By
World Global Trends, Québec, Canada
April 9, 2002
Some facts :
306 billionaires totaling $1.300 billion in wealth.
1.3 billion people – live on incomes of less than $1 a day.
The world spent on its military sector in the three decades from 1960 to 1990 $21,000 billion.
Total world military expenditure has been rising again since 1998. Total world military expenditure in 2000 amounted to about $798 billion, in current dollars.
2002: Pentagon will devour some $379 billion.
Arms transfers USA 50%, followed by Russia, France, the UK and Germany.
US chemical weapons incineration program $15 billion (1).
Space station $60 billion.
Agricultural subsidies in the developed industrial member states of the OECD total $300 billion a year.
U.S. pet food industry: $11 billion per year.
USA adult entertainment industry:$10 billion.
Largest population of overweight adults: United States = 61% of adult U.S. population.
USA dieters currently spend an average of $30 billion annually on products that promise to remove them from that overweight category.
Biggest selling drugs: antiulcerants (antacids, for indigestion) = $15.8 billion.
Highest carbon emissions: United States = 24% of world total.
Leading cigarette exporter: United States (21% of world exports)
Leading petroleum user: United States = 26% of world supply]
ODA for Sub-Sahara $9.5 billion.
Niger: revenues: $0.2 billion.
By 1998, the heavily indebted poor countries had international debts of $214 billion equal to only 4.5 months of western military spending.
US ODA for Sub-Sahara $0.8 billion.
A survey of 1,233 drugs that reached market between 1975 and 1997 found that only 13 were approved specifically for tropical diseases.