The gap between rich and poor has existed throughout history, but today it has reached staggering proportions. In January 2026, Oxfam released its annual inequality report, finding that the world's roughly 3,000 billionaires held a combined fortune of $18.3 trillion in 2025 — a record. Billionaire wealth grew by about 16 percent in a single year, three times faster than the average of the previous five years.
Since 2020, billionaire wealth has increased by more than 80 percent. Oxfam found that the world's 12 richest individuals now own more wealth than the poorest half of humanity — more than 4 billion people. At the same time, nearly half of the world's population continues to live in poverty, and the report warned that extreme wealth is increasingly being used to buy political influence.
Global Inequality (Oxfam, 2026):
- Billionaire wealth: A record $18.3 trillion in 2025.
- One-year growth: About 16% — three times faster than the previous five-year average.
- Since 2020: Billionaire wealth up by more than 80%.
- Extreme gap: The 12 richest people own more than the poorest 4 billion combined.
- Poverty: Nearly half of humanity still lives in poverty.
Why the Gap Keeps Growing
Economists debate the causes — tax policies, globalization, technology, and the growing influence of wealth on politics. Governments have promised to tax the rich more fairly and close loopholes, but progress has been slow, often blocked by the very interests that benefit most. Even when reforms are passed, wealth tends to find new ways to concentrate.
— 1 Timothy 6:10
The Bible identifies the love of money as a source of great harm. When greed shapes economic systems, the result is a world where a few have more than they could ever use while billions struggle to survive.
A King Who Defends the Poor
The Bible describes the ruler of God's Kingdom as someone who will not favor the wealthy and powerful, but will act on behalf of the poor.
— Psalm 72:4
His government will not be influenced by campaign donations or lobbyists. It will judge with perfect fairness and ensure that the earth's resources benefit everyone.
Enough for Everyone
The Bible's picture of the future is not one of equal poverty, but of shared abundance. Every family will have its own home, its own land, and the fruit of its own labour.
— Psalm 145:16
Campaigners for fairness are right to highlight the injustice of extreme inequality. But decades of reports show that human systems keep producing the same result. The Bible promises a government under which no one will hoard and no one will lack — a world where everyone will enjoy the good things of life.