<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Corley, Andrew</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Dunn, Claire</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Hung, Yuen Wai</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Sprockett, Andrea</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Montagu, Dominic</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Chakraborty, Nirali</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Trends and Patterns in Wealth Index Assets: Observations From 68 Countries</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Global Health: Science and Practice</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026-06-18 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><doi><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10.9745/GHSP-D-24-00132</style></doi><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%"></style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%"></style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Key MessagesThis commentary outlines 4 practical lessons derived from analyzing a country-specific measure of wealth available for use in 68 countries, serving as axioms, or rules of thumb, for development practitioners to simplify questions related to identifying relative poverty and for informing project design and implementation.Dwelling building materials strongly indicate relative wealth or poverty.Ownership of consumer electronics, appliances, and cleaner cooking fuels inside homes correlates with wealth.The assets that best indicate relative wealth vary based on a country’s economic development level.Assets indicating wealth may change over time due to affordability and technological advancements, with certain assets losing their discriminatory power while others gain significance.Human development indicators and socioeconomics are tightly intertwined. Improved outcomes related to issues as diverse as educational attainment, tuberculosis treatment, and estimations of happiness and life satisfaction have all been associated with higher socioeconomic status.1–4 It is no surprise then that reaching those at the lowest ends of the economic spectrum has been identified as key to achieving many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.5While the importance of reaching the poor has been identified as key to overall development, measuring socioeconomic status in an accurate and timely manner to allow for programmatic action has historically been a challenge. Two frequently used proxy indicators of socioeconomic status—income and consumption—are generally unable to provide timely and accurate measurement, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Income is particularly difficult to capture accurately as respondents are hesitant to report their incomes when surveyed and, even if reported, incomes are often poor representations of wealth due to frequent month-to-month or seasonal fluctuations, especially among the poorest.6 Consumption indicators are also quite difficult to collect, requiring burdensome data collection efforts, and concerns remain about what consumption items should be included and over …</style></abstract></record></records></xml>