Gratitude

When you look at the world, it is easy to see all the things that are wrong. But if you take a step back and look at how lucky you are to be born in a first world country, you really should be grateful for the things you have. Most Americans simply don’t know how good they have it.

TL;DR

What Privileges?

The following is a list of just some of the privileges that most Americans take for granted, but are not available to most of the world. This list is not exhaustive, but it does cover the most basic needs that most people in America have, just to put it in perspective.

1.   Essential Healthcare

Access to basic healthcare services (like clinics, medicines, and trained doctors) is nearly universal in the U.S., but much of the world lacks this safety net. Fewer than half of people globally can obtain essential health services when needed – over 4.5 billion people still do not have access to quality, affordable care.

This means only around 45% of the world is effectively covered, leaving the majority to rely on home remedies or unqualified healers, or to go without treatment when ill or injured. In contrast, Americans routinely visit doctors and hospitals for preventive care, emergencies, and life-saving treatments, a privilege far from guaranteed elsewhere. (WHO)

2.   Waste Disposal / Trash Collection

Americans take for granted that their household trash is collected regularly and taken to proper disposal sites. Globally, only about half of people enjoy reliable waste management – more than 4 billion people (over 50% of the world) have no regular garbage collection service.

Those without this service must burn their trash, dump it in the open, or live amid accumulating waste. In many low-income regions, communities form informal dumpsites (serving billions of people) where over 40% of the world’s waste ends up. (World Bank)

3.   Safe Sanitation / Private Toilets

Having a private, sanitary toilet in the home is a standard comfort in America. Globally, however, safely managed sanitation is far from universal – only 57% of people (about 4.6 billion) use a safely managed toilet or latrine. Over 1.5 billion people still lack even a basic toilet of their own.

Those without proper sanitation often share sparse public latrines or resort to open defecation; an estimated 419 million people must relieve themselves outdoors in fields, street gutters, or water bodies. Americans largely flush away waste with the turn of a handle, whereas many others live with the daily indignity and health risks of inadequate sanitation. (WHO/UNICEF JMP)

4.   Internet Access

Americans are accustomed to 24/7 internet access for information, communication, and services. Globally, this digital connectivity remains a privilege – roughly 67% of the world (about 5.4 billion people) uses the internet, while an estimated 2.6 billion people (33%) are still offline. In wealthier countries about 9 in 10 people are online, but in low-income nations only 1 in 4 use the internet.

Those without internet access rely on limited local media or word-of-mouth for information and cannot easily benefit from online education, commerce, or telehealth. U.S. residents, by contrast, assume connectivity at home and on smartphones, not realizing that one-third of humanity remains disconnected from the digital world. (ITU)

5.   Basic Hygiene (Handwashing Facilities)

Americans generally have running water and soap available for handwashing in their homes, supporting everyday hygiene. Yet 29% of the global population – about 2.3 billion people – do not have a simple handwashing facility with soap and water at home. As of 2020, only 71% of people worldwide (5.5 billion) had this basic hygiene service in their household.

The rest must cope without an easy way to wash hands – 1.6 billion have a place to wash but lack soap or water, and 670 million have no facility at all. Those without home handwashing access often rely on communal water points or forego handwashing, heightening the spread of disease. (UNICEF/WHO JMP)

6.   Safe Drinking Water

Potable water on tap is an everyday convenience in America (e.g. faucets supplying clean, treated water). Worldwide, having safe drinking water at home is not guaranteed – about 73% of people (6 billion) use safely managed drinking water services, which means 27% (roughly 2.2 billion) lack reliably safe water at home.

Those without safely managed water often must fetch water from communal pumps, wells, or natural sources, sometimes walking long distances and carrying heavy containers. In many rural areas, people rely on rivers or ponds that may be contaminated with microbes, leading to disease. Americans generally trust that clean water will flow with a turn of the tap, a basic need still unmet for billions who must boil or treat water or risk illness from every sip. (UNICEF/WHO JMP)

7.   Clean Cooking Fuel

Most American households cook with electricity or gas stoves, never thinking about the smoke or health hazards of their fuel. Globally, only about 74% of people had access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking in 2022. This means roughly 2.1 billion people (about one-quarter of humanity) still rely on polluting solid fuels like wood, charcoal, dung, or coal burned in open fires or rudimentary stoves for daily cooking.

Families without clean fuel often endure indoor smoke that causes respiratory illnesses and spend hours gathering firewood. By contrast, Americans benefit from modern kitchens where cooking doesn’t blacken walls or lungs – a significant health and convenience advantage not afforded to the billions who cook over smoky fires. (IEA)

8.   Personal Safety / Freedom from Conflict

Americans largely live free from the daily threats of war or widespread violence within their communities – a fundamental sense of security. In many regions, however, conflict and fragility are a constant reality. Over 2 billion people live in countries affected by conflict or extreme fragility. In these areas, civilians may face dangers from armed violence, displacement, or instability that Americans would find shocking.

