SDG #10 is to “Reduce inequality within and among countries.”
Within SDG #10 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 10.4:
Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
Target 10.4 has two indicators:
Indicator 10.4.1: Labour share of GDP
Indicator 10.4.2: Redistributive impact of fiscal policy
The biggest laggard of labour share of GDP as of 2020 is Venezuela, with only 10% of the country’s output going toward labour, the rest going toward capital.
By contrast, the world’s share of labour to gross world product is 54%, much the same since 2015. The world leaders are Switzerland and Nigeria, both with 68% labour share.
The Gini index measures the impact of polices intended for redistribution of income before and after taxes. The higher the Gini index number, the more unequal a country in income.
The leaders in progress for this measure are all European. This shouldn't be surprising, given the region has high tax rates. As of 2020, some of the most successful policies to address inequality present in:
Ireland
Belgium
Slovenia
France
Denmark
Austria
Finland.
Each of these countries managed to reduce their Gini index by a third or more via their taxation policies. Among countries with data, none managed to become less equal due to the country’s redistributive policies.
