The richest people on the planet are far more likely to be in power politically than everyone else, Oxfam’s annual inequality report found.
Some 74 of the world’s 2,027 billionaires held either executive or legislative government positions in 2023, giving them a 3.6% chance of holding office, according to Oxfam’s study, which was released Sunday. By contrast, the average global citizen had just a 0.0009% chance of holding office.
“This year’s report really shines a light on the relationship between political inequality and economic inequality,” said Rebecca Riddell, senior policy lead for economic justice at Oxfam America. “The fact that billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold office than you or I underscores just how much outsized power billionaires have.”
Power hungry people are more likely to apply for positions of power. People become politicians because they want to assert power over other people. You don’t become a politician if you don’t want change.
People with money are greedy by definition and will do their damnedest to keep it.