Data Insights
Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every few days.
July 16, 2025
Rising yields, falling hunger
The Agricultural Revolution — the transition from hunting and gathering to farming — didn’t end hunger. That’s because more food didn’t mean more per person: it meant more people.
The English cleric Thomas Malthus predicted this would continue forever: food production would always be outpaced by population growth, making lasting progress against hunger impossible.
But at least since the mid-20th century, England has left mass hunger behind. How was this possible? How did English farmers prove Malthus wrong?
The chart shows one central part of the answer. For centuries, cereal yields in England — for staples like wheat and barley — were stuck at about 0.6 tonnes per hectare. That means farmers needed a plot of 100 meters by 100 meters to grow 600 kilograms of cereals per year. Hunger was widespread.
But this changed from the 17th century onward, accelerating a hundred years ago. In a dramatic transformation known as the Second Agricultural Revolution, farmers found ways to grow much more food on the same land.
Today, after four centuries of rising productivity, English farmers are growing about ten times more food on the same land than in the past. This has made it possible to increase food production faster than population growth, breaking England out of the “Malthusian Trap”.
The chart also shows that the world as a whole is changing in the same direction. Global average yields have tripled in the last six decades. Today, yields are already about five times higher than in England in the past. If yields continue to follow this trajectory, it would bring us much closer to the end of global hunger, while also sparing land for nature.
My colleague Hannah Ritchie wrote about how climate change might affect crop yields in the future →
July 14, 2025
Every year, 230,000 children are spared from HIV thanks to treatments that reduce mother-to-child transmission
It’s hard to imagine many things that are more terrifying than your baby contracting HIV. This is the reality for around 130,000 families every year.
Just a few decades ago, this figure was over half a million. Most of these infections were passed on from mothers who had HIV themselves.
But the introduction of anti-retroviral (ART) drugs and other interventions has meant that most infections can be prevented. If the mother takes ART during pregnancy, it dramatically reduces the risk of passing on HIV. In some cases, giving ART to the baby in the first few weeks of life can help too.
In the chart, you can see this decline in new HIV infections in children. On top, you can see the huge number of cases estimated to have been averted thanks to these interventions; they amount to almost a quarter of a million cases every year.
Explore more of our work on HIV/AIDS in adults and children →
July 11, 2025
Trade’s share of China’s economy is far below its 2006 peak — but still much higher than in the 1970–80s
Global trade has never been a bigger slice of the world economy. However, China, the country that most people think of as the export giant, has seen a decline in its trade-to-GDP ratio in the last 15 years.
The chart shows China’s trade in goods and services as a share of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 1970, it was just 5%. Following Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms, which opened China to market forces and international trade, this figure soared to 64% in 2006. But since then, it has fallen considerably, reaching 37% in 2023 — still far higher than before the 1990s. China's exports have grown in dollar terms, but its economy has expanded even faster, making trade a shrinking share of the whole.
While the 2008 financial crisis disrupted global trade, China’s trajectory also reflects the increase in domestic demand for its products. The decline in the trade-to-GDP ratio since 2006 reflects a shift from export-led growth toward domestic consumption, not a return to pre-reform levels. For years, Chinese officials have advocated rebalancing the economy away from export dependence and toward one driven by domestic consumption. A rising middle class now buys more of what China produces, reducing its reliance on international markets.
July 09, 2025
Extreme poverty has not declined in these four Southern African countries
Globally, the share of the population living in extreme poverty has declined fast, from 38% in 1990 to 9% in 2024.
Some countries, however, have not made any progress against poverty. Four of them are in Southeast Africa, as shown in the chart. In Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar, most people still live in extreme poverty, and this hasn’t changed in decades.
Poverty has remained high because these economies have not achieved economic growth in recent decades.
In the 1990s, most extremely poor people lived in countries that went on to have strong economic growth. Today, however, a substantial share of the poorest people live in economies that have not grown in decades. Based on current trends, this means that the world cannot expect an end to extreme poverty.
Whether or not the economies that are home to the poorest people in the world start to grow will determine whether the world ends extreme poverty.
I’ve written more about this in “The history of the end of poverty has just begun”, where I explain why economic growth is key to ending poverty →
July 07, 2025
Suicide rates in Sri Lanka have fallen by almost two-thirds since the late 1990s
In the late 1990s, Sri Lanka had one of the highest suicide rates in the world: three times the global average and four times the rate in countries like the United States or the United Kingdom.
The most frequent method of suicide was self-poisoning, particularly from pesticides.
