Income distributions in an international perspective – The case of Hungary and the Netherlands

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Bruinooge, O. | Éltetö, Ö. | Fajth, G. | Grubben, B.

Affiliations: Central Bureau of Statistics, Department for Statistics of Income and Consumption, P.O. Box 4481, 6401 CZ Heerlen, Netherlands

Abstract: International comparisons of income distributions are often carried out based on data at an aggregated level. This article describes the comparison of the income distributions of Hungary and the Netherlands. In this comparison harmonised micro-data have been used to reach a high degree of comparability. The empirical results show that the inequality of household incomes was the same in both countries in the early eighties. After adjustments for differences in size and composition of households the income distribution was less equal in the Netherlands than in Hungary. The equivalence scales used were based on national budget surveys.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1990-7104

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 39-53, 1990