At a Glance
- Researchers from Bocconi University, the University of Cambridge, and Stanford University discovered that the Han Dynasty had greater economic inequality than the Roman Empire, shedding light on inequality’s impact on political stability.
- The study revealed that in the Han Dynasty, the average income was 1.88 times the subsistence minimum, while in the Roman Empire, it was 2.25 times, with the wealthiest 1% in Han China earning 26% of the total income.
- Using the Gini coefficient, the Roman Empire scored 0.46, and the Han Dynasty scored 0.48, indicating significant inequality. The Han Dynasty had slightly worse economic disparity than the Roman Empire.
- The study found that the Roman Empire’s political structure required higher military expenditure to maintain order. At the same time, the Han Dynasty’s extraction of resources from the economy through local officials may have contributed to its downfall.
- The researchers suggested that the high level of resource extraction in the Han Dynasty, up to 80% compared to Rome’s 69%, could have influenced its eventual collapse, demonstrating the link between inequality and empire stability.
Researchers from Bocconi University, the University of Cambridge, and Stanford University have discovered that the Han Dynasty, which ruled China from around 206 BC to 220 AD, had more economic inequality than the Roman Empire, which spanned from 27 BC to 476 AD. Their study, published in Nature Communications, used modern economic methods to compare the income distribution and wealth inequality in these two ancient empires, shedding light on how unequal societies may impact political stability.
The researchers examined historical records to understand the living conditions of different social classes within both empires. They found that the average income in the Roman Empire was about 2.25 times the subsistence minimum, while in the Han Dynasty, it was only 1.88 times the minimum needed for survival. Moreover, the wealthiest 1% of Romans earned around 19% of the total income, whereas the wealthiest 1% in Han China earned a larger share, approximately 26%.
The team used the Gini coefficient to measure inequality, a tool that quantifies income distribution, with 0 representing perfect equality and 1 representing complete inequality. The Roman Empire scored 0.46, while Han China scored 0.48. For context, the United States today has a Gini coefficient of about 0.41, indicating that both ancient empires had significant levels of inequality, but the Han Dynasty’s was slightly worse.
The study also explored how the political structures of both empires contributed to these inequalities. The Roman Empire had a higher military expenditure, as Roman leaders paid soldiers throughout their vast empire to maintain order. On the other hand, the Han leaders managed local officials differently, which allowed them to extract more from the economy—up to 80% compared to the 69% in Rome. This high level of extraction, the researchers suggest, might have contributed to the eventual collapse of the Han Dynasty, highlighting how economic inequality and resource extraction can influence the stability of empires.
References
- Yirka, B. & Phys.org. (2025, April 9). Comparing economic inequality between the roman empire and the han dynasty. Phys.Org; Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-economic-inequality-roman-empire-han.html
- Alfani, G., Bolla, M., & Scheidel, W. (2025). A comparison of income inequality in the Roman and Chinese Han empires. Nature Communications, 16(1), 3248. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58581-0
