Economic inequality within EU countries is characterised by large and persistent differences. In the mid-2000s the distances between nations were of a very significant magnitude, with a clear divide, for example, between Northern and Mediterranean countries. More precisely, in Germany, Spain, Greece, Ireland, UK, Italy, Poland and Portugal the Gini coefficient on disposable income was around or well above the threshold of 0.30. Denmark and Sweden, on the other hand, remained the least unequal advanced countries, with Gini values of around 0.23.
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