Belgium is the sixth richest country in the world
Belgium is the sixth richest country in the world: this has been confirmed in the recent edition of the Allianz Global Wealth Report 2016. The same report also demonstrates an increase in the global financial average this year. The global net fortune has grown by 7.6% to a total of 128.5 billion euros. However, this does not alter the fact that these resources remains unevenly spread: the world's richest people 10% possesses 79% of all the wealth.
The annual report ranks global financial resources, by taking the total financial assets and deducting the debts. For the first time, the Americans have overtaken the Swiss, putting the United States in first place and Switzerland in second.
The United States are in first position with net financial resources of 177,210 euros per capita, followed by Switzerland with 175,720 and Japan with 96,890. Belgium is thus in sixth place with net financial resources of 92,080 euros per capita. In 2000 Belgium even ended fourth.
Wealth, but neither health nor equality
Even so, Belgium is performing less well in other areas. Recent research by Clinic Compare, a British comparison site revealed that Belgium is in the world's top 20 of the most unhealthy countries. The organisation created a ranking based on the lifestyle of 179 countries, according to the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and the percentage of the population struggling with obesity. They did this with data from the World Health Organisation, CIA World Factbook and the World Lung Association. The top 10 were mainly Eastern European countries. One surprise, however, is Luxembourg that appears in ninth place, followed by the United States at number ten. Belgium ended in fourteenth place, given the high percentages of alcohol and tobacco consumption (both seventh in the world).
Belgium also scores badly when it comes to children's equality. Unicef published a report in 2016 about the inequality between children in 41 industrialised countries. This confirms that Belgium is among the bottom of the class: ending in 29th place and with an inequality that appears to have grown compared to previous years, both in terms of income and educational inequality, health and life satisfaction.