Here's an interesting thought experiment: imagine that all the cash on the planet could simply be divided equally among all people. A farmer from Wisconsin, a potter from India, a herdsman from Namibia, a dentist from Australia — everyone would get the same amount. How much money would that be per person?

The answer sounds funny: roughly enough to buy a Dacia Sandero. But let's figure out where this number comes from.

Economists call all available cash the money supply M2. It’s not just bills in your wallet but a broader concept: money in circulation plus highly liquid bank deposits, savings accounts, money market accounts. Essentially, everything that can be relatively quickly converted into cash.

According to CEIC data for 2024, the global money supply M2 amounts to $123.3 trillion. With a world population of 8.16 billion people, that’s about $15,108 per person. Or roughly €13,944 at the current exchange rate.

That’s about the amount an average household spends over two years, or the cost of a used car. And yes, it’s enough to buy a new Dacia Sandero without options.

Interestingly, the situation in Spain is a bit better. There, the M2 money supply in December 2024 was $1.648 trillion, with a population of about 49 million. Each Spaniard would get $33,571 or approximately €30,968. Almost twice the global average.

It’s a good way to understand the scale: how much money is actually circulating in the economy. The figure is impressive, but when divided among everyone, it becomes clear why global inequality remains so sharp. The money supply is not all the wealth on the planet, which is estimated at $487.9 trillion. But it’s what can be in circulation relatively quickly.