{"id":5860,"date":"2025-11-15T08:28:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T08:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5860"},"modified":"2025-11-29T12:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T12:49:05","slug":"growing-global-income-disparity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5860","title":{"rendered":"Growing Global Income Disparity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"5860\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 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-10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;56&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;3&nbsp;views today<\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-container-2 wp-block-gallery-1 wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"794\" data-id=\"5861\"  src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.32-1024x794.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.32-1024x794.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.32-300x233.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.32-768x595.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.32.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"602\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"5863\"  src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-2-602x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-2-602x1024.jpeg 602w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-2-176x300.jpeg 176w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-2.jpeg 752w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"894\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"5862\"  src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-894x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-894x1024.jpeg 894w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-262x300.jpeg 262w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33-768x880.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-15-at-13.47.33.jpeg 1063w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 894px) 100vw, 894px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-container-4 wp-block-gallery-3 wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/growing-global-income-disparity\/\n\">https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/growing-global-income-disparity\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/ummid.com\/opinions\/asad-mirza\/growing-global-income-disparity.html\n\">https:\/\/ummid.com\/opinions\/asad-mirza\/growing-global-income-disparity.html<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/muslimmirror.com\/growing-global-income-disparity\/\n\">https:\/\/muslimmirror.com\/growing-global-income-disparity\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/growing-income-disparity-worldwide-endangers-democracy-social-cohesion\/\n\">https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/growing-income-disparity-worldwide-endangers-democracy-social-cohesion\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/kashmirlife.net\/can-the-world-survive-its-growing-income-divide-412762\/\">https:\/\/kashmirlife.net\/can-the-world-survive-its-growing-income-divide-412762\/<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>An International Panel on Inequality has pointed out that the global income inequality has reached \u2018emergency levels\u2019, endangering democracy, and social cohesion. The report says that during the last 15 years the rich have grown more richer while the poor have become poorer.<br>Despite numerous welfare models being implemented across nations, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. In India, the inequality is even more pronounced. India\u2019s richest 1 per cent increased their wealth by 62 per cent between 2000 and 2023, according to a recent report commissioned by the G-20. This trend reflects global patterns of rising wealth concentration.<br>The study found that the richest 1 per cent of people in the world captured 41 per cent of all new wealth created between 2000 and 2024, while the bottom half of the global population received only 1 per cent. Increasing wealth inequality is a worldwide crisis that endangers democracy and social cohesion.<br>The study, led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, warns that global inequality has reached \u201cemergency levels\u201d, putting economic stability and climate progress at risk. Inequality erodes trust in institutions, fuels political polarisation, reduces participation among poorer citizens and fellow residents, and creates social tensions of different kinds.<br>The report was prepared by the G-20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality, including economists Jayati Ghosh, Winnie Byanyima, and Imraan Valodia. Around 2.3 billion people now face food insecurity, up by 335 million since 2019, and half the world\u2019s population still lacks access to basic health services, with 1.3 billion people pushed into poverty by medical expenses. One in four people worldwide now regularly skip meals, while wealth has reached the highest level in history.<br>However, the experts opine that the problem of inequality can be tackled through international cooperation. The expert panel\u2019s recommendation for the creation of a new body, the International Panel on Inequality (IPI), deserves serious consideration. Working on the lines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the proposed body would track inequality trends worldwide and give governments clear, reliable data to guide policies. This is very crucial because the report warns that the countries with high inequality are seven times more likely to face democratic decline than those with fairer wealth distribution.<br>Over the past 40 years, the average income of individuals in the bottom 50 per cent of the world\u2019s population has increased by USD 358, while the top 1 per cent recorded an increase of USD 1,91,000, at a constant 2024-dollar rate, the report said. The findings should prompt policymakers to find ways and means to bridge the ever-increasing gap.