Americans TWICE as Poor as Europeans - Oxford Study EXPOSES 35-Year Decline, Gap WIDENING

Olivier Sterck measures poverty as time needed to earn $1, capturing real lived economic pressure

🇺🇸 US reality: Americans now need 63 minutes to earn one dollar—nearly double European peers

🇩🇪🇫🇷🇬🇧 Europe comparison: Germany (26 min), France (31 min), UK (34 min) show far lower “time poverty”

📈 Trend reversal: Since 1990, US poverty worsened by 47%, while Europe improved across the board

⚖️ Inequality engine: Income dispersion in the US exceeds 4:1 vs ~1.5:1 in Europe—growth concentrated at the top

💸 Growth paradox: Similar income growth (~1% annually) produced opposite outcomes due to distribution

🌍 Policy signal: The World Bank now tracks this as the “Prosperity Gap,” shifting how poverty is globally understood

Goldbug