South Africa had the highest inequality in income distribution in 2024, with a Gini score of **. Its South African neighbor, Namibia, followed in second. The Gini coefficient measures the deviation of income (or consumption) distribution among individuals or households within a country from a perfectly equal distribution. A value of 0 represents absolute equality, and a value of 100 represents absolute inequality. All the 20 most unequal countries in the world were either located in Africa or Latin America & The Caribbean.
*According to the source, the data refers to the latest number of the given period. For all countries, that period spans from 2010 to 2024. Countries for which data were only available before these years have not been included.
The Gini coefficient measures income inequality in a country. The closer the index is to zero, the more equally distributed the income.
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World Bank. (March 28, 2025). 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide in 2024, based on the Gini index [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/264627/ranking-of-the-20-countries-with-the-biggest-inequality-in-income-distribution/
World Bank. "20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide in 2024, based on the Gini index." Chart. March 28, 2025. Statista. Accessed December 17, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/264627/ranking-of-the-20-countries-with-the-biggest-inequality-in-income-distribution/
World Bank. (2025). 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide in 2024, based on the Gini index. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 17, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/264627/ranking-of-the-20-countries-with-the-biggest-inequality-in-income-distribution/
World Bank. "20 Countries with The Biggest Inequality in Income Distribution Worldwide in 2024, Based on The Gini Index." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Mar 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/264627/ranking-of-the-20-countries-with-the-biggest-inequality-in-income-distribution/
World Bank, 20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide in 2024, based on the Gini index Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/264627/ranking-of-the-20-countries-with-the-biggest-inequality-in-income-distribution/ (last visited December 17, 2025)
20 countries with the biggest inequality in income distribution worldwide in 2024, based on the Gini index [Graph], World Bank, March 28, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264627/ranking-of-the-20-countries-with-the-biggest-inequality-in-income-distribution/
