In Europe 200 years ago, the average calorie count in diets was the same as in Rwanda during a period of extreme malnutrition. This suggests that 90% of the European population lived in extreme poverty, surviving on less than an inflation-adjusted dollar a day, ruled over by a privileged 10%. Globally, the shift from 90% living in extreme poverty to 10% signifies a significant improvement over time, although this percentage slightly increased to 10% after the pandemic from its previous 9% level.