One only has to make $55,000 USD a year to be in the top 1% globally so most complaining about income inequality probably are in that group.  Likewise a Canadian living right at the poverty line of $23,000 would still be in the top 10% globally.  If you use GDP per capita as a proxy, the median is around $5,000 USD a year which is less than someone on welfare makes a year in Canada.  Most Canadians don't realize how lucky we are.  At the same time millions in the developing world have been lifted out of poverty and in some countries like China you have a growing middle class which didn't exist a few decades ago.