Roughly three-quarters of the world’s people enjoy relative peace, but the remaining quarter live amid unrest, war, or high insecurity. Those without this privilege of safety may have to flee their homes as refugees, or live under the stress of insurgency and crime. The basic American expectation of personal security and rule of law is a distant hope for those billions living in conflict zones or failing states. (World Bank)

9.   Financial Services / Bank Accounts

Access to banking and financial services – the ability to securely save money, receive wages, or make payments – is taken for granted in the U.S. Globally, about 76% of adults have an account with a bank or mobile money provider as of 2021. This leaves roughly 24% (approximately 1.4 billion adults) unbanked, with no formal financial account.

People without banking access must often rely on cash hidden at home, informal lenders, or risky money keepers, making it harder to escape poverty or handle emergencies. Americans typically can deposit paychecks, use ATMs, or get loans easily, highlighting a level of financial inclusion that a quarter of the world’s adults still lack. (World Bank Global Findex)

10.   Adequate Housing / Secure Shelter

A stable, weatherproof home with electricity and plumbing is a basic expectation in America. Worldwide, however, an estimated 1.6 billion people live without adequate shelter. In other words, roughly 20% of humanity lacks a permanent, safe home structure. They may reside in crowded urban slums, informal settlements of tin shacks, or rural dwellings made of mud and thatch that do not protect against rain, heat, or cold.

About 1 in 7 people on the planet lives in a slum today, often without secure tenure or basic utilities. While Americans enjoy solid houses or apartments with locking doors, many families elsewhere live in precarious shelters that expose them to the elements, insecurity, and health hazards due to poor living conditions. (UN-Habitat)

11.   Basic Education

Free primary and secondary education is expected for every American child. Globally, most children now attend school, but significant gaps remain. As of 2022, about 244 million children and youth (ages 6 to 18) were out of school worldwide. This represents roughly 1 in 10 school-aged children who are not receiving formal education. In many regions, poverty, child labor, conflict, or discrimination keep kids out of the classroom.

Those without this privilege often start working young, tend family farms, or remain at home, missing the literacy and skills that schooling provides. By contrast, American children generally have guaranteed schooling through adolescence, a foundational opportunity for future success that millions of youngsters elsewhere are denied. (UNESCO)

12.   Freedom from Child Labor

American children generally spend their days in school or play, not work. But around the world, 160 million children (mostly ages 5–17) are engaged in child labor, accounting for nearly 1 in 10 children globally. This means roughly 90% of children worldwide are free from labor, but the remaining 10% must work instead of enjoying a normal childhood. These boys and girls often toil in fields, mines, workshops, or as domestic servants to support their families. Such labor can be hazardous and keeps them out of school.

In the U.S., child labor is rare and illegal in its harsh forms – a privilege that allows American children to learn and play. In contrast, many children elsewhere shoulder adult responsibilities early, sacrificing their safety, health, and education to eke out a living. (ILO/UNICEF)

13.   Food Security / Enough Nutritious Food

Most Americans can reliably access sufficient food – grocery stores are stocked and hunger is more an issue of distribution than absolute scarcity. Globally, however, about 9% of people do not have enough to eat. In 2023, an estimated 733 million people faced chronic hunger, meaning they consume too little food to maintain health (a proportion roughly equivalent to 1 in 11 people worldwide).

The vast majority (91%) of people are not undernourished, but that still leaves hundreds of millions who go to bed hungry or malnourished. Those without this basic privilege survive via emergency food aid, foraging, or skipping meals in hard times. By contrast, Americans benefit from a vast food supply and safety net programs that make severe hunger relatively uncommon. (FAO)

14.  Electricity Access

In the United States, electricity is available at the flip of a switch in nearly every home, powering lights, appliances, and heating/cooling. Worldwide, access to electricity has expanded but is not yet universal: about 91% of the global population had electricity in 2021. This leaves an estimated 9% – roughly 685 million people – living without electric power.

Those without electricity often rely on kerosene lamps or candles for light and cannot use modern appliances or refrigeration. Life after dark may stop at sunset, and simple tasks like charging a phone or preserving food become major challenges. Americans seldom consider the luxury of constant power, whereas hundreds of millions in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere still live off-grid, with all the hardships that entails. (IEA)

15.   Living Above Extreme Poverty

Most Americans, even those with low incomes, live well above the extreme poverty line (defined globally as living on less than $2.15 per day). In contrast, nearly 700 million people worldwide (around 9% of the global population) still live in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on meager incomes. This figure reflects people who cannot meet basic needs for food, shelter, and healthcare. In the U.S., poverty exists, but social safety nets, higher wages, and infrastructure mean even the poor have far better living conditions than the world’s poorest.

Globally, those without this privilege of a minimal income often face chronic hunger, lack of schooling, and poor health. Americans often assume a base level of comfort (clean water, shelter, clothes) that the extreme poor – nearly one in ten people on Earth – simply do not have, as they focus on day-to-day survival. (World Bank)