Equality can be understood as parity in the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, and equality of opportunities with regards to education and work and the fulfillment of one’s potential. Equity relates to a degree of equality in living conditions of people, especially in terms of income and wealth, that society considers desirable. Reductions of inequalities are then justified by equity considerations.

In the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action social justice, equity and equality reflect the concept of a just society ensuring the equitable distribution of income and greater access to resources through equity and equality of opportunity for all.

In 2014 , UNDP Jordan in collaboration with UNICEF and with support from Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation  has developed the socio – economic inequality report which revealed that  Jordan displays inequality measures rather low in comparison to that of other countries with similar per capita GDP. Inequality in Jordan, as measured by per capita expenditure from the Households Expenditures and Income Survey (HEIS) , stands at a Gini coefficient of 33.7 percent in 2010. This is similar in level to that of the developed European Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members. It is significantly lower than income inequality in the United States and the UK (which are around 40), and is likewise lower than inequality in most countries that are close to Jordan in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita – upper-middle income (UMI) countries