Tuesday 14 November 2017

Inequality is rising as report finds that richest 1% own half the world's wealth

A report published this morning by Credit Suisse has found that 1% of the world's population own 50.1% of the world's wealth. 

The report looks at where we are ten years on from the financial crisis, it shows that total global wealth is 27% higher today than it was in 2007 before the financial crisis. It also shows that the number of millionaires has increased by 8,740,000 since 2007 leading to one of the largestest outcomes of the financial crisis to be an increase in inequality. 

It says:

'The remaining negative heritage of the financial crisis is wealth inequality. It has been rising in all parts of the world since 2007. As calculated by the report authors, the top 1 percent of global wealth holders started the millennium with 45.5 percent of all household wealth, but their share has since increased to a level of 50.1 percent today.'

'The outlook for the millionaire segment is more optimistic than for the bottom of the wealth pyramid (less than 10,000 dollars per adult). The former is expected to rise by 22 percent, from 36 million people today to 44 million in 2022, while the group occupying the lowest tier of the pyramid is expected to shrink by only 4 percent.'

Oxfam said Credit Suisse’s research showed that politicians need to do more to tackle the “huge gulf between the haves and the have-nots”. 
“In the UK, the wealthiest 1% have seen their share increase to nearly a quarter of all the country’s wealth, while the poorest half have less than 5%,” Oxfam’s head of advocacy, Katy Chakrabortty, said. “This divide matters hugely at a time when millions of people across the UK face a daily struggle to make ends meet and the numbers living in poverty are the highest for almost 20 years. 
“The recent Paradise Papers revelations laid bare one of the main drivers of inequality – tax-dodging by rich individuals and multinationals. Governments should act to tackle extreme inequality that is undermining economies around the world, dividing societies and making it harder than ever for the poorest to improve their lives. 
“In the UK, the chancellor should use next week’s budget to prioritise tough action to tackle tax avoidance to help provide funds to fight poverty in both the UK and developing countries.”
Source: https://www.credit-suisse.com/corporate/en/articles/news-and-expertise/global-wealth-report-2017-201711.html?aa_cmp=socm_hrcb_glob_17.11.14_ca1613_pr005_ag01_bt01_cf35_eng_me00296

No comments:

Post a Comment