Definition

Regional inequalities in economic performance are here measured by regional GDP per capita. GDP per capita is calculated by dividing the GDP of a region by the population (number of inhabitants) living there, and is measured according to the definitions of the 1993 System of National Accounts.

The Gini index is one summary measure of regional disparities within each country. It looks not only at the regions with the highest and the lowest GDP per capita but at differences among all regions. The index ranges between 0 and 1: the higher its value, the larger the disparities. Regional disparities tend to be underestimated when the size of regions is large. This may be the case for those countries, where GDP figures are only available for Territorial Level 2 regions (see Population by region).

For more statistics on economic, environmental and social issues visit online the OECD Factbook 2010.