Global Estimates of Opportunity and Mobility (GEOM)

GEOM is a research initiative led by the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics and the University of Bari, in collaboration with other global partners. The website platform allows users to explore how different inherited traits shape life chances across countries and over time. It presents estimates of the importance of inherited inequality – measured as inequality of opportunity (IOp) – across 72 countries using 196 household surveys, in some cases spanning over four decades. GEOM uses on-the-edge statistical methods to compare outcomes across population subgroups defined by circumstances such as parental education and occupation, race or ethnicity, caste, sex, and place of birth. These measures help quantify the share of income or consumption inequality attributable to these factors beyond individual’s control, approximating a notion of “unfair inequality”. GEOM also highlights which population groups are most disadvantaged and provides a basis for identifying policy priorities. Future versions aim to expand the country measures and incorporate intergenerational mobility indicators, further linking IOp to broader patterns of inequality and social immobility.

GEOM database