But since then, suicide rates have fallen by almost two-thirds. You can see this in the chart.
The biggest driver of this improvement was the banning of particularly toxic pesticides. Two highly hazardous pesticides were initially banned in 1984, and five more were banned in 1995. This slowed the growth in suicide rates, and the trend eventually turned the corner into a strong decline.
Sri Lanka’s experience in the last few decades makes it clear that suicide rates are not “fixed” at a particular level, and there are things that can be done to reduce them.
Suicide rates have declined in many countries over decades: read our insight →
July 04, 2025
A vast majority of people still lack access to electricity in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa
How many hours have you used electricity today? For me, it’s probably all of them — from charging my phone overnight to working on my laptop, exercising with my watch, and listening to music through my earphones. It's so normal that I can't imagine life without it.
But life without electricity is a reality for millions in Sub-Saharan Africa. This map shows the share of people with access to electricity across the region. This is defined as having a source that can provide basic lighting, charge a phone, or power a radio for just 4 hours daily.
Look at the countries in dark red: in Chad, only 12% of people have access. In the Democratic Republic of Congo — a country of over 100 million people — it's just 22%. Overall, 85% of people worldwide who lack access to electricity now live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
There are bright spots, though. Countries like Kenya, where more than three-quarters of people now have electricity, show that progress in the region is possible.
July 02, 2025
Smoking increases the risk of death from many causes
Most of us have heard that smoking damages the lungs. The chart drives this home: in the US, men who smoke are around 21 times more likely to die from lung cancer than men who have never smoked.
But the damage doesn’t stop there: smoking also increases the risk of other cancers, including mouth, throat, bladder and pancreatic cancer, in addition to other health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and diabetes.
Why does one habit harm so many organs? Cigarettes carry a mixture of carcinogens that reach — and damage — tissues throughout the body. Smoking also injures blood vessels, fuels inflammation, and makes it easier for tumors to spread.
Because a single behavior poses so many risks, cutting smoking rates has been one of the most powerful tools to save lives and improve public health.
Explore more data and research on smoking on our dedicated page →
June 30, 2025
Child mortality in Malawi has fallen by more than 80% since 1990
In 1990, one in four newborns in Malawi died before their fifth birthday.
At that time, the average number of births per woman was almost seven. This meant that many families experienced the tragedy of losing a child.
But in recent decades, Malawi has made incredible progress. As you can see in the chart, the child mortality rate has dropped to 1 in 25 children — an 84% reduction.
Many factors have contributed to this decline. The expansion of antenatal care and the attendance of skilled health professionals at birth have been crucial in saving newborns in the earliest days of life. Increasing vaccination rates, distributing insecticide-treated bed nets and antimalarials, and programs to stop the transmission of HIV have all reduced the risks of dying in infancy.
Read more about the role that vaccines have played in reducing child mortality →
June 27, 2025
Homicide rates in Italy have dropped by 80% since 1990
Italy has become much safer over the last thirty years.
In the early 1990s, there were around 3 homicides per 100,000 people every year. That was one of the highest rates in Europe.
Since then, rates have fallen by more than 80%. As you can see in the chart, they have been around 0.5 per 100,000 in recent years. That now makes Italy safer than many of its European neighbours.
Mafia-related homicides dropped dramatically in the 1990s following intensified efforts from the Italian government. Some of this organized crime may have also shifted from violent acts towards financial and “white collar” crime.
While estimates can vary across data sources, for Italy, they show strong agreement →
June 25, 2025
Transfer fees for money sent home by international migrants were nearly as high as US foreign aid in 2023
If you live in the same country as your family, you don’t usually have to pay a fee when you send them money. International migrants face a harsher reality: they pay hefty transaction costs when supporting family back home. Globally, the average fee in 2023 was 6.3%, more than double the UN Sustainable Development Goal's target of getting this down to 3%.
This may not sound like much, but migrants send large amounts home to help with schooling, medical bills, house maintenance, and food. The total sum was nearly three times larger than global foreign aid in 2023. (Here, foreign aid consists of net development assistance from national governments and private philanthropy that meets the necessary conditions.)
Although 6.3% might seem modest, when applied to large volumes of money, these transfer fees amount to tens of billions of dollars.
The chart shows that migrants lost $51 billion in transaction fees in 2023, which is not far from the $66 billion the US gave as foreign aid. That's $51 billion paid by migrants but never received by their families.
With the new US administration projected to cut aid by more than half, aid experts from the Center for Global Development suggest reducing fees could help fill some of the gap. They recommend promoting cheaper transfer options, increasing competition between services, and linking banking systems across countries.
