中國貧富差距到底有多大呢?

New data from a Chinese think tank suggests that the government has succeeded in tamping down on inequality, flying in the face of academic evidence and sparking fresh controversy over the divide between China's haves and have-nots.

中國一家智庫機構的新數據顯示，政府成功地抑制了貧富差距的擴大。這與學術證據不符，並再次引發有關中國貧富差距問題的爭論。

The calculation by the International Institute for Urban Development in Beijing puts China's Gini coefficient a widely used measure of inequality at 0.438 in 2010. That means China is fractionally more unequal than in 2005, when the Gini coefficient came in at 0.425 according to data from the World Bank.

根據北京國際城市發展研究院(International Institute for Urban Development)的計算，2010年中國的基尼係數爲0.438。這意味着中國貧富差距較2005年只是略有擴大。據世界銀行(World Bank)數據，當年中國的基尼係數是0.425。

The Gini coefficient is a measure of income distribution. A score of 0 would represent perfect equality, a score of 1 would mean one individual controlled 100% of income. South Africa, with a score of 0.631 and Colombia at 0.559 are amongst the most unequal societies in the world according to World Bank data. The Unites States has a gini coefficient of 0.408 in 2000, according to the World Bank.

基尼係數是一個反映收入分配差異程度的指標。如果該係數爲0，則代表完全平等，如果係數爲1，則代表某一個人掌握了100%的收入。據世界銀行數據，南非的基尼係數爲0.631，哥倫比亞爲0.559，都屬於世界上最不平等的社會之列。世界銀行數據顯示，2000年美國的基尼係數爲0.408。

Zhu Yinghui, a researcher at the institute, said that China's wealth gap raised concerns about China's development path. 'The income gap between urban and rural, between communities, and lack of middle class are factors that could affect social stability,' she said.

北京國際城市發展研究院的研究員朱潁慧說，貧富差距問題引起了人們對中國發展道路的擔憂。她說，城鄉之間、社區之間的收入差距，中產階級的缺失，都是可能影響社會穩定的因素。

Gauging China's level of inequality is made more difficult by uncertainty about household income. Calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics data show the top 10% of households control around 32% of income. But China's statisticians acknowledge that difficulty collecting data on the income of the rich introduces uncertainty into the official numbers.

由於家庭收入狀況不明，測量中國貧富差距的難度較大。按國家統計局的數據計算，最上層10%的家庭控制了大約32%的財富。但中國統計人員承認，由於獲取富人收入數據存在困難，官方數據不太可靠。

An academic survey of more than 8000 households across China conducted in 2011 suggests a much greater level of inequality, with the top 10% controlling 56% of income. 'That makes China more unequal than the United States and even more unequal than African societies' said Gan Li a Professor at China's South Western University of Finance and Economics and Texas A&M University in the U.S. who led the survey.

2011年對中國各地8,000多戶家庭的學術調查顯示收入差距要大得多，最上層10%的家庭掌握了56%的財富。中國西南財經大學兼美國德州農工大學(Texas A&M University)教授、調查牽頭人甘犁說，這使中國的收入分配不平等狀況差於美國，甚至比非洲國家還要差。

The CIA also publishes a calculation of the Gini coefficient, which it puts at 0.48 in China in 2009 substantially higher than the institute's calculation for 2010. The CIA put the Gini coefficient for the U.S. at 0.45 in 2007.

美國中央情報局(CIA)也有基尼係數公佈，中國在2009年的係數是0.48，遠遠高於北京國際城市發展研究院計算的2010年係數。根據CIA計算，美國在2007年的基尼係數是0.45。

Growing inequality reflects a combination of factors. 'China started out thirty years ago with everyone equally poor, as incomes rise it is natural that inequality should as well,' said Louis Kuijs, China economist at RBS. 'But that benign inequality has been accentuated by policies that benefited factory owners, not the mass of workers,' he added.

貧富差距的擴大是多種因素的綜合反映。蘇格蘭皇家銀行(RBS)中國經濟學家高路易(Louis Kuijs)說，30年前的中國大家都一樣窮，隨着收入增加，貧富差距自然也應該擴大，但有利於工廠老闆而不利於廣大工人大衆的政策，加重了這種本屬良性的貧富差距。

A growing divide between have and have-nots has far reaching implications for China's future growth. 'The main conclusion is that redistribution of income is the key to raising China's consumption,' said Texas A&M's Mr. Gan. That's because low-income households spend a higher share of their income than rich households.

貧富差距的擴大，對中國將來的經濟增長有着深遠的影響。甘犁說，主要結論是收入再分配是提高中國消費水平的關鍵。這是因爲低收入家庭支出佔收入的比重大於富裕家庭。

Household consumption in China came in at just 34.9% of gross domestic product in 2011, down from 46.0% in 2000 and substantially below the 70% rate in the U.S. With investment producing diminishing returns and export growth falling close to zero in July and August, raising consumption has become crucial to keeping growth on track.

2011年中國家庭消費只佔國內生產總值(GDP)的34.9%，低於2000年的46.0%，遠低於美國的70%。隨着投資回報越來越低、7月至8月的出口增速接近於零，增加消費已經成爲保增長的關鍵。

Inequality in the distribution of income also raises fears of social instability. But Martin Whyte, a professor at Harvard who has conducted extensive survey work on social attitudes in China, said the link was not straightforward. 'It is subjective popular perceptions of fairness or unfairness, not objective income and wealth trends that contribute to instability,' he said. 'Its cases like Bo Xilai that call attention to corrupt gains that get ordinary Chinese people angry about social injustice.'

收入分配不平等也會引起社會不穩定的憂慮。但對中國社會心態做過廣泛調查的哈佛大學(Harvard)教授懷默霆(Martin Whyte)說，這種關聯不是直接的。他說，導致不穩定的是民衆主觀上對公平或不公平的看法，而不是客觀上的收入與財富趨勢；讓中國老百姓對社會不公感到憤怒的，是薄熙來案等讓人注意到貪腐收入的案件。