The gap between the incomes of company executives and ordinary workers is reaching catastrophic proportions, reports the publication "Law and Business", citing an international study that covered 2,000 companies in 35 countries.
Since 2019, CEO salaries have increased by 50% in real terms, while the incomes of ordinary workers have increased by only 0.9%. In other words, top managers have become richer 56 times faster than their subordinates.
Europe shows particularly striking inequality. For example, in 2024, the average CEO income in Ireland reached $6.7 million per year, in Germany — $4.7 million. In developing countries, the gap, although smaller, is also significant: in India — $2 million, in South Africa — $1.6 million.
“This is not a random anomaly. The system works precisely to concentrate enrichment at the top, leaving most people struggling for basic needs — housing, food, access to medicine,” said Oxfam International Amitabh Behar.
Gender inequality also remains a pressing issue. Of the more than 45,000 companies where executives earn more than $10 million a year and whose gender is known, only 7% are led by women.
The wealthiest people in global business alone increased their wealth by $206 billion in 2024, or an average of $23,500 per hour. Against this backdrop, even the expected 2.7% increase in real wages in 2024, according to the ILO, does not look significant. In many countries, incomes are actually stagnating — for example, in France, Spain, and South Africa, growth did not exceed 0.6%.
As Oxfam emphasizes, global inequality remains shocking, especially in low-income countries, where the richest 10% earn 3.4 times more than the poorest 40% of citizens.
Against this background, efforts are underway in Ukraine to support vulnerable categories of the population. In particular, combatants are entitled to early retirement. However, these targeted initiatives do not change the general background - in the world, the gap between the "top" and the "bottom" continues to grow.
