By IANS/EFE,
Santiago : The gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow in Chile, with the income of the poorest of households in the Latin American nation stagnating over the last three years.
The highest earners, meanwhile, enjoyed an increase of nine percent during the 2006-2009 period, the government said in a statement.
The survey was conducted among 71,460 representative households across the country in November-December 2009 .
The average income for the poorest 10 percent grew from 113,010 pesos ($215.25) a month in 2006 to 114,005 pesos ($217.15) in 2009, according to the data released by the planning ministry.
That amounts to a one percent gain in real terms, the ministry said.
During the same period, the average monthly income for the top 10 percent of Chilean households increased from 2.7 million pesos ($5,133) to 2.95 million pesos ($5,626), a rise of nine percent.
In conclusion, the average income of Chile’s richest 10 percent was 46 times that of the bottom 10 percent.