Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually the 20% poorest in the US has it better than the average EU middle class. Ref: https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/articles/the-poorest-20...
This doesn't seem to account for debt, does anyone have stats on debt in Europe?
US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
21–30 of 248 posts
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#22How does this reconcile with the data listed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_wealth_pe... ? That shows $530,244 for Switzerland and $403,974 for US. Difference in sampling or does the wiki one not reflect net wealth?
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually the 20% poorest in the US has it better than the average EU middle class. Ref: https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/articles/the-poorest-20...
I like how they calculated consumption, rather than income or net wealth. That's a more honest way of comparing poverty in different countries.
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#24Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#25Are they including the billionaires in their statistics, and dividing the total sum by the population!?
As much as I hate the anti-US tone on HN, this article is kind of crap. Fact is, getting good wealth data is really hard. Income is much easier as the govt collects that data.
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#26I suspect using the median net assets instead of the average would lead to vastly different results.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_c...
P.S: Be wary of comparisons of household anything, especially over time. Household size has changed dramatically over the recent decades.
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
I like how they calculated consumption, rather than income or net wealth. That's a more honest way of comparing poverty in different countries.
Is consumption defined as spending, though? If an apple costs $1 in the US but 25 cents in Europe, and a poor person in each place is provided a free apple by the government, did the poor person in the US have 4 times the consumption?
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually the 20% poorest in the US has it better than the average EU middle class. Ref: https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/articles/the-poorest-20...
I like how they calculated consumption, rather than income or net wealth. That's a more honest way of comparing poverty in different countries.
For example, you can have a high standard of living without owning a car (and all the 'consumption' that goes along with that), in cities that have good public transport, and a good infrastructure/environment for walking and cycling. In much of the US, that's difficult or impossible.
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#29I suspect using the median net assets instead of the average would lead to vastly different results.
Actually the 20% poorest in the US has it better than the average EU middle class. Ref: https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/articles/the-poorest-20...
Re: US takes 'richest nation on earth' crown from Switzerland
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually the 20% poorest in the US has it better than the average EU middle class. Ref: https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/articles/the-poorest-20...
And you still have plenty of homesless and destitute. Pretty sad that you can't look after the most vunerable.