Oxfam’s 2026 inequality report reveals that billionaire wealth reached a record $18.3 trillion in 2025. The report found that the number of billionaires surpassed 3,000 and that their growing fortunes have translated into increasingly overt political power. The charity warns that the concentration of capital has led to a “brazen” marriage between money and politics, with billionaires now 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary citizens. The report concludes that many governments are prioritizing the protection of elite wealth over the freedoms of their citizens.
Date: January 19, 2026. Source: theguardian.com