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Daily Data Insights

Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every weekday.

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A line graph titled "In some English-speaking countries, people value religion less than before" displays data from 1993 to 2022 on the share of people who consider religion "very important" or "rather important" in their lives. The graph features five lines, each representing a different country: 

- The United States, starting at 79% in 1993 and decreasing to 61% by 2022.
- Canada, beginning at 61% in 1993 and declining to 35%.
- Australia, initially at 48% and dropping to 29%.
- The United Kingdom, starting at 45% and falling to 33%.
- New Zealand, with a starting point of 38% and a slight decrease to 28%.

The Y-axis represents the percentage of respondents, while the X-axis marks the years from 1993 to 2022. A note on the survey question states: "Would you say [religion is] very important [in your life], rather important, not very important or not important at all?" The data source is cited as "Integrated Values Surveys (2022)" along with a Creative Commons BY attribution.

Religion has become less important in some English-speaking countries

Religion means less to people in some English-speaking countries than it did 30 years ago.

The chart shows a clear downward trend in the share of people who see religion as important in their lives. This is based on surveys across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, from 1993 to 2022.

The United States stands out as the country with the highest percentage of people who consider religion important, though this has declined from 79% to 61%. The shift was even sharper in Canada, falling from 61% to 35%.

Religion was already less important to people in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand but in all three countries, this share dropped by more than a quarter.

Explore this data on the importance of religion for many more countries

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A timeline titled "The Golden Age of Antibiotics" shows when each antibiotic drug class was first available for medical use, with example antibiotics labeled. Classes are color-coded by their source: actinomycetes, other bacteria, fungi, or synthetic. Milestones include the first antibiotics (arsphenamines in 1910), as well as the discovery of many actinomycetes-derived antibiotics, such as streptomycin, and sulfonamides, penicillins, and tetracyclines. Data: Hutchings, Truman, Wilkinson (2019). Created by Saloni Dattani for Our World in Data.

Nearly two-thirds of antibiotics were introduced during the “golden age of antibiotics”

The “golden age of antibiotics” lasted from the early 1940s to the late 1960s. It was a period of rapid innovation that transformed medicine. As highlighted in this chart, nearly two-thirds of all antibiotic drug classes were introduced during this period.

Scientists explored natural sources — such as fungi and bacteria — and synthetic sources.

This led to breakthroughs in antibiotics derived from soil-dwelling bacteria, such as streptomycin, tetracyclines, and macrolides, and the mass production of penicillin, which Alexander Fleming discovered in 1928.

However, progress slowed after the 1970s as pharmaceutical companies shifted their focus to chronic diseases. Today, there is a renewed need for innovation to tackle antibiotic resistance.

Read my article on the golden age of antibiotics and how we can spark a new one →

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A line chart showing the global average life expectancy from 1900 to 2023. The vertical axis represents life expectancy in years, ranging from 0 to 80, while the horizontal axis indicates the years from 1900 to 2023. While average life expectancy was 32.0 years in 1900, it was 73.2 years in 2023.

In 1770, the average life expectancy was only 28.5 years, depicted at the lower end of the graph. By 2023, it had risen to 73.2 years, noted at the upper portion. Key points on the graph highlight this change. 

Data sources cited include UN WPP (2024), HMD (2024), Zijdeman et al. (2015), and Riley (2005). The information can be further accessed at OurWorldinData.org/life-expectancy. The graph is labeled with the text "Global average life expectancy has more than doubled," emphasizing the significant increase over the centuries.

Global average life expectancy has more than doubled since 1900

We can expect to live more than twice as long as our ancestors in 1900.

As the chart shows, global average life expectancy was just 32 years at the beginning of the 20th century.

This was a short life by today’s standards: in 2023, the average life expectancy had increased to 73 years. That’s 41 years longer.

This remarkable increase is due to improved living standards, like better nutrition and sanitation, and advances in healthcare, such as antibiotics and vaccines.

While large declines in child mortality have been crucial, they have not been the only reason for the increase in life expectancy; it has increased across all ages.

Read more in our article “Twice as long – life expectancy around the world”

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Bar chart showing the global lithium production by country in 2023. Australia leads with 48% of global production, followed by Chile at 24% and China at 18%. Argentina contributes 5.3%, Brazil 2.7%, Zimbabwe 1.9%, Canada 1.9%, and Portugal 0.21%. The chart highlights that Australia, China, and the "lithium triangle" (Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia) dominate lithium production.

The world’s lithium is mined in just a handful of countries

Lithium is a critical component in many industries, including pharmaceuticals, optics, ceramics, and glass. But it’s best known for its use in batteries. Most rechargeable batteries in mobile phones, laptops, and consumer electronics are made from lithium-ion chemistries.

It’s also receiving increasing attention as a critical mineral in batteries for electric cars and storage for renewable energy.

Just a handful of countries supply the world’s lithium. In the chart, you can see each country’s share of global mined production in 2023. Australia produced almost half. Combined with China, Chile, and Argentina, these four countries produced over 90% of the total.

Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia form the so-called “lithium triangle”, which are large lithium deposits that span across these three countries. While Bolivia has huge lithium resources, it has produced very little so far.

This data comes from the United States Geological Survey.

Explore which countries produce other critical minerals in our data explorer →

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A line chart that shows the global increase in 4G network coverage from 2015 to 2023. The x-axis represents years (2015 and 2023), while the y-axis shows coverage percentages. In 2015, North America had the highest coverage at 99%, followed by Europe (76%), Latin America (58%), and Asia (40%). Sub-Saharan Africa had the lowest at 11%. By 2023, North America and Europe reached 99%, Asia increased to 94%, Latin America to 91%, and Sub-Saharan Africa to 63%. Globally, coverage rose from 44% in 2015 to 90% in 2023, indicating that nearly 9-in-10 people worldwide are now within range of a 4G network. A note clarifies that network coverage does not imply usage.

Nine in ten people in the world were in the range of a 4G network in 2023

Internet access has grown rapidly over the last few decades. It lets us connect with people across countries and continents, helps students learn and apply for jobs, and is even the primary mode of banking in some parts of the world.

But having access to fast internet also matters. This is also changing quickly.

In 2015, less than half — 44% — of the world population was in the range of a 4G network. That figure is now 90%. In the chart, you can see that this has increased quickly across many regions. This data comes from the International Telecommunication Union.

Note that being in the range of a 4G network doesn’t mean that someone is using it. If people don’t have a mobile, computer, or service to connect, they might be in the range of a network but not online.

Explore more charts on technological change across the world →

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A world map visualizes the percentage of seats held by women in the lower or single chamber of parliaments for the year 2023. The map features various shades of blue, indicating different levels of female representation. Areas with no data are shown in white, while light yellow represents regions with more women than men in parliament. Countries highlighted specifically include Nicaragua, Cuba, and Rwanda, which are noted for having more women than men in their legislative bodies. The darker blue shades signify regions where men hold the majority of seats, with categories for "far more men" (over 75% male representation), "more men," "equal" representation, and "more women." The footer includes data sources credited to V-Dem (2024) and Our World in Data, labeled with a Creative Commons BY license.

Three countries had more women than men in parliament in 2023

Women’s representation in national politics has increased dramatically in the last century.

But men still hold more parliamentary seats in almost every country. There are three exceptions: Cuba, Nicaragua, and Rwanda.

You can see this in the map. Most countries are in blue, meaning they have a higher share of men; in many countries, they make up more than 75% of the seats (shown in darker blue).

Look closely enough, and you can see the three countries in red that have more women.

This data comes from V-Dem and is based on parliamentary seats in 2023.

Explore how the share of women in parliament has changed in other countries →

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This chart titled "The most popular meats vary a lot across countries" shows the percentage of different types of meat consumption across five countries: Argentina, the United States, Japan, Germany, and Ethiopia. The meats are categorized as poultry, beef, sheep and goat, pork, other meats, and fish/seafood. For example, Argentina primarily consumes beef and poultry (both 40%), while Ethiopia consumes a significant portion of beef (45%) and sheep/goat meat (28%). Japan has high consumption of fish/seafood (44%), while Germany's diet is pork-heavy (48%). The chart uses color bars to represent each meat type with a clear legend at the top.

Meat preferences vary a lot across different countries

America’s most popular type of meat is chicken. In Argentina, chicken is tied with beef. And in Japan, it’s fish and seafood.

There are large differences in the popularity of meat types across the world.

In the chart above, you can see the share of supply that comes from different types of meat: poultry, beef, pork, goat, and seafood. I’ve picked just a selection of countries that highlight some of the variation across the world.

Of course, countries also eat very different amounts of meat; this chart focuses on the relative amounts in national diets.

This data comes from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Explore the most popular types of meat in your country in the global dataset →

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What share of children die before their fifth birthday?

What could be more tragic than the death of a young child? Child mortality, the death of children under the age of five, is still extremely common in our world today.

The historical data makes clear that it doesn’t have to be this way: it is possible for societies to protect their children and reduce child mortality to very low rates. For child mortality to reach low levels, many things have to go right at the same time: good healthcare, good nutrition, clean water and sanitation, maternal health, and high living standards. We can, therefore, think of child mortality as a proxy indicator of a country’s living conditions.

The chart shows our long-run data on child mortality, which allows you to see how child mortality has changed in countries around the world.

Explore and learn more about this data
Explore and learn more about this data

Share of population living in extreme povertyWorld Bank

Life expectancy at birthLong-run estimates collated from multiple sources by Our World in Data

Per capita CO₂ emissionsLong-run estimates from the Global Carbon Budget

GDP per capitaLong-run estimates from the Maddison Project Database

Share of people that are undernourishedFAO

Literacy rateLong-run estimates collated from multiple sources by Our World in Data

Share of the population with access to electricityWorld Bank

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