Latin America 'most unequal'

[Judi Lynn]

Sep 9, 2010
Latin America 'most unequal'

LIMA (Peru) - LATIN America and the Caribbean are home to the biggest socioeconomic inequalities in the world, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said in a report on Friday.

In its first 'Human Development Report for Latin America and the Caribbean,' a copy of which was provided to AFP, the UNDP said the region had 65 per cent more inequalities than wealthy countries, 35 per cent more than East Asia and 18 per cent more than sub-Saharan Africa.

The UN agency said inequality in the region depends greatly on ethnic origins, sex, place of residence and access to services and basic infrastructure.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Uruguay had the most even distribution of wealth, while Bolivia had the most uneven wealth distribution, according to the report.

'This vicious circle of inequality can be broken' through social investment and a better redistribution of wealth, according to the UNDP.

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