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The Africans ‘left behind’
Born poor, live poor, expect to die poor unless ...
cont.
10% 20%
Gabon 7.4
Ethiopia 6.6 7.1
Morocco 11.7 7.0
Burundi 19.3 6.7
Sudan 6.2
Tanzania 9.2 6.2
Liberia 12.8 5.9
Mauritius 5.9
The Gambia 20.2 5.9
Guinea 10.5 5.5
Mauritania 12.0 5.4
Niger 46.0 5.4
Sierra Leone 87.2 5.4
United Kingdom 13.8 5.4
Burkina Faso 11.6 5.3
Mali 12.5 5.2
Tunisia 13.4 5.2
Sao Tome & P. 4.7
Egypt 8.0 4.6
Algeria 9.6 4.0
Source : "List of Countries by Income Equality." Wikipedia 165
*****
About Income inequality
“ Earlier IMF work has shown that income inequality matters for growth and its sustainability.
Our analysis suggests that the income distribution itself matters for growth as well.
Specifically, if the income share of the top 20 percent (the rich) increases, then GDP growth
actually declines over the medium term, suggesting that the benefits do not trickle down. In
contrast, an increase in the income share of the bottom 20 percent (the poor) is associated
with higher GDP growth. The poor and the middle class matter the most for growth via a
number of interrelated economic, social, and political channels.
***
Policies that focus on the poor and the middle class can mitigate inequality. Irrespective of the
level of economic development, better access to education and health care and well-targeted
social policies, while ensuring that labor market institutions do not excessively penalize the
poor, can help raise the income share for the poor and the middle class.
***
