In this article, we will take a look at 40 richest people in the world who came from poor families. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can directly check out . The richest people who were born poor had to go through troubles of different nature, some had to migrate from their homeland due to wars or economic uncertainties, while others came from poor rural areas.
Global wealth inequality has significantly increased over the past few years. According to the 2024 World Inequality Report by Oxfam, almost five billion people globally have become poorer since 2020, while the richest five men in the world have doubled their fortunes during the same period. Global poverty will potentially increase considering the hike in ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
It could take up to 230 years to end poverty, but we could have our first trillionaire in 10 years, as per the Oxfam report. The world’s billionaires have increased their wealth by more than $3 trillion in the last three years, while poor people around the world live in dire poverty, without access to clean water, adequate healthcare, decent housing, or education for their kids. In the US, over 60% of workers live paycheck to paycheck despite notable improvements in employee productivity and technology.
The real weekly wages for the average US worker are lower today than they were 50 years ago. Poverty is not just an American issue, almost five billion people globally have become poorer since 202.
