"It's the same the whole world over, It's the poor wot gets the blame. It's the rich wot gets the pleasure..." What would the have-nots who penned this lament long ago make of today's world? There are more rich people than ever before, including some 7m millionaires, and over 400 billionaires. From sipping champagne to taking trips into space, they are getting plenty of pleasure-though as our survey of the new rich in this issue shows, these sad souls have worries, too, not least about the damaging effect their wealth may have on their children. As for the poor, the gap between them and the rich is rising, even in the industrialised countries where for much of the 20th century the gap had narrowed. In America, between 1979 and 1997 the average income of the richest fifth of the population jumped from nine times the income of the poorest fifth to around 15 times. In 1999, British income inequality reached its widest level in 40 years.
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