Wealth and the World
Learning Objective
I can analyze how wealth distribution impacts global issues.
Key Concepts
In 2019, the world's wealth was approximately 317 trillion U.S. dollars, which, if divided equally among 7.7 billion people, would give each person about $41,169.
To be in the global top 10% of wealth, you need a net worth of at least $93,170, while breaking into the top 1% requires at least $770,000.
The country with the most unequal distribution of wealth is South Africa, where the top 1% controls 70% of the nation's wealth.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 3 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. According to the video, what percentage of global wealth is controlled by the top 1% of the world's population?
2. Explain how the wealth distribution in South Africa differs from the global average, as highlighted in the video.
3. The video mentions that the combined wealth of the top eight billionaires exceeds that of the bottom 50% of the world's population. Discuss one potential global issue that this level of wealth concentration could exacerbate and explain why.
Educational Video
The Insane Scale of Global Wealth Inequality Visualized
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