With Great Wealth Comes Great Responsibility? by Ben McLardy

The average person in the 1%* could afford 1,524,709 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. The average person in the 99% could afford 19,866 doses (1,504,843 fewer).

To visualise this, each syringe in the image represents 100 doses of the vaccine. The small circle represents what the average person in the 99% could afford, the large circle a person in the 1%.

How many people in the 1% have used their disproportionate wealth to help the 99% through the pandemic?

*If you have assets (property, savings, pensions, etc.) worth more than $1,000,000 (∼£760,000), you’re in the 1%.

// Data Sources

The average wealth of the 1% ($3,339,114) and the other 99% combined ($43,507) is calculated from the “Wealth inequalities” data in the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2020. Attribution: Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report 2020 (https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us/en/reports-research/global-wealth-report.html).

The $2.19 price per dose of Covid-19 vaccine is taken from the cheapest price reported (AstraZeneca for the European Commission) in the “Price” tab of the UNICEF Supply Division COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard. Attribution: UNICEF Supply Division COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard (https://www.unicef.org/supply/covid-19-vaccine-market-dashboard).

// License

This image is available for use under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Attribution: Original image by Ben McLardy at We Do Prints (www.wedoprints.com)