
11. In India, The Threshold Is Super Low
India is the superstar of developing nations, with rising exports fueling the growth of its middle class. But on a global scale, India’s income rates are still relatively low. You only need to earn $77,000 per year to be in the top one percent of earners in India, an income on the low end of average for the middle class in the United States.

India’s population is enormous and growing by the minute, so being in the top one percent means being one of 13 million others. Income inequality in India is still quite massive. Despite an economy that appears to be booming, much of the population still live in squalor and poverty, with the average income only $2000 per year, a lower $167 per month.