The country progresses but inequality lingers
![](https://dominicantoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/poverty-boy-trash-cow.jpg)
Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic ranked 88 out of 189 analyzed in the Human Development Index, gaining one position over the previous year, according to the most recent UNDP report.
The advance however, has not broken the inequalities between social strata or between genders. On the contrary, inequality in the country has increased.
The annual report, which corresponds to data from last year and does not include the impact of COVID-19, indicates that 40% of the poorest population holds only 15.6% of national income, while the richest 10% of the population holds 35.2%.
In the gender inequality index, UNDP assumes that there is a better life expectancy at birth and schooling among women, but the national per capita income of the female population is almost half that of their male counterparts. “While the average per capita income of women is US$12,449, that of men is US$22,740.