Inequality in SA still higher than in other Brics, African countries

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) Statistician-General  Risenga Maluleka on Thursday released the Inequality Trends: A Multidimensional Diagnostic of Inequality report.

Stats SA said the report was produced in partnership with with the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) based in the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

The agency said the report attempts to analyse and present results of inequality measurements for household income and expenditure, assets, earnings, employment, education, health, access to basic services and social mobility.

Some of the report’s findings include:

• Inequality in South Africa, as measured by the Palma ratio, is highest when compared to other Brics and African countries. The Palma ratio is the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by theshare of the poorest 40%.

• On average, women earned less than men across all educational levels, and women with no education earned roughly 55% of what men in the same groups earned.

• Black Africans had the lowest access to medical aid coverage.

• Black African- and coloured-headed households were the only two groups classified as chronically poor.

• Provinces with large rural populations had a larger share of chronically poor households. A high proportion of the transient poor & vulnerable households were located in Western Cape.

The reader can download the entire report here.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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