A total can rise while the people it describes become worse off.

A total can grow while the median person inside it does worse, because a total says nothing about distribution. Aggregate improvement and widespread deterioration are entirely compatible, and this is one of the more consequential blind spots in the way results get reported.

Any time you are shown a rising total about a group of people, ask how it is spread. Who gained, who lost, what happened at the bottom. If nobody can answer, the total is not yet telling you whether things got better for anyone in particular.