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Rural-Urban Income Gap Widens in China

Posted by: Nate Berg

21 January 2009 - 5:00am

The income gap between rural and urban residents in China has increased again in 2008, and has been attributed to other social inequities in the growing country.

"The latest statistics from China's Agriculture Ministry suggest that on average, city dwellers earned 3.36 times more than those in the country."

"Equality was one of the demands that helped the Chinese communist party to power nearly 60 years ago."

"Now as the world's third largest economy, China's rural population are seeing their incomes fall further behind than ever before."

"The average wealth gap has now reached 11,100 yuan or $1,620 (£1,100), $200 more than it was in 2007."

"In 2008, the average income for a worker in rural China was around $690 - while those in the cities earned $2,290 on average. Wages in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing are even higher."

Full Story: China rural-urban wage gap widens
Source: BBC, January 17, 2009
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