There are plenty of countries which breached into high-income status. Just because you're ignorant about it doesn't mean they don't exist.
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Even poster boy countries for middle-income trap like Uruguay, Chile, and Panama is considered high-income now.
The world has a GNI per capita of $11,570. Which means to say the world can breach into high income status in less than 5 years with an annual per capita growth rate of 3%.
Nope, GNI excludes the value created by foreigners.
And Singapore already breached into high income status in the 1980s before becoming a financial center.