gini coefficient

(noun)

A tool that measures the inequality among values of a frequency distribution (e.g., levels of income): a number of zero expresses perfect equality, where all values are the same (e.g., where everyone has an exactly equal income), while a number of one (100 on the percentile scale) expresses maximal inequality among values (e.g., where only one person has all the income).

Related Terms

Examples of gini coefficient in the following topics:

  • Debates over Globalization

    • They challenge directly traditional metrics, such as GDP, and look to other measures, such as the Gini coefficient or the Happy Planet Index, pointing to evidence of social disintegration, the spread of diseases, environmental damage, breakdowns in democracy, and increasing poverty in many of the world's nations as unintended consequences of globalization.