Inequality studies need to be more representative — the countries that suffer the most from inequality are also those that we know the least about (see Nature 537, 466–470; 2016).

Between 1994 and 2013, North America and western Europe together accounted for 80% of all publications on inequalities and social justice (ISSC, IDS and UNESCO World Social Science Report; UNESCO, 2016). The number of publications and data on these themes are very low from sub-Saharan Africa, south and east Asia, former eastern-bloc countries and the Arab world. This imbalance in our knowledge about inequality diminishes our global capacity to address it.