America's pay gap shame: Inequality between rich and poor is worse than Cameroon, Ivory Coast and revolutionary Egypt

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005550/Americas-pay-gap-Inequality-rich-poor-worse-revolutionary-Egypt.html

By PAUL BENTLEY
Last updated on 20th June 2011

The gap between America's rich and poor is so extreme levels of inequality are worse in the land of the free than they are in many developing countries.
The U.S. ranks way behind the European Union and the United Kingdom in terms of inequality of pay, figures show.
In fact, the situation is so extreme the land of the free falls behind countries such as Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and revolutionary Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen - and only just in front of Uganda and Jamaica.

According to the CIA's World Fact Book, which ranks countries in terms of how 'equally' wealth is distributed, the U.S. is the 42nd most unequal country in the world.

In contrast, Tunisia is the 62nd most unequal country, Yemen is 76th and Egypt, which has been ravaged by civil war, comes in at 90th place.

Income disparity in the U.S. has been growing for decades but the latest figures show it has now reached levels not seen since the Great Depression.

Ten per cent of the total personal income in America was taken home by the top 0.1 per cent of earners in 2008 - the latest year for which figures are available.

The top one per cent took home more than a fifth of all personal income in the U.S.
Research suggests the reason for this extraordinary disparity is a huge rise in pay for company executives, the Washington Post reported.

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