia

104

91:1

114

25:1

113

94:1

Brazil

  69

49:1

  65

66:1

  75

41:1

Chile

  39

34:1

  43

43:1

  44

26:1

Colombia

  62

43:1

  64

43:1

  77

60:1

Guatemala

108

29:1

119

29:1

122

34:1

Mexico

  51

26:1

  55

35:1

  53

21:1

Peru

  73

23:1

  82

22:1

  78

26:1

Venezuela

  61

24:1

  69

44:1

  58

19:1

Other selected countries

China

  87

13:1

104

13:1

  92

13:1

France

  13

9:1

  17

9:1

    8

9:1

Jordan

  88

9:1

  90

9:1

  96

10:1

Philippines

  70

16:1

  85

17:1

105

14:1

South Africa

  94

33:1

111

65:1

129

35:1

Thailand

  66

12:1

  64

13:1

  87

13:1

Turkey

  82

14:1

  96

13:1

  79

17:1

United States

    6

17:1

    7

17:1

  13

16:1

*The UN used data from 1987–1995, 1988–2000, and 2004–2007 on either income or consumption to calculate an approximate representation of how much richer the wealthiest 10 percent of the population is than the poorest 10 percent. The lower the ratio, the more equitable the distribution of wealth in the country.

†Decimals rounded up or down.

‡Survey years fall within this range.

§Ratios are from the United Nations Development Report 2009.

Sources: United Nations Human Development Report 2001, Table 12; UNHDR 2003, Table 13; UNHDR 2009, Table M.