Income disparities in Netherlands largely unchanged since 2001

Income disparities in the Netherlands remained virtually unchanged since 2001, despite the financial crisis and the aging population, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.

Disparities in income from salary, profit and wealth rose. But this rise was reversed by increasing redistribution through social benefits, taxes and premiums. And while increased labor participation among women reduced the inequality for redistribution, the aging population and economic crisis increased this inequality, according to the stats office.

The inequality in disposable income in a country is expressed by the Gini cofficient - a figure between 0 and 1, where 0 represents coplete equality and 1 complete inequaliy. Without taxes and benefits, the Gini coefficient in the Netherlands increased from 0.53 to 0.56 between 2001 and 2015. With taxes and benefits taken into account, the Gini coefficient fluctuated between 0.28 and 0.29 in that same period.

The income disparities in the Netherlands are at about the same level as countries like Germany, France and Ireland, according to broadcaster NOS. In countries like Iceland, Norway and Denmark, the inequality is lower than in the Netherlands. In the United States, Brazil and China, for example, it's higher.