It’s an interesting thing to consider a year after the Occupy movement and phrases like “#WEARETHE99%” hit their peak. Something that’s always important to remember is that despite how bad circumstances may seem, there are lots of people who are much worse off. It’s important to be grateful.
So what does it all mean? Well while you may hear constant reports of the middle class in America shrinking, the global middle class is much worse off. The global middle class can’t afford homes, cars, retirement, or college. Most people in the world’s middle class live on the equivalent of $1,225 a year.
That number can easily be quadrupled by working part time at a Starbucks in the US. While you might first say that living in the US is much more expensive than some other places, that number above also factors in the cost of living and is adjusted to account for the differences. So the poorest 5% of Americans are better off than two thirds of the entire world.