The original version of this article, by Jason Beaubien, appeared on NPR’s health blog, Shots.

“The meek shall inherit the earth” – that seems to be the latest message from the United Nations Development Program.

Their 2013 Human Development Report chronicles the recent, rapid expansion of the middle class in the developing world. It also predicts that over the next two decades growth in the so-called “Global South” will dramatically shift economic and political power away from Europe and North America.

The report projects that by 2020 the combined gross domestic products of Brazil, China, and India will exceed the entire output of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and the U.S. put together.

“Much of this expansion is being driven by new trade and technology partnerships within the South itself,” according to the report.

And this is translating into more than just financial gains in the developing world. According to UNDP, every country surveyed – and just about every nation on Earth was sampled – improved the health, education, and income of its citizens over the last decade.

Continue reading on Shots.

Sources: NPR, UNDP.

Photo Credit: “Clouds Sprinkled,” courtesy of flickr user Daniel Incandela.