As of the end of 2016, eight people held as much wealth as
the 3.6 billion people who make up the world’s poorest half. Just a year
earlier, a similar study had “found that the world’s richest 62 people had as
much wealth as the bottom half of the population.”[1]
Part of the difference in these findings is due to new data gathered by Credit
Suisse. Put another way, the richest of the rich were richer than had been
thought. In this essay, I want to call attention to the sheer magnitude of the
wealth involved, as it pertains to the richest.
The full essay is at "Wealth of 8 People and 3.6 Billion People."
[1] Gerry
Mullany, “World’s
8 Richest Have as Much Wealth as Bottom Half of Global Population,” The New York Times, January 16, 2017.