…in the 21st century the world economy has kept getting more equal.
…Spending inequality within countries can tell a different story. Some rich countries became more unequal in the late 20th century even as global inequality fell. In the past decade the richest 10% have pulled away from the poorest 50% in Japan, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.
The ratio of spending is a poor metric to measure equality. All it really shows is that the “poor” are getting milked for everything they earn and own. Energy costs, fuel, water, basics like bread and butter, insurance, even doing something nice - all at sky-high prices driven by nothing else but greed. Oh, and farewell to the middle class…
Let us all be very happy about "The World" since the libertarians at the Economist tell us we are living in a egalitarian world. It is only a minor anomaly that a very small group of Billionaires decide our political agendas and tell our Governments what to do. And now that "Big Governments" are being down sized even the wildest dreams of the libertarians at the Economist are coming true. What could be better than this ?
You can very probably obtain a much different result and most likely more accurate by doing this:
Looking at a few metrics should be enough for you to understand that this article from The Economist is some kind of "everything is going well"-centrist-propaganda.
All of the above are criticizable indices, by themselves. However, if you take the time to superpose those statistical markers, you'll get a much better picture than whatever The Economist is trying to say in this article
Billionaires carry the same phone you do. Their cars have nicer trim, but the powertrain lasts about as long as yours. Their home air temperature is likewise similar to yours….
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[ 0.21 ms ] story [ 19.2 ms ] thread…Spending inequality within countries can tell a different story. Some rich countries became more unequal in the late 20th century even as global inequality fell. In the past decade the richest 10% have pulled away from the poorest 50% in Japan, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.
Guess the only thing that's changed is inflation.
Looking at a few metrics should be enough for you to understand that this article from The Economist is some kind of "everything is going well"-centrist-propaganda.
Suggested metrics:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_in...
Based on the Gini Coefficient https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient
2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Dev...
Based on the HDI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index
3.
And finally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nomi...
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All of the above are criticizable indices, by themselves. However, if you take the time to superpose those statistical markers, you'll get a much better picture than whatever The Economist is trying to say in this article
Doesn't help when the source data is not available to better understand what the claims made here are actually based on.
Billionaires carry the same phone you do. Their cars have nicer trim, but the powertrain lasts about as long as yours. Their home air temperature is likewise similar to yours….
We’re all richer these days.
https://infographics.economist.com/2026/20260131_WOC222/2026...
https://infographics.economist.com/2026/20260131_WOC222/2026...
https://infographics.economist.com/2026/20260131_WOC222/2026...
https://infographics.economist.com/2026/20260131_WOC222/