While money sent home by migrants isn’t as targeted to vulnerable groups as aid, most of it flows directly to families in low- and middle-income countries who can use it for what they need most.
June 23, 2025
Japan has more than doubled its foreign aid budget in just five years
Foreign aid has saved and improved millions of lives through health programs, food aid, and humanitarian assistance. Several countries — including the United States and the United Kingdom — have announced large cuts to their foreign aid budgets in the last few months. However, one country has been moving in the opposite direction in the last five years.
Since 2018, the amount Japan gives in foreign aid has more than doubled. You can see this in the chart.
In 2018, Japan gave $8.6 billion. By 2023, this had increased to $19.3 billion. This makes Japan’s aid budget equivalent to 0.44% of its gross national income. That was more than the United States, which gave 0.24%, but still less than many European countries, including the UK, France, Germany, and Norway, which topped the list at 1.1%.
Read my recent article on how small amounts of foreign aid can go a long way →
June 20, 2025
Childhood pneumonia deaths have plummeted in Nepal — and more lives can still be saved
In the early 1980s, Nepal’s children suffered from some of the highest death rates from pneumonia in the world, with over 1,400 deaths for every 100,000 children under five. That meant around 39,000 children died from pneumonia each year, more than from any other cause.
Since then, Nepal has made huge progress. The death rate has fallen almost 20-fold. This improvement is due to various measures, including pneumococcal and Hib vaccines, better access to healthcare and antibiotics, and improved nutrition.
Despite this progress, pneumonia is still among the leading causes of death in children in Nepal. And we know that more progress can be made: high-income countries have achieved much lower rates, with fewer than 5 per 100,000.
Explore how deaths from pneumonia among children have changed in other countries →
June 18, 2025
Money sent home by international migrants is almost three times as much as global foreign aid
When we think about money flowing from richer to poorer countries, foreign aid is one of the first things that comes to mind.
However, another major channel receives far less attention in mainstream conversations: the money international migrants send back to their families or bring home after working abroad. Unlike aid, which is publicly funded and often targeted at structural development, these private transfers typically aim at family support to cover critical needs such as food, healthcare, and education.
This chart shows how big that contribution is: in 2023, migrants sent or brought back $822 billion, almost three times the $288 billion provided through global foreign aid. Global foreign aid refers to net development assistance from national governments, with a very small portion coming from private donor philanthropy that meets the criteria for development assistance.
While this gives us a good sense of the size of these different flows, it’s important to note that the distribution of where each goes tends to differ. Most of the money sent home by migrants goes from high-income to middle-income countries, but low-income countries also rely on them relative to their GDP. When it comes to foreign aid, low-income countries receive almost as much money as middle-income countries.
June 16, 2025
Most of the increase in natural disasters in the late 20th century is due to improved reporting
Tracking the occurrence of natural disasters can save lives by helping countries prepare for future ones.
In our work on natural disasters, we visualize data from EM-DAT, the most comprehensive international disaster database. Make a chart of the number of recorded disaster events over time — like the one above — and it looks like the number of disasters rose alarmingly from the 1970s to the millennium. This has led to many media outlets and organizations claiming that the number of disasters has quadrupled over the last 50 years.
However, as EM-DAT itself makes clear, most of this is due to improvements in recording. The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, which builds this database, was not established until 1973, and didn’t start publishing EM-DAT until 1988.
The number of recorded disasters increased due to more focused efforts to obtain globally comprehensive data and improvements in communication technologies, which allowed more events to be included, even in the planet's most remote areas.
EM-DAT suggests that only data from 2000 onwards is relatively complete and comparable. The number of events before 2000 is likely to be underestimated. Note that this data does not tell us anything about the intensity of disasters.
Read my full article, with my colleague Pablo Rosado, on the limitations of disaster databases →
June 11, 2025
Smallpox declined gradually, until the WHO coordinated the global effort to eradicate it
In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the world’s first vaccine against smallpox. As it was refined and widely adopted, many countries in Europe and North America, the Soviet Union, and island nations eliminated smallpox through national vaccination programs.
But in the mid-20th century, the disease remained widespread across Africa and Asia, infecting tens of millions every year.
Before the World Health Organization (WHO) committed to eradication in 1959, few believed it was possible, given the failures of other eradication efforts like malaria. But smallpox had no animal reservoir, clear symptoms, and there was an effective, low-cost vaccine.
