Inequality in key aspects of well-being

The present chapter analyses disparities across and within countries in several dimensions of well-being, namely, life expectancy at birth, child survival, nutrition and educational attainment. Although inequality in health and educational outcomes across countries remains large, the past two decades have seen a shift towards convergence, as poorer countries have continued to make notable progress in improving their levels of human development. However, this good news is tempered by the persistence of large inequalities in health and education within and across both social groups and regions within countries. Spatial disparities may not have increased in all countries but they have remained high, as have inequalities in education and health. However, as with economic inequalities, trends are far from universal.

Related Subject(s): Economic and Social Development