References:
- A billion people lifting themselves out of poverty in the last 25 years: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/09/19/decline-of-global-extreme-poverty-continues-but-has-slowed-world-bank free markets have been the driving force behind declining poverty: https://www.heritage.org/index/book/chapter-4
- The first decline in global income inequality since the industrial revolution: http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/323831470153290439/pdf/WPS7776.pdf
- AND this decline was driven by free markets: https://www.cato.org/blog/capitalism-global-trade-reduction-poverty-inequality
- People living under free markets have life expectancy of 79.4 years, people living in socialist economies have life expectancy of 65.2 years: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/economic-freedom-of-the-world-2019-annual-report
- The income of the poorest increases as countries move from socialism to free markets, for example, in India the income of the poorest 10% increased 100% in the last 30 years: https://www.hoover.org/research/socialism-capitalism-and-income-0
- Poverty fell below 10% for the first time in history: https://www.businessinsider.com/global-poverty-below-10-for-first-time-ever-2015-12?IR=T Free markets drove this development: https://www.heritage.org/index/book/chapter-4
- Venezuela was once the richest country in South America: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/venezuela-economy-facts-2019-5?r=US&IR=T
- Now it’s the poorest: https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2020/07/08/yes-venezuela-is-now-the-poorest-country-in-the-americas/#:~:text=This%20number%20has%20also%20been,helps%20if%20they're%20poor.
- 94% of Venezuelans live in poverty: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-un/venezuelans-facing-unprecedented-challenges-many-need-aid-internal-u-n-report-idUSKCN1R92AG
- 75% lack proper nutrition: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/02/19/Venezuela-75-of-population-lost-19-pounds-amid-crisis/2441487523377/
- air pollution was 13 times higher in socialist Eastern Europe than Western Europe: https://www.perc.org/2019/05/17/socialism-is-bad-for-the-environment/
- 60% of East Germans suffered respiratory illnesses as a result: https://www.perc.org/2019/05/17/socialism-is-bad-for-the-environment/
- free market countries are making more stuff with less resources: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Post-Peak-Finally-Stopped-Using-Happens/dp/1471180336
- the quantity of resources consumed per person in Britain fell by a third since 2000 - AND many are reducing emissions: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/best-decade-in-history/
- Forests are expanding, along with populations of animals like deer, seals, eagles, koalas and tigers: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/best-decade-in-history/
- Only 9% of Swedes call themselves socialist: https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-report/swedens-lessons-america