The pyramid of distribution of world wealth

Today, more than 7 billion people live in the world. The first live richly and luxuriously, the second – the representatives of the middle class, and still others live in poverty. The distribution of world wealth is not in favor of the majority of the population. Almost all world resources belong to a small part of the inhabitants of the planet Earth. Is this a fair allocation of resources and is there an opportunity to correct the situation?

The global wealth pyramid

According to the Global Wealth Report 2018 research report from the Swiss company Credit Suisse, world wealth is estimated at $317 trillion. This amount consists of tangible (real estate, cars and other valuable property) and financial (securities, deposits, pension savings, etc.) assets less credits and debts. The number of adults in the world is 5 billion people. The distribution of wealth in the world among the working population is as follows: Group numberWealth range (K)Number of people (M)% of the total number of peopleWealth (T)% of total wealthAverage wealth (K) 1>$1,000420.84%$142.0044.78%$3,380.95
2$100–$1,0004368.68%$124.7039.33%$286.01
3$10–$1001,33526.57%$44.2013.94%$33.11
4< $103,21163.91%$6.201.96%$1.93 5>$05,024100.00%$317.10100.00%$63.12
1. The top 0.84% of financially literate people concentrated in their hands 44.78% of world wealth. This is the richest persons with an average wealth of $3.38 million per capita. In their hands almost half of world wealth; 2. Another 8.68% of people own 39.33% of wealth. The average welfare of these people is$286 thousand per capita. To get into this group is relatively easy and quite capable of everyone;
3. Next come 26.57% of the middle class, owning 13.94% of wealth. The average welfare of the middle class is $33.1 thousand per capita; 4. Finally, 63.91% of people are satisfied with 1.96% of wealth, living in poverty. These are financially illiterate people with an average wealth of$1.93 thousand per capita. This category forms the basis of the pyramid of distribution of world wealth.

The higher the level of individual welfare, the smaller the number of such individuals. There are fewer billionaires than millionaires and fewer millionaires than middle-class people, etc.

The first 2 groups make up 9.51% of people owning 84.11% of world wealth. These are the realities of the modern world. This distribution persists for several decades, changing only slightly.

The global wealth pyramid among millionaires

Are the forty-two million richest people many or few? In relative terms, it is small (0.84% of the world population), in absolute terms – a lot (42 million, the amount is comparable with the population of a rather big country).

Let us consider in detail the top of the pyramid of wealth distribution in a world where there are richest people with wealth, ranging from $1 million. Millionaires also have a hierarchy: Group numberWealth range (M)Number of millionaires (K)% of the total number of millionaires% of the total number of people 1>$50149.890.36%0.0030%
2$10–$501,631.463.87%0.0325%
3$5–$103,285.957.79%0.0654%
4$1–$537,087.9587.98%0.7382%
5> $142,155.25100.00%0.8391% 1. 149.89 thousand persons (0.36% of the number of millionaires) have a wealth of more than$50 million. They are representatives of the world elite. Billionaires, oligarchs, big businessmen, investors and politicians. To get into this small elite group is very difficult;
2. 1.63 million people (3.87%) own from $10 to$50 million;
3. 3.29 million people (7.79%) own from $5 to$10 million. A sort of “middle class” of millionaires;
4. Finally, 37.09 million people (87.98%) have wealth from $1 to$5 million. This large group is 7.32 times more than the first 3 groups combined. Getting into this group is not as difficult as it seems.

The reasons for the current distribution of world wealth

Oddly enough, the current distribution of world wealth is almost true for the following reasons:

• The world has always been a hierarchical one, in which there has never been universal equality. All people are different, have different knowledge, different life experiences, different willpower and faith in themselves. Accordingly, each has its own social status and position in society;
• World resources are limited; they are not enough for all. Luxury cars, big houses, successful businesses, high-quality medicine, money and other resources are limited in the world. Only the overwhelming minority of the inhabitants of planet Earth owns and uses this;
• Human nature is selfish, instinctive, and aimed at constant struggle and competition for all kinds of resources and domination. People constantly compete with each other, explicitly or implicitly;
• The majority of the population lack the desire, knowledge and skills to get into the top of the welfare pyramid. Therefore, they lose in the competition for a place under the Sun.

There is natural selection in the world, where strong, resilient, flexible and competitive win. This applies not only to people and animals, but also to ideas, technologies, concepts, etc. Understanding and accepting this fact will take the path of success.

Conclusion

A person will fall into the top of the pyramid of the distribution of wealth in the world, becoming wealthy if he sincerely wants it, making efforts and acting. Competition is not terrible; treat it as a challenge, a game and sports.

To get into a group of millionaires with wealth from $1 to$5 million, becoming a citizen of an “elite country” is within everyone’s power. It is even easier to get into the “country” of representatives of the class above the average with a welfare from $100 thousand to$1 million. There are 436 million such people in the world, more than the population of the United States.

Moving toward these goals, rising from level to level of the pyramid of distribution of world wealth, should be resolutely and gradually, starting small. In any case, it will turn out to significantly improve the financial situation and social status. History knows many examples when people chose out of poverty, becoming rich, or at least financially independent.

It’s not your fault if you were born poor. But it’s definitely your fault if you stay poor until the end of your days

Bill Gates

It’s hard not to agree with this quote. Calculate at what level of the pyramid of distribution of world wealth you are. Are your property and savings estimated at least \$10 thousand? You will find an interesting fascinating journey to the heights of the pyramid of the distribution of world wealth, if you are not afraid of competition and are ready to act to get rich and win your own place in the global hierarchy.