IAN BREMMER
February 10, 2014
The right statistic is often worth a thousand words—and sometimes much more than that. These five weekly data points, put together by Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the risk consultancy Eurasia Group, provide a glimpse into global trends, political dangers and international power dynamics. Some are counterintuitive facts. Others are small stats that tell a big story. This week, Ian looks at figures from the enormity of Samsung to the flight of Chinese millionaires—and what they mean for everybody else.
The cost of Russian corruption
While Americans complain about the “one percent,” everyday Russians complain about the 0.00007 percent—the 110 oligarchs who own 35 percent of the country’s total wealth. Save a few small billionaire-boarding Caribbean nations, Russia has the highest level of wealth inequality in the world, according to Credit Suisse. And the country’s rampant corruption (note Sochi’s $50 billion-plus price tag) certainly doesn’t bode well for a change in the ranking.
Russian Poverty and Inequality vs. OECD Average
© OECD
(The Economist, Credit Suisse via Daily Mail)
The Chinese millionaire migration
Amid a government crackdown on corruption, 64 percent of all wealthy Chinese (those worth $1.6 million or more) have either left China or plan to emigrate—and countries around the world are waiting with open arms. In Australia’s new visa program aimed at the “significant investor,” Chinese nationals account for over 90 percent of applications. In the United States, the number of Chinese receiving “investor” green cards rose eightfold between 2010 and 2012.
Countries With Lowest Net Migration, 2012
(NBC News; Global Post; World Bank)
Momentum for women in Iran
In 1975, barely a third of Iranian women could read. In 2012, more than 60 percent of Iranian university students were female, the literacy rate for females 26 and younger and under was 96 percent and one-third of government employees in Iran were women.
Literacy Rate of Iranian Females, Ages 15-24
(Alan Weisman via Medium; World Bank)
Thailand’s bloody ballot
Thailand’s months-old anti-government movement, which has left 10 dead and 577 injured, continued over the weekend during the country’s snap national elections. Despite the 130,000 security personnel deployed nationwide to protect polling stations, only 89 percent were able to function without disruption. All in all, voter turnout was just 47 percent, compared to 75 percent in 2011. Last month, protesters blocked 20 percent of registered early voters from casting their ballots.
South Korea’s got its eggs in two baskets
A weakening yen has boosted the competiveness of Japanese car and electronics companies in relation to their South Korean rivals, and both Hyundai and Samsung are reporting significant declines in fourth-quarter earnings for 2013. The combined revenue of Samsung and Hyundai accounts for roughly 35 percent of South Korea’s GDP.
Market Capitalization of South Korea's Largest Companies (in Billions)
Wall Street Journal; Bloomberg; IMF)
Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group and author of Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World.
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