The United Nations released its annual State of the World Cities report this week and three South African cities top the list:
Three South African cities top the list of the most unequal cities in the world, when measured on income-based data gathered in a UN-HABITAT survey of cities in 109 countries from all regions. In its State of the World Cities 2010/2011: Bridging the Urban Divide, UN-HABITAT cites Buffalo City (East London), Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni (East Rand) as extremely unequal with Gini coefficient values of 0.71 or more. These are followed by the Brazilian cities of Goiana, Fortaleza, Belo Horizonte, and Brasilia; all of which feature income Gini values above 0.60.
A number of other cities also won prizes:
… In a broader, updated sample of consumption-based equality Jakarta, Indonesia; the Bangladeshi cities of Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna; Lome, Togo; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Bissau, Guinea-Bissau; and Dakar, Senegal; stand out as the most egalitarian in the developing world– with Gini values ranging from 0.27 to 0.37.
But that’s not something to boast about since they are what’s called “equally poor cities.” Meaning most people in those cities are having a hard time.
Sean
Sonja
Brett
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