Belgium ranks sixth worldwide in the fight against inequality

No other country in the world fights inequality as efficiently as Denmark. The country earned the highest number of points in The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index, published by Oxfam International and the British NGO Development Finance International. The index does not measure actual inequality, but rather quantifies the political measures encouraging an egalitarian society.

Our country earned higher scores than champions of equality such as Sweden, Japan, Iceland and the Netherlands, who are often cited. This is primarily due to two characteristics of our economy: the high expenditures in education and social security and the highly redistributive nature of our tax system.

The third pillar on which the index is based, labour rights and minimum salary, are less developed in our country. The reasons for this are the limitations on parental leave benefits and a relatively low minimum salary.

Although Belgium traditionally earns strong results in reports on inequality, the risks of falling into poverty remain relatively high, because, according to representatives of Oxfam, high scores in equality are largely due to the wider middle class, but the policy should account for the fact that the risk of poverty for certain groups is still much higher.