Wealth and Poverty

The wealth of millionaires grew by 6% in 2000 compared to 18% in 1999 and an overall increase of 375% since 1986.

The number of millionaires grew by 2.9% last year to 7.2 million and their total wealth grew from $25.5 in 1999 to $27 trillion in 2000.

The number of individuals worth more than $30 million rose 3% last year to 57,000 and their wealth grew by 6% to $8.37 trillion.

Growth in wealth for these groups is expected to average 8% annually for the next 5 years.

Meanwhile:

The % of people living on less than a dollar per day has decreased from 28.3 in 1987 to 24 in 1998 but the actual numbers have increased from 1,183,200,000 in 1987 to 1,198,900,000 in 1998.

Source - Poverty Stats: Implementation of the First UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) Report of the Secretary General September 21 2000.
Source - Wealth Stats: Yahoo Headlines Elif Kaban, European Private Banking Correspondent

Cited at http://www.comminit.com/

Liberia has called on the United Nations to investigate ongoing attacks on its soil by Guinea-based insurgents and said it has a right to defend itself, despite a UN arms embargo. In a 10 May letter to the UN Secretary-General, Foreign Minister Monie Captan said the embargo had impaired Liberia's ability to defend itself. He said Guinea was "openly, blatantly and with impunity" allowing Liberian dissidents to invade the northern county of Lofa in an effort to unseat the government of President Charles Taylor.

The combined effects of the continuing livestock ban and high inflation are leading to a growing "north-south economic divide" in Somalia, said a joint report by the USAID Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET) and the European Union funded FAO/Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU). The north and central parts of the country continue to suffer the impact of lost livestock exports to the Gulf states, whereas the ban has had a "negligible impact" in the south, FSAU said in its April monthly food security report.