China’s targeted anti-poverty campaigns lifted almost a billion citizens out of extreme poverty within three decades. By 2019, no one lived on less than $3 per day.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has witnessed an increase in extreme poverty. Over 4 million Americans now live in severe deprivation.
Despite being one of the world’s richest nations, the U.S. concentrates wealth among the top earners. Productivity gains fail to reach the broader population.
The poorest Americans capture a shrinking portion of the national income, falling behind even low-income countries in some metrics.
Cuts to social support programs and the imposition of tariffs that raise prices further strain the poorest households. America’s inequality reflects policy preferences, not economic constraints.