What's happened
Recent reports reveal stark global inequality, with the ultra-rich controlling three times the wealth of the poorest half. Women earn significantly less and work longer hours worldwide, highlighting persistent gender disparities amid growing economic concentration at the top.
What's behind the headline?
The stark visualisation of the ultra-rich's wealth underscores the extreme concentration of global assets. The fact that 56,000 individuals could fill a stadium highlights the disparity between the top and bottom halves of society. This concentration is accelerating, with the ultra-rich growing their wealth faster than the rest. Meanwhile, gender inequality remains entrenched, with women earning only about 61% of men's wages and working longer hours, especially in regions like the Middle East and Asia. These disparities are reinforced by structural barriers such as limited access to childcare and social protections, which hinder women's economic participation. The reports suggest that despite some progress, systemic patriarchy and economic systems continue to favor the wealthy and men, making meaningful change difficult. The growing wealth gap and persistent gender inequality threaten social cohesion and economic stability, and unless addressed, will deepen existing divides. The data indicates that inequality is not just a matter of income but also of power and influence, which will likely intensify unless policy interventions are prioritized.
What the papers say
The Guardian's Oliver Holmes provides a detailed visualisation of the ultra-rich's wealth, emphasizing how 56,000 individuals control three times the wealth of the poorest half of humanity. Al Jazeera's report complements this by highlighting the stagnation of living standards and the rapid growth of billionaire wealth, which has increased by about 8% annually since the 1990s. Sarah Johnson from The Guardian discusses the deep-rooted nature of gender inequality, noting that women earn only 32% of what men do when unpaid work is included, and face structural barriers worldwide. The contrasting focus on wealth concentration and gender disparities underscores the multifaceted nature of inequality today, with both reports warning of the social and economic consequences if these trends continue unchecked.
How we got here
The reports draw on annual data from 2018 to 2025, illustrating how wealth and income are increasingly concentrated among the top 0.001%, while the bottom half of the population owns just a small fraction of global assets. Gender disparities persist despite legal advances, with women earning less and working more than men across all regions.
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Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (; born February 9, 1943) is an American New Keynesian economist, a public policy analyst, political activist, and a professor at Columbia University. He is a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2001) and...