The
Atlas of Global Inequality explores some aspects of inequality using online, downloadable
maps and graphics. All these materials can be used freely providing
they are attributed to the UC Atlas of Global Inequality.
Global
income inequality is probably greater now than it has ever
been in human history. Currently, the
richest 1 % of people in the world receives as much as
the bottom 57 %. There is some
debate about whether the inequality gap on a global scale is
increasing or decreasing. (Special to this Atlas is a review, by Robert Wade of LSE, of one recent contribution to the debate). By one estimate,
the ratio between the average income of the top 5% in the world
to the bottom 5% increased from 78 to 1 in 1988 to 114 to 1
in 1993 (Milanovic 1999). But other aspects of global inequality,
notably gaps in life expectancy and infant mortality,
have been declining (except in sub Saharan Africa).
This
Atlas has capacities rivaled by few other web sites. Time series
maps of the world enable the user to see changes in global
patterns of inequality every 10 years from 1960 to 2000. With
these map sequences you can examine changes in life expectancy,
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per person, and many other measures.
An interactive database enables you to produce tables and graphs
showing change in selected indicators for chosen countries
and periods. There are links to other sources, a glossary explaining
terms, and many other features that help you explore changing
patterns of global inequality. Soon, the Atlas will have map-making
on demand, and country pages with rapid comparison capabilities,
and our database will be expanding as new data sets come our
way..
Buttons
on the left of this page lead to theme pages where map presentations
can be found. The How
to use this site button provides an animated guide
to the
site.
Information
about the Atlas, who works on it, the technologies we use, and our plans, can be found
in About Us.
Although we are constantly examining a variety of datasets, we have provided
information on where the data comes from We also
try to draw attention to the limits of our data, including the use of
nations as a u nit of analysis, and the use of
of
Gross
National Product data in the Glossary.
Information
about Map Projections
Successful
Teaching Activities
Ideas
for Teaching and Learning
Online
Datasets
