If the World’s Population were 100 people

57 would be Asians
14 would be North and South Americans
8 would be Africans
51 would be female and 49 male
55 would be non-Christian
70 would be nonwhite
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
75 would never have made a phone call
Less than 1 would be on the Internet
1 would have a college education
6 would own half the world’s wealth, and all 6 would be U.S. citizens

The organization Bread for the World tells us:

$2.3 billion: Amount Americans spend on lottery tickets in an average month
$17 billion: Amount spent in the U.S. and Europe on pet food each year.
$13 billion: Increased annual cost needed to provide basic health care and nutrition for all people in developing countries

Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, provides the following figures:

$11 billion: Amount Europeans spend each year on ice cream — $2 billion more than the estimated cost of providing clean water and safe sewers for the world’s population
$8 billion: Amount Americans spend each year on cosmetics — $2 billion more than it would cost to provide basic education for everyone in the world

Leave a comment