Last year saw the biggest increase in the number of billionaires in history, with one more added every two days, according to a new Oxfam report. This grotesque wealth comes at a price.
“All over the world, our economy of the 1 percent is built on the backs of low paid workers, often women, who are paid poverty wages and denied basic rights,” the report reads.
As political, business and civil society leaders congregate in the Swiss town of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), we’ve selected some key stats from Oxfam’s report to help you get to grips with this billionaire bonanza and what it means for workers around the world.
1. Rich Men Get Richer
![Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos (L-R), the three richest people in the U.S.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5a6540db1c00002600cce88e.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Jim Tanner / Reuters