'Poverty' will almost always get worse as a country gets richer, because of the way poverty is defined, or more specifically the 'poverty line'. The main poverty line used in the European Union is a relative poverty measure based on "economic distance", a level of income set at 50% of the median household income. That median is stretched by the top, say, 10% who are very well off, so even if the people below this line actually have more money, they are still "poorer". [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measuring_poverty[/ame]
I'm sure the BBC had a little toy on their site you could play with to see how it worked. I couldn't find it though.
'Poverty' will almost always get worse as a country gets richer, because of the way poverty is defined, or more specifically the 'poverty line'. The main poverty line used in the European Union is a relative poverty measure based on "economic distance", a level of income set at 50% of the median household income. That median is stretched by the top, say, 10% who are very well off, so even if the people below this line actually have more money, they are still "poorer". [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measuring_poverty[/ame]
I'm sure the BBC had a little toy on their site you could play with to see how it worked. I couldn't find it though.
Anyway it is weird.