Countries where the gap was least pronounced were mainly in the north of Europe, with Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Slovenia the most egalitarian societies.

BBC: Rich-poor divide accelerating, says OECD

In countries such as Britain and America a child's prospects depend more on its parents' social class than in egalitarian societies, according to OECD data.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

The U.S. already spends more on high school education than any advanced society except Switzerland and Norway, and considerably more than such egalitarian societies as Austria and Denmark.

CNN: A good start to reviving the middle class

And although the image of Arabs wallowing in wanton luxury persists abroad, Gulf societies, with some notable exceptions, are fairly egalitarian.

ECONOMIST: Time travellers