Amaze Your Friends

Amaze Your Friends
Fun facts about world inequality

The most recent United Nations report on human development says:

THE HAVES. The richest fifth of the world's people consumes 86 percent of all goods and services while the poorest fifth consumes just 1.3 percent. Indeed, the richest fifth consumes 45 percent of all meat and fish, 58 percent of all energy used and 84 percent of all paper, has 74 percent of all telephone lines and owns 87 percent of all vehicles.
THE ULTRA RICH. The three richest people in the world have assets that exceed the combined gross domestic product of the 48 least developed countries.
NATURAL RESOURCES. Since 1970, the world's forests have declined from 4.4 square miles per 1,000 people to 2.8 square miles per 1,000 people. In addition, a quarter of the world's fish stocks have been depleted or are in danger of being depleted and another 44 percent are being fished at their biological limit.
AFRICA. The average African household today consumes 20 percent less than it did 25 years ago.
THE SUPER RICH. The world's 225 richest individuals, of whom 60 are Americans with total assets of $311 billion, have a combined wealth of over $1 trillion -- equal to the annual income of the poorest 47 percent of the entire world's population.
COSMETICS AND EDUCATION. Americans spend $8 billion a year on cosmetics -- $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide basic education for everyone in the world.
THE HAVE NOTS. Of the 4.4 billion people in developing countries, nearly three-fifths lack access to safe sewers, a third have no access to clean water, a quarter do not have adequate housing and a fifth have no access to modern health services of any kind.
MEAT. Americans each consume an average of 260 pounds of meat a year. In Bangladesh, the average is six and a half pounds.
THE FUTURE. By 2050, 8 billion of the world's projected 9.5 billion people The most recent United Nations report on human development says:
THE HAVES. The richest fifth of the world's people consumes 86 percent of all goods and services while the poorest fifth consumes just 1.3 percent. Indeed, the richest fifth consumes 45 percent of all meat and fish, 58 percent of all energy used and 84 percent of all paper, has 74 percent of all telephone lines and owns 87 percent of all vehicles.
THE ULTRA RICH. The three richest people in the world have assets that exceed the combined gross domestic product of the 48 least developed countries.
NATURAL RESOURCES. Since 1970, the world's forests have declined from 4.4 square miles per 1,000 people to 2.8 square miles per 1,000 people. In addition, a quarter of the world's fish stocks have been depleted or are in danger of being depleted and another 44 percent are being fished at their biological limit.
AFRICA. The average African household today consumes 20 percent less than it did 25 years ago.
THE SUPER RICH. The world's 225 richest individuals, of whom 60 are Americans with total assets of $311 billion, have a combined wealth of over $1 trillion -- equal to the annual income of the poorest 47 percent of the entire world's population.
COSMETICS AND EDUCATION. Americans spend $8 billion a year on cosmetics -- $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide basic education for everyone in the world.
THE HAVE NOTS. Of the 4.4 billion people in developing countries, nearly three-fifths lack access to safe sewers, a third have no access to clean water, a quarter do not have adequate housing and a fifth have no access to modern health services of any kind.
MEAT. Americans each consume an average of 260 pounds of meat a year. In Bangladesh, the average is six and a half pounds.
THE FUTURE. By 2050, 8 billion of the world's projected 9.5 billion people -- up from about 6 billion today -- will be living in developing countries.
SMOKE. Of the estimated 2.7 million annual deaths from air pollution, 2.2 million are from indoor pollution -- including smoke from dung and wood burned as fuel, which is more harmful than tobacco smoke. Eighty percent of the victims are rural poor in developing countries.
TELEPHONE LINES. Sweden and the United States have 681 and 626 telephone lines per 1,000 people, respectively. Afghanistan, Cambodia, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have only one line per 1,000 people.
ICE CREAM AND WATER. Europeans spend $11 billion a year on ice cream -- $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide clean water and safe sewers for the world's population.
AIDS. At the end of last year, nearly 31 million people were living with HIV, up from 22.3 million the year before. With 16,000 new infections a day in developing countries it is now estimated that 40 million people will be living with HIV in 2000.
LAND MINES. More than 110 million active land mines are scattered in 68 countries, with an equal number stockpiled around the world. Every month more than 2,000 people are killed or maimed by mine explosions.
PET FOOD AND HEALTH. Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion a year on pet food -- $4 billion more than the estimated annual additional total needed to provide basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world.
$40 BILLION A YEAR. The estimated additional cost of maintaining universal access to basic education, basic health care, reproductive health care, adequate food and clean water and safe sewers for all is roughly $40 billion a year -- or less than 4 percent of the combined wealth of the 225 richest people in the world. up from about 6 billion today -- will be living in developing countries.
SMOKE. Of the estimated 2.7 million annual deaths from air pollution, 2.2 million are from indoor pollution -- including smoke from dung and wood burned as fuel, which is more harmful than tobacco smoke. Eighty percent of the victims are rural poor in developing countries.
TELEPHONE LINES. Sweden and the United States have 681 and 626 telephone lines per 1,000 people, respectively. Afghanistan, Cambodia, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have only one line per 1,000 people.
ICE CREAM AND WATER. Europeans spend $11 billion a year on ice cream -- $2 billion more than the estimated annual total needed to provide clean water and safe sewers for the world's population.
AIDS. At the end of last year, nearly 31 million people were living with HIV, up from 22.3 million the year before. With 16,000 new infections a day in developing countries it is now estimated that 40 million people will be living with HIV in 2000.
LAND MINES. More than 110 million active land mines are scattered in 68 countries, with an equal number stockpiled around the world. Every month more than 2,000 people are killed or maimed by mine explosions.
PET FOOD AND HEALTH. Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion a year on pet food -- $4 billion more than the estimated annual additional total needed to provide basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world.
$40 BILLION A YEAR. The estimated additional cost of maintaining universal access to basic education, basic health care, reproductive health care, adequate food and clean water and safe sewers for all is roughly $40 billion a year -- or less than 4 percent of the combined wealth of the 225 richest people in the world.