
15. It Takes A Lot To Be Rich In The UAE
The United Arab Emirates, or UAE, is a small country in the Arab Gulf, and one of the wealthiest countries in the entire world. The region does have the largest oil fields on the planet and with oil comes money. An influx of oil money after World War II caused parts of the Middle East to become immensely wealthy. The United Arab Emirates is one of those countries, and its income threshold to be considered rich is so high that you need to make $922,000 a year to be in the top one percent.

Today, the country has a diverse, international population of people attracted to its global cities, most notably Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The UAE is attractive because it does not have an income tax for high earners; its government and public services are funded almost entirely through oil revenue. Despite having an exceptionally high threshold to be in the top one percent of earners, the average income hovers at about $40,000. Why the discrepancy? Because many of the people who do service work in the UAE come from impoverished countries such as Bangladesh and India and are paid meager wages for their work.