Protesters in several countries in Europe and Asia are voicing anger over the cost of living, public services and their prospects.
France has had the largest demonstrations, with more than 500,000 people marching at the weekend and outbreaks of looting and rioting.
There is no single, unifying motivation for the broader international protests, but underlying them is undoubtedly the rising cost of living.
This global inflation is exacerbated in the minds of some protesters by a widening wealth gap, and our chart of the week points to how broad that gulf really is.
UBS’s Global Wealth Report 2026 estimates that 58 million adults, 1.5 per cent of the world’s total, are worth more than $1 million each and hold 48.4 per cent of global wealth. At the other end, 1.62 billion adults, or 42.1 per cent, have less than $10,000 each; together, they hold just 0.6 per cent of the world’s wealth.
The pressure on household budgets is another part of the picture. The attached charts show how much consumer prices have risen since 2000.
In France, a basket of products costing $100 in 2000 cost $151 in 2025. In Serbia, it rose to $1,054. Iran and Turkey are higher still, so the comparison uses a logarithmic scale. Inflation has eased from its recent peaks in many countries, but that means prices are rising more slowly, not returning to where they were.
Prices have climbed for decades in countries hit by protests
The chart tracks consumer prices since 2000, with countries reporting protests in 2026 highlighted in red.
Fuel is another major factor in energy infrastructure in Europe and Asia. The price of energy has contributed to protests and public anger across Europe and Asia.
These facts and figures do not, of course, explain every protest or prove that wealth inequality caused them. India’s demonstrations, for example, centre on changes to voter lists. But they show why lower inflation alone may not feel like relief: prices remain far above their past levels, and in some countries wages have not kept pace.