Ahead of the World Economic Forum to take place in Davos this week, NGO Oxfam has released its annual report on global inequality.
Some of the striking stats revealed are:
- The world's richest 1% have over double the wealth as 6.9 billion people in the planet
- The number of those who made it to the billionaires' list has doubled within the past 10 years
- 2,153 people own more wealth than 60% of the world's population
But what stands out in this year's report as a message is the link between gender and economic inequality.
Urging world leaders to invest more in care and other public services, in order to remove disproportionate burdens for women, Oxfam GB’s chief executive, Danny Sriskandarajah, said:
“When 22 men have more wealth than all the women in Africa combined, it’s clear that our economy is just plain sexist.”
According to the report, unpaid care work undertaken by the world's women and girls over 15 years old amounts to an estimated $10.8 trillion, more thank three times the contribution of the tech industry to the global economy.
The 63-page report warns that economic inequality will be exacerbated in the coming years due to ageing populations, public spending cuts and the climate crisis, and calls for governments to ensure fair taxation for the richer.
