The Staggering Scale of Global Inequality

According to World Bank data, 8.5% of the world’s population—roughly 700 million people—still lives on less than $2.15 per day. A quarter of humanity, or about 2 billion people, survives on less than $3.65 per day. With the global population now exceeding 8.2 billion, these numbers expose a world of staggering inequality.

The poorest half of humanity—around 4 billion people—collectively holds less than 2% of global wealth. By contrast, the richest 1.1% command 45.8% of the world’s wealth, and the top 10% hold an astonishing 76%. This is not merely imbalance—it is systemic asymmetry.

Even within the world’s ten largest economies (excluding China and Japan), an average of 15% of the population still lives below national poverty lines. This underscores a critical truth: economic growth, no matter how robust, does not automatically translate into shared prosperity.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs—one of the most persistent and persuasive voices in the global fight against poverty—highlighted this chasm in his landmark book The End of Poverty. His argument remains as urgent today as ever: while governments and media obsess over geopolitical rivalries and technological breakthroughs, billions struggle to secure life’s most basic necessities.

Equally troubling is how prosperity and poverty are portrayed. According to Forbes’ 2025 Billionaires List, just 3,028 billionaires exist worldwide—yet they dominate headlines, documentaries, and cultural narratives. Meanwhile, the 4+ billion people living on the other end of the economic spectrum receive only fleeting attention. This imbalance in coverage is not merely symbolic; it reflects and reinforces a global hierarchy of priorities.

These figures point to an uncomfortable reality: the world’s investment priorities are profoundly misaligned. Trillions of dollars flow annually into military budgets, technological races, and speculative financial markets, while essential human needs—healthcare, education, clean water, nutrition, and housing—remain chronically underfunded.

Poverty is not an abstraction or a distant statistic; it is a grinding daily reality for billions. Recognizing the gap between perception and reality is the first step toward meaningful change. The real challenge—for governments, corporations, and citizens alike—is to ensure that humanity’s immense wealth and knowledge are deployed deliberately, strategically, and compassionately to lift people out of poverty rather than deepen the divide.