Consequences of Global Inequality

Global inequality does not just mean that some countries are richer than others. It has real, measurable consequences for billions of people in terms of health, education, life expectancy, and quality of life. In this lesson, you will explore the wide-ranging consequences of inequality, understand how the development gap affects people's daily lives, and examine how inequality drives migration patterns across the world.

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Health Disparities

The gap in health outcomes between HICs and LICs is one of the starkest consequences of global inequality.

Key Health Statistics

Health Indicator	HICs (average)	LICs (average)	Significance
Life expectancy	78–84 years	50–65 years	Up to 30 years difference
Infant mortality rate	3–5 per 1,000	50–80 per 1,000	Up to 20x higher in LICs
Maternal mortality ratio	5–15 per 100,000	500–1,000 per 100,000	Up to 100x higher in LICs
Doctors per 10,000 people	25–45	1–5	Severe shortage in LICs
Access to clean water	99–100%	40–70%	Millions lack safe drinking water
HIV/AIDS prevalence	<0.5%	2–25% (sub-Saharan Africa)	Devastating in poorest regions

Why Health Outcomes Are Worse in LICs

1. Lack of healthcare infrastructure — fewer hospitals, clinics, and trained medical staff
2. Poor sanitation and water supply — waterborne diseases (cholera, typhoid, dysentery) kill hundreds of thousands annually
3. Malnutrition — weakens immune systems and stunts child development; approximately 149 million children under 5 are stunted globally
4. Disease burden — tropical diseases (malaria, dengue, sleeping sickness) are prevalent in many LICs and reduce productivity
5. Limited government spending — LIC governments may spend less than $50 per person per year on health, compared to over$50perpersonperyearonhealth,comparedtoover4,000 in HICs

Case Study: Sierra Leone vs UK — Health Comparison

Indicator	Sierra Leone	United Kingdom
Life expectancy	55 years	81 years
Infant mortality	78 per 1,000	3.5 per 1,000
Maternal mortality	1,120 per 100,000	10 per 100,000
Doctors per 10,000	0.3	30
Health spending per capita	$86	$5,138
HIV prevalence (adults)	1.5%	0.16%

Exam Tip: When discussing health disparities in an exam, always use specific data and name the countries you are comparing. "LICs have worse health" is too vague — "Sierra Leone's infant mortality rate is 78 per 1,000, compared to just 3.5 in the UK" is much better.

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Education Gaps

Education is both a cause and a consequence of inequality. Countries that fail to educate their populations remain trapped in poverty, while poverty makes it harder to invest in education.

Key Education Statistics

Indicator	HICs	LICs
Primary school enrolment	~99%	60–85%
Secondary school enrolment	~95%	30–50%
Adult literacy rate	~99%	40–65%
Mean years of schooling	12–14 years	3–6 years
Gender gap in education	Minimal	Significant — girls often disadvantaged

Barriers to Education in LICs

• Cost — school fees, uniforms, books, and transport costs are unaffordable for many families
• Child labour — an estimated 160 million children worldwide are engaged in child labour, most in LICs
• Distance — schools may be many kilometres from home, particularly in rural areas
• Gender discrimination — in some regions, cultural norms or early marriage prevent girls from attending school
• Conflict — wars destroy schools and force children to flee; an estimated 75 million children have had their education disrupted by conflict
• Teacher shortages — sub-Saharan Africa needs an estimated 17 million additional teachers to achieve universal primary education

The Returns to Education

Investing in education yields enormous benefits:

• Each additional year of schooling increases an individual's earnings by approximately 10%
• Educating girls reduces child marriage, lowers fertility rates, and improves child health
• Countries with higher education levels tend to have faster economic growth and lower poverty

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Migration

Global inequality is a powerful driver of migration. People move from areas of low opportunity to areas of high opportunity, seeking better lives for themselves and their families.

Push and Pull Factors

graph TD
    subgraph Push Factors - reasons to leave
        A[Poverty and unemployment]
        B[Conflict and persecution]
        C[Natural hazards]
        D[Poor healthcare and education]
        E[Environmental degradation]
    end
    subgraph Pull Factors - reasons to move to
        F[Better job opportunities]
        G[Higher wages]
        H[Safety and stability]
        I[Better healthcare and education]
        J[Family connections]
    end
    A --> F
    B --> H
    D --> I

Types of Migration

Type	Description	Example
Rural-to-urban	Movement from countryside to cities within the same country	Millions moving from rural India to Mumbai and Delhi
International economic	Movement to another country for work and higher wages	Mexicans migrating to the USA; Poles migrating to the UK
Forced migration (refugees)	Fleeing conflict, persecution, or disaster	Syrians fleeing civil war (6.8 million refugees by 2023)
Brain drain	Skilled workers leaving LICs for HICs	African doctors and nurses emigrating to the UK, USA, and Canada

Consequences of Migration

For the source country (country of origin):

• Loss of skilled workers (brain drain) — weakens healthcare, education, and economy
• Reduced working-age population
• Remittances (money sent home by migrants) — can be a major income source. Global remittances exceeded $650 billion in 2022
• Social disruption — families separated, communities depleted

For the destination country:

• Gains skilled and unskilled workers to fill labour shortages
• Cultural diversity and enrichment
• Potential social tensions and pressure on services
• Economic growth through increased workforce and consumer spending

Exam Tip: Migration questions often ask you to discuss impacts on both the source and destination country. Always cover both sides and use specific examples with data.

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Demographic Differences

Global inequality is reflected in dramatically different demographic profiles between HICs and LICs.

Comparing Demographic Indicators

Indicator	HICs	LICs
Birth rate (per 1,000)	8–12	30–50
Death rate (per 1,000)	9–12	8–15
Natural increase rate	0–0.5%	2–3.5%
Total fertility rate	1.5–2.0	4.0–7.0
Population growth rate	0–0.5%	2–3%
Median age	38–45 years	15–20 years
Dependency ratio	Lower (ageing population)	Higher (young population)

The Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

Most LICs are in Stage 2 or early Stage 3 of the demographic transition — with high birth rates and falling death rates, leading to rapid population growth. HICs are in Stage 4 or Stage 5, with low birth and death rates and stable or declining populations.