EarthWorks Geospatial Catalog

This polygon shapefile depicts the average inequality of per capita expenditures (also known as the GINI Index) for 210 constituencies in Kenya for 1999. Spatial patterns of inequality in per capita expenditure (as measured by the Gini coefficient) differ at the sub- provincial level. Areas of highest inequality are found near urban areas, including Nairobi and large towns such as Kisumu. Inequality also is quite high in some less poor areas of the central highlands and Rift Valley, perhaps due to very poor subsistence farmers living side by side with more prosperous households earning higher incomes from commercial agriculture. Inequality is lower in areas of the north, Western Province, North East Province, and Coastal Province where the populace is more uniformly poor.This data was used in Map 2.10 in Nature's Benefits in Kenya: An Atlas of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being.