The world is a better place than it used to be. People are wealthier and healthier. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many have left gaping inequalities between people and between nations. This book tells the story of how, some parts of the world began to experience sustained progress, and set the stage for unequal world.

"One of the most succinct guides to conditions in today's world. . . . The story Deaton tells—the most inspiring human story of all—should give all of us reason for optimism, so long as we are willing to listen to its moral."---David Leonhardt, New York Times Book Review

"If you want to learn about why human welfare overall has gone up so much over time, you should read The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality."—Bill Gates"There is nobody better than Angus Deaton to explain why our lives are longer, healthier, and more prosperous than those of our great-grandparents. The story he tells is much more than an inexorable march of progress—it has also been unequal, uneven, and incomplete, and at each step, politics has played a defining role. This is a must-read for anybody interested in the wealth and health of nations."—Daron Acemoglu, coauthor of Why Nations Fail"At once engaging and compassionate, this is an uplifting story by a major scholar."—Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion"Magisterial and superb."—William Easterly, author of The White Man's Burden"The Great Escape tells the two biggest stories in history: how humanity got healthy and wealthy, and why some people got so much healthier and wealthier than others. Angus Deaton, one of the world's leading development economists, takes us on an extraordinary journey—from an age when almost everyone was poor and sick to one where most people have escaped these evils—and he tells us how the billion still trapped in extreme poverty can join in this great escape. Everyone who wants to understand the twenty-first century should read this book."—Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules—for Now"Deaton's account of global advances in health is magisterial. It is especially convincing in disentangling economic progress from technological growth as sources of health improvements. A very big story, this book should affect the way we think about human development and the role of science and science-based government programs. The language is modest and graceful, the use of evidence compelling, and the illustrations highly attractive."—Samuel Preston, University of Pennsylvania"This factual, sober, and very timely book deals with issues surrounding the higher incomes and longer lives enjoyed by an increasing proportion of the world's population. It assesses improvements in conditions that would have seemed almost a fantasy for people living only a few generations ago. Deaton's arguments, written in an elegant and accessible style, are powerful and challenge conventional opinions."—Branko Milanovic, author of The Haves and the Have-Nots"This splendid book discusses how, in the last two hundred fifty years, large numbers of people have achieved levels of well-being that were previously available only to a few individuals, and how this achievement has given rise to equally unprecedented inequalities. Unique in its focus and scope, exceptional knowledge and coherence, and careful argumentation, The Great Escape is highly illuminating and a delight to read."—Thomas Pogge, Yale University