My colleague Andrés says that Spain is a poor country. But according to the World Bank, Spain was the fourteenth country with the highest nominal GDP in October 2021. There are approximately 193 countries in the world, therefore Spain is among the richest 7% of countries in the world by nominal GDP.
If we talk about GDP per capita, Spain would move up to 33rd place (always according to World Bank data), which means that it would be among the 15% of the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita.
When I share this data with Andrés, he tells me that he compares Spain with “similar countries”. I assume you only think of the most opulent in Europe. But why not compare, for example, with those from North Africa or Latin America with whom we share proximity or language?
If Spain is among the 15% richest areas in the world, then Spain is a rich country. I think in order not to lose this wealth we have to be aware of it. Because what is not appreciated is lost.
Does the world end in the west?
Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah is a novel about the slave trade in Africa. My friend Luisa tried to read it but couldn’t. He says he couldn’t pique her interest. He is the third European I know who has put the book halfway down. However, the reviews are almost unanimously excellent.
A good way to become aware of our wealth is to know the situation of the rest of the countries in the world
We westerners seem to have a hard time taking an interest in what’s happening beyond our borders. It gives the impression that what is outside of our territory simply does not exist for us.
I think a good way to become aware of the wealth we enjoy is to know each other’s situations. Of course from countries that are richer than us, but also from other poorer regions.
Abdulrazak Gurnah’s work reflects the reality faced by certain parts of Africa. Casa Africa is an inter-government public body working to bring Africa and Spain closer together. On his website we can find more details about the work of this author:
Abdulrazak Gurnah was born in Zanzibar, Tanzania in 1948. He is an author of novels in English. The theme of refugee unrest has run through his entire body of work, ever since he began writing in British exile at the age of 21. His research focuses on post-colonialism and, breaking with convention, changes the colonial perspective to emphasize that of indigenous peoples. In 2021 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his “moving depiction of the effects of colonialism and the fate of refugees in the abyss between cultures and continents”.
Gurnah’s novel Paradise has been described as “a moving portrait of the African continent” by the New York Times Book Review and “a book that portrays the social and religious dynamics of Africa” by the Library Journal.
Sometimes we Europeans have trouble looking beyond our borders. Reading the work of Abdulrazak Gurnah can be a good way to combat our lack of interest in what is different.
Miguel Forcat Luque He is an economist from the Complutense University of Madrid and an official at the European Commission. The article does not necessarily reflect the view of the institution you work for.
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