Income inequality (Gini coefficient) in South Africa

Income inequality (Gini coefficient) measures how unequally income is distributed across a society. The Gini index ranges from 0 (everyone has the same income) to 100 (one person has all income). A higher value means greater inequality. The index is calculated by comparing the cumulative share of the population (ranked from poorest to richest) with the cumulative share of total income they receive.
Estimates are drawn from household surveys and reflect the distribution among individuals or households in each country. A higher Gini therefore signals a less equal distribution of economic resources.