Wealth refers to the act of owning material property, resources and money in great quantity. Wealth is mostly associated with money, but we can also associate it with any material good owned in great quantity.

A person can be wealthy, and a country can be considered wealthy or not too : a wealthy country is a country that has a lot of natural and economic resources required for the well being of its population (see prosperity).

In our society, the richest people are the ones who have the most power because they have an influence on one or several countries’ politics, on commercial trade (see power). On the contrary, poor people are often marginalized.

Wealthness is a goal for most people. People often want to get more and more money, to own a lot of things. Even the richest people want to get even richer.

This begs the question: Can money buy happiness? It’s an endless debate : some will say that money can buy happiness because it allows people to provide for food, a home, health... But also to treat ourselves. Others will say that owning all the riches of the world will not make us the happiest people in the world because money can’t buy true love or a family... A rich person is never fully satisfied, they’re always looking for a way to gain more money.

Wealth as the act of possessing material and financial goods isn’t well perceived in some religions and philosophers. During Antiquity, some philosophers refused any wealth and lived from other people’s generosity. We can find this form of privation in some religions : for example, Christianism advocates for poverty and modesty (see humility) as a way to go to heaven. Some monks make vows of poverty, they give up on any form of wealth.