<br>The rich are steadily getting richer in the world\u2019s fourth-largest economy, but the poor are getting poorer. Earlier this year, the World Bank reported that India had managed to lift 17 crore people from extreme poverty between 2011-12 and 2022-23. The Centre patted itself on the back for a job well done, even as the methodology for reporting poverty estimates came under scrutiny.<br>Efforts to reduce poverty should make a qualitative difference on the ground. While economists are generally not keen on the imposition of a wealth tax, the government must ensure that the super-rich contribute their fair share to the exchequer.<br>In India, the study further reveals, the richest have added to their wealth by 62% between 2000 and 2023, as compared to China, where it is 54%. The Indian story needs a closer look. India\u2019s rapid growth from the tenth-largest economy in 2014 to the fourth-largest today, ring hollow, as they seem to ignore the plight of the bottom 50% who are fighting for survival.<br>Even if we ignore the bottom section, or lower class, of society, which is surviving mostly on welfare schemes and has negligible political representation, India\u2019s middle class, considered the growth engine of the Indian economy, is also finding it extremely difficult to sustain its middleclass ethos, as the middle-class status demands a certain level of consumption that is in tune with the current times, which the middle class seems to be struggling to cope with in the face of rising inflation and reducing income.<br>The report also demonstrates that high inequality is fuelling pandemics and increasing vulnerability. The past few years have seen the African continent facing simultaneous pandemics \u2013 with Covid-19 and the continuing Aids pandemic overlapping with mpox, Ebola and the spread of tuberculosis, among others. Just last week, Namibia declared a new mpox outbreak.<br>Moreover, progress on addressing social inequalities relating to gender, sexuality and race has stalled. As the report notes, we can act on those inequalities. Indeed, South Africa has put equality as one of the pillars of its presidency of the G-20.<br>The inequality-pandemic cycle goes like this: Inequality makes communities and countries more vulnerable to disease outbreaks becoming pandemics. Inequality also undermines effective response, which prolongs pandemics and makes them deadlier and more economically disruptive. Inequality between countries globalises this vulnerability, increasing the risk of future pandemics through unequal access to international finance and to the latest science. And then, when pandemics hit, they increase inequality between people and between countries, furthering the cycle.<br>It\u2019s not just that low-income populations are more vulnerable during pandemics, but also that inequality undermines pandemic responses. Eight of the world\u2019s 20 most unequal countries are in Africa, where so many pandemics are colliding. The report shows that the bigger the gap between the rich and poor in a country, even considering levels of poverty, the higher the levels of HIV infections, Aids deaths and Covid-19 death rates have been. It\u2019s harder to coordinate effective responses in highly unequal societies where instead of being \u201cin it together\u201d the elite and wealthy act to exit and pass their pandemic risk off to others.<br>The biggest impact of economic inequality in India, and the world, has been on society. As education and healthcare are almost inaccessible to the poor, their participation in nation building becomes negligible, and they are reduced to being mere vote banks for politicians. Furthermore, it is a threat to the democratic process in the country.<br>For any country to grow and sustain itself internationally today, a certain level of social and political awareness among its people is required, which can only come with prosperity. In a country where half the population is forever struggling to make both ends meet, such attempts are met with indifference, leading to political polarisation and disintegration of society. As is seen during elections where, instead of voting based on the work done, people vote for a particular caste or religion.<br>It needs a strong and united political will to counter the weight of the growing inequality if India has to claim its place on the world platform. Otherwise, this rising gap between the haves and the have-nots will undermine whatever has been achieved thus far\u2014economically as well as socially.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"pvc_stats all \" data-element-id=\"5860\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> &nbsp;56&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;3&nbsp;views today<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;56&nbsp;total views, &nbsp;3&nbsp;views today https:\/\/www.dailyexcelsior.com\/growing-global-income-disparity\/ https:\/\/ummid.com\/opinions\/asad-mirza\/growing-global-income-disparity.html https:\/\/muslimmirror.com\/growing-global-income-disparity\/ https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/growing-income-disparity-worldwide-endangers-democracy-social-cohesion\/ https:\/\/kashmirlife.net\/can-the-world-survive-its-growing-income-divide-412762\/ An International Panel on Inequality has pointed out that the global income inequality has reached \u2018emergency levels\u2019, endangering democracy, and social cohesion. The report says that during the last 15 years the rich have grown more richer while the poor have become poorer.Despite numerous welfare models [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[83,186],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5860"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5913,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5860\/revisions\/5913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}