The Gini index: a proposal for revision

Abstract

The Gini index is widely used in statistics for the study of equity in the distribution of a variable. However, its definition has several formulations and its use sometimes has hidden problems that can lead to incorrect conclusions. That is the reason why it is necessary to make some remarks this regard and even formulate some proposals to clarify some errors on its definition and use. We present an alternative to solve this error in one of the most popular formulas of the Gini index.