Thermodynamic description of world GDP distribution over countries

TL;DR

This paper models the distribution of world GDP across countries using a thermodynamic analogy, revealing a condensation phenomenon that explains economic disparities and phases like poverty and oligarchy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel thermodynamic framework based on Rayleigh-Jeans thermalization to describe GDP distribution and its phases, linking physical phenomena to economic inequality.

Findings

Rayleigh-Jeans thermalization describes GDP distribution over 50 years.

Emergence of low-GDP condensation explains poverty and oligarchic phases.

The model aligns with observed economic inequality patterns.

Abstract

We apply the concept of Rayleigh-Jeans thermalization of classical fields for a description of the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) distribution over countries. The thermalization appears due to a variety of interactions between countries with conservation of two integrals being total GDP and probability (norm). In such a case there is an emergence of Rayleigh-Jeans condensation at states with low GDP. This phenomenon has been studied theoretically and experimentally in multimode optical fibers and we argue that it is at the origin of emergence of poverty and oligarchic phases for GDP of countries. A similar phenomenon has been discussed recently in the framework of the Wealth Thermalization Hypothesis to explain the high inequality of wealth distribution in human society and companies at Stock Exchange markets. We show that the Rayleigh-Jeans thermalization well describes the GDP distribution during the last 50 years.