By 1967, the WHO intensified the eradication campaign with more funding. The strategy focused on “ring vaccination” — containing outbreaks by vaccinating people around each case — and embedding the work within local health programs.
As the chart shows, this approach worked swiftly: within a decade, the number of endemic countries fell to zero. Smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1980, two centuries after Jenner’s discovery. It’s a lasting triumph of science and cooperation.
June 09, 2025
Portugal's roads have become much safer over the last thirty years
Thirty years ago, Portugal had some of the most fatal roads in Europe. It was second only to Latvia in terms of death rates from road injuries.
But since then, death rates have fallen by 84%.
The chart shows road deaths per 100,000 people compared to other European countries. This metric is age-standardized, so it keeps the population's age distribution constant over time.
Portugal still has slightly higher death rates than many of its neighbors in Western Europe, but the gap is much smaller than in the 1990s.
Portugal’s roads have become much safer for many reasons, including seatbelt laws, speed limits, stricter drink-driving enforcement, better road design and pedestrian zones, and improvements in the safety and resilience of cars themselves.
While it made dramatic improvements over the 1990s and early 2000s, this progress has slowed in the last five to ten years.
June 06, 2025
Less than 200 years ago, one in three Dutch children died before the age of five
Losing a child is one of the worst things that can happen to a parent.
Imagine living in a world where there was a one-in-three chance your child would die. This wasn't just the reality for your children; it could just as well happen to your siblings, friends, or neighbors.
Such a world seems unimaginable today, but it wasn’t too far from reality two centuries ago, even in some economically advanced countries.
The chart shows the share of newborns who died before age five in the Netherlands since 1840. These historical estimates are more uncertain than recent data, but it's likely that before the 1870s, about one-in-three newborns died. Each birth carried odds no parent today could contemplate facing.
But a huge amount of progress has been made since then. Today, one in 250 Dutch children dies. This progress was driven by many factors, including improvements in nutrition, access to clean water, sanitation, vaccines, and reductions in poverty.
June 04, 2025
In some regions, around one in ten cancer cases are caused by a common, treatable bacterium
You might be surprised to learn that a common stomach infection can lead to cancer. That infection is caused by Helicobacter pylori — H. pylori for short — a bacterium that can live in the stomach lining for decades.
The infection often begins in childhood and may not cause symptoms right away. But over time, it can damage the stomach’s protective lining, causing inflammation and ulcers. In some people, it eventually leads to cancer.
The map shows that in parts of Asia and South America, H. pylori is responsible for about 10% of all new cancer cases. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that it causes around 800,000 cancer cases globally each year, making it one of the top infectious causes of cancer.
The good news is that the infection can be detected with a simple test and eliminated with antibiotics. If caught early, the risk of stomach cancer can be dramatically reduced. Since the bacterium is often transmitted through contaminated food and water, better sanitation and food safety also make a difference.
Read more about infections that cause cancers, and how they can be prevented or treated →
June 02, 2025
Greece is turning its back on coal and replacing it with solar and wind
To tackle climate change, the world must transition away from fossil fuels and towards low-carbon power sources.
Greece is almost there when it comes to coal. Coal became the dominant source of electricity in the second half of the 20th century, but it has fallen out of favor in the 21st.
The chart shows that just over a decade ago, almost half of the country’s power came from coal. This has now fallen to 6%.
Solar and wind have replaced it; their share has tripled in the last decade; when combined, they’ve become the largest source.
As a result, the country’s CO2 emissions from coal have fallen by nearly 90% from their peak, and national emissions as a whole have halved.
Solar and wind are growing rapidly in many countries; explore this data in our energy data explorer →
May 30, 2025
Young Americans spend much more time alone than they did fifteen years ago
Young Americans spend much more time alone than they did in the past. According to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, people aged 15–29 spent about 45% more time alone in 2023 than in 2010.
The survey classifies all time spent without anybody physically present as “time spent alone”. This can include time spent talking on the phone or video calls.
Time spent alone among young people increased slowly in the second half of the 2010s and then rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. It hasn’t fallen back to earlier levels since then.
In absolute terms, young people spent around four hours alone per day in 2010. By 2023, that number had grown to six hours per day.
Although all Americans spend more time alone, the increase is much smaller for older age groups. Those aged 30 to 44 spend about 20% more time alone now than in 2010, while for people 45 and older, the increase is about 10%.
While time alone can help with rest and personal reflection, it can also lead to loneliness and declining well-being. As time spent alone has increased, young people’s time with family, and even more so with friends, has decreased.
Explore more research and data on how people spend their time →