Income inequality among older adults in Hong Kong: An analysis of change from 1981 to 2001

This article examines the economic status and income inequality of the elderly population in Hong Kong based on data collected in population censuses. Specifically, the median income of elderly headed households in 1981, 1991, and 2001; the Gini coefficients and Lorenz curves for elderly headed and nonelderly headed households in 1981, 1991, and 2001; and the Gini coefficients and Lorenz curves for three age groups (i.e.. aged 65 to 69, 70 to 74, and 75 and older) of the elderly headed households in 2001 were examined. The data show that although the economic status of elderly headed families improved substantially in the past two decades, income inequality remained at a high level during the same period of time. Findings indicate that public benefits for the aged population must be changed to be stronger in redistributive power so that income inequality in the elderly population can be improved through this measure.