Richest 85 as wealthy as poorest 3.5bn people

Improvements in lifespans, education, and incomes are slowing due to natural disasters, misguided government policies, and worsening inequality in a world where the 85 richest people have as much wealth as the 3.5bn poorest, the UN said in its annual human development report.

With nearly a third of humanity poor or vulnerable to poverty, governments need to put a higher priority on creating jobs and providing basic social services, the UN Development Programme said in the report, launched in Tokyo.

It warned that improvements in longevity, education, and income, which are the three main components of the programme’s influential index of human development, are slowing due to worsening inequality and economic disruptions, to droughts and other natural disasters and to poor government policies.