There are 8 billion people on Earth, and most of the money is concentrated in the hands of just 2% of the total number of people. Have you ever wondered what would happen if all the wealth in the world was suddenly distributed equally among all men and women? For example, what if every person on Earth had a few million rubles? Many people might think that this could completely eradicate poverty in the world and make everyone happy. However, oddly enough, economists believe that nothing good will come of this. And they are absolutely right.
If you distribute money equally to all the people in the world, serious problems will arise. Image source: wallpaperscraft.ru
Contents
- 1 How Many Billionaires Are There in the World
- 2 The Richest People in the World
- 3 Why You Can't Make All People Rich
- 4 What Will Happen If All People Get Rich
How Many Billionaires Are There in the World
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, half of the world's wealth is owned by 2% of the Earth's population. This is an unprecedented level of concentration of money and resources in the hands of such a small number of people in human history.
In 2006, it was estimated that most of the world's wealth was concentrated in North America, Europe, and some countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Japan and Australia. North America, home to just 6% of the world's adult population, holds 34% of the world's wealth. The situation hasn't changed much since then.
The gap between the rich and poor in the world today is simply shocking. Image source: reddit.com
Even in the richest countries in the world, wealth inequality is very evident. In the United States, for example, the top 10% of citizens control 70% of the national finances. In France, this figure is slightly lower, but still impressive: 61% of the country's wealth belongs to the top 10% of the population. And this is only a small part of the global picture, where the bulk of the world's resources are in the hands of a small number of people.
The Richest People in the World
The list of the richest people in the world is updated every year. The faces in this rating do not change often – the leaders are usually the owners of fashion brands, large investors and famous owners of tech companies.
Forbes recently updated the global ranking of billionaires, and in 2024 it was again headed by Bernard Arnault, the head of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). His fortune has reached an impressive $233 billion, making him the richest person on the planet for the second year in a row. His wealth has increased by $22 billion over the past year, indicating that even amid global economic changes, his business is thriving.
Bernard Arnault. Image source: forbes.ru
Elon Musk remained in second place on the list, whose fortune has grown to $195 billion, despite the fall of Tesla shares and the purchase of Twitter (now X). Musk is still one of the key figures in the world of technology and space, actively developing SpaceX. Perhaps in the future, Elon Musk's fortune will increase, because right now he is leading the development of the giant spacecraft StarShip, which in the future will play a very big role in the field of space exploration.
Elon Musk. Image source: forbes.ru
Third place in the ranking was taken by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, with a fortune of $194 billion. Bezos, who had previously been the richest person in the world for four years in a row, lost his lead, but his fortune continues to grow.
Jeff Bezos. Image source: forbes.com
Everyone should know about this:How did Elon Musk and other billionaires become the richest in the world?
Why can't everyone be made rich
It is impossible to determine exactly how many rubles each person would receive if all the money in the world were distributed equally. The global economy is in a state of constant change, and the figures are constantly being adjusted.
Of course, the people who got easy money at first would be happy. Image source: freepik.com
For example, in 2006 it was assumed that each person would receive 20.5 thousand dollars. However, more modern calculations show that the amount would be about 31 thousand dollars, which is equivalent to approximately 2.3 million rubles.
Interesting study with unexpected result: Is it true that all people in the world want to become billionaires? What will happen if all people get rich?If all the money in the world were distributed equally, it would have serious consequences. At first glance, the idea seems attractive: everyone would receive a significant amount. However, the economy would definitely not be able to withstand such a sudden redistribution. The demand for goods and services would immediately increase, causing a sharp jump in prices. Money would depreciate, and as a result, no one would be able to use their share.
Distributing money would definitely provoke an economic crisis that would affect all areas of life. Governments would not be able to function due to an empty budget. Prices would rise so much that people would be able to buy much less with the total amount than they can now. This, in turn, would lead to political and social crises, making the world even less stable.
Giving money to everyone on Earth would devalue all currencies. Image source: tbsnews.net
Even if we assume that global structures can withstand such a blow, the result will be temporary. Having received money, people will probably quickly spend it on a cool car and a new iPhone, without thinking about the future. And those who were previously rich will begin to accumulate assets again and restore their wealth. Inequality will resurface because financial literacy and the ability to manage resources matter more than the amount of money itself.
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If you were interested in this topic, don't miss our article about the world's first millionaire. Find out how one man managed to make a fortune and what lessons can be learned from his story!