Ever wondered how much money actually exists in the world? I came across this fascinating thought experiment that really puts global economics into perspective.

So here's the premise: what if we took every dollar, euro, and unit of currency floating around in the global economy and divided it equally among everyone on Earth? A farmer in Wisconsin, a potter in New Delhi, a goat herder in Namibia - everyone gets the same slice. How much would that be?

The answer hinges on understanding M2 money supply, which basically represents all the cash that's readily available - the money in your pocket, in bank accounts with quick access, savings accounts, money market funds. It's different from total global wealth because that includes real estate, stocks, and other assets you can't immediately convert to cash.

According to 2024 data, the worldwide M2 money supply sits at around 123.3 trillion dollars. Sounds massive, right? But here's where it gets interesting. When you divide that by the global population of roughly 8.16 billion people, each person would receive approximately 15,108 dollars. In euros, that's about 13,944.

To make this tangible: that's roughly two years of grocery expenses for an average household, or the price of a used car. More specifically, it's enough to buy a Dacia Sandero - a practical, no-frills vehicle. The calculation shows just how much money actually exists in the world when spread thin across every inhabitant.

Now, if you narrow this down to Spain specifically, things look slightly better for Spaniards. Spain's M2 money supply in late 2024 was around 1.648 trillion dollars, with a population of about 49 million. That works out to roughly 33,571 dollars per person, or about 30,968 euros. Nearly double the global average - which tells you something about the concentration of monetary resources in developed economies.

It's a sobering exercise, honestly. When you think about how much money exists in the world in absolute terms versus how it's distributed, it really highlights why global inequality persists. The wealth isn't evenly spread, and neither is access to liquidity. But at least now you know what your theoretical equal share would look like.