You'll have trouble convincing me that that average wage is 48K.
amos2,
I can't remember exact figures but I've heard that something like 85% of the world's wealth is controlled by 6% of the population.
Think about this, about a year ago Bill Gates was worth $243 billion. If the average person was on $530 a week (a figure that is easier to believe than $930, but not correct), then Bill Gates can sacrafice his worth and bring 458,836,858 people up to $930 a week, nearly 10% of the world's population. It's amazing how one person can make so much difference to the average wage, so I think that is how the figure gets so high. If you did a survey on the 90th percentile then I think you would find the figure closer to what most people are making.
Sorry for dribbling crap, it's pretty quiet at work today.
CC
(edited to correct my figures)