MANDALUYONG, Philippines, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The gap between rich and poor in China and other Asian countries has widened as economies have boomed, research suggests.
The Asian Development Bank found the wealth inequity widened substantially in China than other countries except Nepal, the BBC reported Wednesday. Other countries with widening gaps include India, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
The ADB, based in Mandaluyong, Philippines, said the main reason for the increased chasm in recent years was the discrepancy in investment that favored urban over rural areas.
Relative inequality, measured as the change in proportionate differences in income between the richest and poorest, rose in 15 countries studied since the early 1990s, according to the bank. Only six countries -- Indonesia, Mongolia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Thailand -- showed the gap closing.
"In a region as dynamic and vibrant as developing Asia, low growth in incomes of the poor is reflective of weakness in the pattern of growth," said Ifzal Ali, ADB's chief economist.
Governments in countries with a wider rich-poor gap must ensure employment opportunities are more widely available, the ADB said. Officials also must be sure health and education programs were implemented in a manner that did not destabilize the overall economy.
