“The distribution of wealth across the globe is anything but even. North America is home to just 4.9% of the world’s population — and 26.5% of its wealth. Meanwhile, South Asia is home to 23.7% of the global population but owns just 3.6% of global wealth. While gross domestic product provides an accurate picture of the size of a nation’s economy, gross national income, or GNI, is a more precise measure of citizens’ financial well-being, especially when considering GNI per capita. GNI includes GDP as well as the net income of the country’s residents obtained outside the country’s borders. In the United States, the annual GNI per capita of $53,245 is at least 21 times the GNI per capita in each of the world’s 25 poorest countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the poorest country in the world, GNI per capita is only $680 a year…”

• Click here to see the list and descriptions of the richest countries in the world.