In part one, I looked at how personal income levels fit into the global distribution of incomes. I’d be the last person to suggest that higher income guarantees more happiness. I’ve visited a number of developing countries, and as long as peoples’ basic needs are met, they seem to be just as happy and hard working as people here at home.

So instead of personal income levels, I’d like to assess something more meaningful: global well-being. How does the overall global welfare today compare to 1970? Are more people getting their basic needs met? That’s what we’ll look at in this article, and there’s good news here.

To evaluate global well-being, I’ll assess how global poverty and income inequality have changed.

Global poverty levels from 1970 to 2006

Depending on the organization and year, there are several official poverty lines for developing countries. I’ll use the $1 a day poverty line, which equates to $312 U.S. dollars in 2006. Using the other common poverty lines (i.e., $2 and $3 a day) produces similar results.

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