Billionaire Wealth Surges by $2 Trillion in 2024: Oxfam Calls for Urgent Action on Inequality.
Billionaire wealth experienced an extraordinary surge in 2024, growing by $2 trillion—equivalent to $5.7 billion daily—tripling the growth rate compared to the previous year. This unprecedented accumulation of wealth is not just a financial anomaly but a reflection of a deepening economic divide. As poverty levels have stagnated since 1990, Oxfam warns that this growing disparity threatens to entrench a new global aristocracy.
Billionaire Boom: A Year of Record Wealth
In 2024, the global billionaire population swelled to 2,769, an increase from 2,565 in 2023. Their collective wealth skyrocketed from $13 trillion to $15 trillion within just 12 months. This marks the second-largest annual increase since records began. Oxfam highlights that the world’s ten richest individuals collectively increased their wealth by nearly $100 million per day, enough to remain billionaires even if they lost 99% of their fortunes.
With billionaire wealth accelerating at this pace, Oxfam now predicts that at least five trillionaires could emerge within the next decade. This rapid wealth concentration underscores the monopolistic power billionaires wield across industries and in shaping public policy.
“Takers Not Makers”: A System of Unmerited Wealth
Oxfam’s latest report, “Takers Not Makers,” released during the World Economic Forum in Davos, criticizes the origins of billionaire wealth. The report reveals that 60% of billionaire fortunes stem from inheritance, monopolistic practices, or cronyism. Oxfam Executive Director Amitabh Behar argues that “extreme billionaire wealth is largely unmerited,” likening the current state to a modern-day oligarchy.
The Global North’s Financial Extraction
In 2023, the richest 1% in the Global North extracted $30 million an hour from the Global South through the financial system. Despite accounting for only 21% of the global population, Global North countries hold 69% of global wealth, 77% of billionaire wealth, and host 68% of the world’s billionaires. Oxfam identifies this as a form of contemporary colonialism, perpetuating a legacy of exploitation and inequality.
Inequality and Its Human Costs
Economic disparity extends beyond wealth statistics. The average life expectancy in African nations is still more than 15 years shorter than in Europe, and wages in the Global South are up to 95% lower than in the Global North for equivalent work. Women and migrant workers are disproportionately affected, often relegated to the most vulnerable and lowest-paying jobs.
Oxfam’s Call to Action
To address these inequalities, Oxfam urges governments to:
- Radically Reduce Inequality: Implement policies ensuring that the incomes of the top 10% do not exceed the bottom 40%. Tackling inequality could end poverty three times faster, according to the World Bank.
- Tax the Richest: Introduce a global UN tax convention to ensure fair taxation of the wealthy. Abolish tax havens and implement inheritance taxes to prevent the perpetuation of a new aristocracy.
- End Wealth Extraction from the Global South: Cancel debts, dismantle monopolies, and ensure fair wages. Reform international institutions like the World Bank and IMF to provide fair representation for Global South countries. Additionally, former colonial powers should offer reparations and formal apologies for historical injustices.
Conclusion
The surge in billionaire wealth juxtaposed with stagnant poverty levels paints a stark picture of global inequality. Oxfam’s call to action serves as a reminder that addressing this divide is not only an economic imperative but a moral one. As the world watches these disparities widen, the time for decisive policy interventions is now.