The total welfare of the world population from mid-2016 to mid-2017 increased by 6.4% and reached $ 280 trillion, according to the data of the annual report of the Global Wealth Report of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse. The growth rate was the highest over the past five years and was due to an increase in the value of real estate and stock quotes.
Due to the fact that welfare increased faster than population growth, the rate per person reached a record $ 56.54 thousand compared to $ 52.074 thousand a year ago, with 1% of the wealthiest people now owning half of the world's wealth. Their share increased to 50.1% compared with 42.5% at the height of the 2008 financial crisis.
“The share of 1% of the richest people has been on the growth path since the crisis, surpassing the level of 2000 in 2013 and after that peak each year,” the bank said. “Global inequality is certainly high and increased in the post-crisis period."
Over the past year, 2.3 million new dollar millionaires have appeared in the world, as a result of which their total number has reached 36 million. "The number of millionaires, which declined in 2008, quickly recovered from the financial crisis, and now is approximately three times higher than in 2000." – the report says.
The welfare of 3.5 billion of the world's poorest people is less than $ 10 thousand per person. In general, this category accounts for 70% of the able-bodied population and 2.7% of total wealth. The welfare of the population of the whole world will continue to grow at the same rate over the next five years, as a result of which it will increase to $ 341 trillion in 2022, economists forecast Credit Suisse. At the same time, they expect that the number of dollar millionaires will reach 44 million people (that is, about 20% from the current level), and the poorest part of the population will decrease by 4%.
