We’re constantly told that people in rich countries live longer and that GDP growth is therefore the route to health, well-being, and social progress.
But the evidence is far less simple than the slogans.
In this video, I use 2022 data to show four versions of the same relationship between GDP per person and life expectancy, and explain how the way economists present that data can create a misleading story.
The key point is this: the link between income and life expectancy is non-linear. Once basic needs are met, the curve flattens. Beyond that point, what matters most is not GDP but inequality, housing, healthcare access, stability, and social care, or, in other words, the politics of care.
This is why GDP fetishism is not only intellectually empty. It becomes politically dangerous.