(ECNS) -- The income gap between China's top earners and those at the bottom is widening, with the richest one percent of families earning one third of the nation's total household income, according to a newly-published book.
The work is based on China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), a research program run by the Institute of Social Science Survey at Peking University. It interviewed 14,960 households in 25 provinces and cities to understand Chinese family wealth and living habits.
The Gini coefficient of Chinese residents has risen from 0.3 in the early 1980s to 0.45 now, according to the book. Back in 2012, CFPS estimated the coefficient to be 0.49 in 2012, far above the red line of 0.4. The Gini coefficient is an approximate measure of the wealth gap in a society, with zero representing perfect equality.
When looked at from household wealth, the Gini coefficient rose from 0.45 in 1995 to 0.73 in 2012. Households in the lowest 25 percent accounted for just one percent of total income.
The book also outlines other challenges facing China's society, such as vast differences in access to educational opportunities and healthcare resources.
Inequality in access to education rose sharply, it shows. People born in the 1960s suffered least from inequality, which has climbed continuously and reached a peak among those born in the 1980s. It calls for more public policy support to ensure educational equality among all members.
The book also states that the social security system failed to provide equal medical resources. Professor Li Jianxin with Peking University, who is responsible for its publication, said individuals with poor health are more lacking in medical support and facing higher pressures to pay bills.
Women receive less education than men, earn less wages, and have a less sound health situation, according to researchers.
The book warns that inequality must be addressed effectively or will threaten social stability.
