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On a global scale, the vast majority of Americans are either upper-middle income or high income. And many Americans who are classified as “poor” by the U.S. government would be middle income globally.

During the first decade of this century, the world experienced a dramatic drop in the number of people living in poverty and a significant rise in the number who could be considered middle income, but the majority of the global population remains low income.

The first decade of this century witnessed an historic reduction in global poverty and a near doubling of the number of people who could be considered middle income. But the emergence of a truly global middle class is still far from fruition.

World map indicating the share of a country's population that falls into each of the following income levels: poor, lower income, middle income, upper-middle income, and high income (data is from 2011). There is also a table that lets you select a country and see its income-level distribution and percentage point change from 2001 to 2011.

In a trend that is both a consequence of and contributor to its financial woes, the island’s population is declining at a clip not seen in more than 60 years.

Hispanic growth in the U.S. has slowed in recent years, and the trend continued in 2014, as evidenced by new figures released this week by the Census Bureau.

Instead, the new census questionnaire may tell people to check the “categories” that describe them.

The number of multiracial Americans is growing nationwide, but in Hawaii, it’s nothing new. The Rainbow state – with its history of attracting immigrants from Asia and other parts of the world to work as farm laborers – stands far above the rest, with nearly one-in-four residents (24%) identifying as multiracial.