Among us it is not uncommon to say that in the world it lives less somewhere better than here.
And if you look at the data, it doesn’t seem to be the wrong idea.
For example, in economic terms, our country’s per capita GDP is around 40,000 euros, which puts us among the richest of almost 10% of the world.
Almost like education. In studies like PISA, the results that our young people get are better than those that they get 80 percent of the rest of the world.
As far as health is concerned, it is difficult for him to be better. The life expectancy of 83 years we have among us is 5% higher. That’s the brand!
That we are in the top 10% does not mean that everyone else lives in a situation of impossibility. That is not the case. There are approximately 1 billion of us who live very well, 6 billion of us who live more or less fairly and 1 billion of us who live in a situation of extreme need.
So common is the idea that we are a particularly supportive people as “better than here anywhere else.”
What do the data say about this?
As one of the richest in the world, to measure our solidarity status it seems logical to think of our cooperation with the peoples who have a life that is much more difficult than ours.
Well, if we add the money that the public institutions of the Basque Country – the Basque Government, the Government of Navarre, New Aquitaine, Foral Deputies, Municipalities… – allocate to development cooperation and we distribute it by the number of citizens, on behalf of every Basque citizen, EUR 30 per year is spent on cooperation.
EUR 30. Per inhabitant and year. It’s about 10 percent of the richest in the world. With a GDP per capita of 40,000 euros. Do we look good in that mirror?
The institutions are preparing the budgets for next year. Will we address our solidarity at the opportunity to embody our bones to the necessary height?
Josu Urrutia Beristain_ Director of Mundukide
Euskal Herria
