I have my own rough TOP 20 worldwide ranking based on median wealth per adult (typical real assets of ordinary people – the closest measure to “how wealthy people really are”). The data varies depending on methodology (UBS / Global Wealth Report), but over the long term it generally looks like this:
1. Switzerland
2. United States of America
3. Hong Kong
4. Australia
5. Luxembourg
6. Denmark
7. New Zealand
8. Singapore
9. Netherlands
10. Norway
11. Belgium
12. United Kingdom
13. Canada
14. France
15. Sweden
16. Taiwan
17. Ireland
18. Japan
19. Spain
20. Germany
What is important:
* This is not about “how much the state earns,” but how much wealth an average person actually has (real estate, savings, investments minus debts).
* That is why some countries with high GDP (for example Qatar or Ireland) are not ranked highly here – their numbers are distorted by corporations or inequality. Czechia is not there either, because Czechs are generally not as wealthy as people in those top twenty countries.
If we are talking about average income, wages, or nominal wealth, then for example Czechia is poorer than the residents of the United Kingdom or France.
The HelloSafe Prosperity Index works with data where:
* low unemployment does not rule out low wages, underemployment, or real poverty
* low relative poverty does not mean comfort
* high home ownership among the older generation does not mean affordable housing (for younger people, for example)
* PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) may suggest “good purchasing power,” but for example rent and high energy prices can completely change that paper reality
If you look at the real feeling of living standards, some countries definitely do not feel like TOP 20 richest countries in the world.
For example, the mentioned index suggests that the gap between the extremely rich and the extremely poor is not as huge in some parts of Europe as it is in the USA. Fewer extremes mean a smaller gap between social classes, while greater equality does not automatically mean a good standard of living or determine what someone with an average income can actually afford.
When it comes to living costs and wages, I calculated how much I would have left on average each month from the salary in a social services (with my practice) in the Netherlands after covering my usual, basic expenses (this is food, pharmacy, cosmetics, electricity, insurance, clothing) or maintaining a my usual “minimalistic” lifestyle. The amount would be probably €1,700 to €2300 per month, depending also on spending on things such as clothing. The upper limit of possible savings is approaching the salary of a management of a smaller social service facility in Czechia, such as a care home with around 50 clients.