As world leaders and business elites arrive in the snowy Swiss town of Davos for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, a new report has highlighted the growing gap between the rich and everyone else.

Rights group Oxfam International said billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary people, warning that rising wealth inequality is also leading to dangerous political inequality.

According to the report, billionaire wealth grew three times faster in 2025 than the average growth seen over the past five years. Their total wealth reached a record USD 18.3 trillion, which is more than Rs 1,660 lakh crore in Indian currency.

Oxfam said billionaire wealth increased by over 16 per cent in 2025 and has grown by 81 per cent since 2020.

“This comes as one in four people don't regularly have enough to eat, and nearly half the world's population live in poverty.”

The findings were released just hours before the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026, which is being attended by over 3,000 global leaders, including more than 60 heads of state or government.

The meeting has brought together political leaders, business heads, and policymakers in this small Alpine town.

The report, titled ‘Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power’, examined how the world’s richest people are using their wealth to gain political influence.

Oxfam said billionaire wealth rose sharply during the presidency of Donald Trump, which it said followed policies that benefited the super-rich, including tax cuts and weakened rules on large corporations.

Trump is among the global leaders attending the WEF meeting.

Oxfam said the total wealth of billionaires rose by USD 2.5 trillion last year, nearly matching the combined wealth of the bottom half of humanity, or around 4.1 billion people.

It added that this increase alone could end extreme poverty 26 times over.

The number of billionaires crossed 3,000 for the first time, while Elon Musk became the first person to cross USD 500 billion in wealth.

Oxfam Executive Director Amitabh Behar warned that growing wealth gaps are creating serious political risks.

“The widening gap between the rich and the rest is, at the same time, creating a political deficit that is highly dangerous and unsustainable,” he said.

Oxfam said surveys show nearly half of people across 66 countries believe that the rich often buy elections.

“Governments are making wrong choices to pander to the elite and defend wealth while repressing people's rights and anger,” Behar added.

The report said billions of people continue to suffer from poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases, while one in four people worldwide face food insecurity.

It also noted that political rights are being weakened in many countries. Last year alone, there were over 142 major anti-government protests across 68 countries, many of which were met with violence.

“Being economically poor creates hunger. Being politically poor creates anger,” Behar said.

Oxfam warned that billionaires now own more than half of the world’s biggest media companies and all major social media platforms.

It pointed to ownership changes involving Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and other billionaires in major global media outlets.

The report also found that only 27 per cent of top editors worldwide are women, while just 23 per cent come from racialised groups.

Oxfam urged governments to create clear plans to reduce inequality, properly tax the super-rich, and protect democracy by keeping wealth away from political power.

It also called for stronger protection of free speech, peaceful protest, and workers’ rights, saying no country can afford to ignore the growing risks of inequality.

The report used data from sources including Forbes, the World Bank, Freedom House, and the World Values Survey.