Daily Data Insights
Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every weekday.
October 22, 2024
British women are having fewer children in their twenties, more in their thirties
At what age do women have children?
The chart shows the number of births in the United Kingdom since 1950, broken down by the mother's age. This is based on estimates from the latest UN World Population Prospects report.
You can see that, over time, fewer children are born to women in their teens and twenties. This number has been falling since the 1960s.
Instead, we see a rise in the number of births to women in their thirties.
October 21, 2024
Less than 4% of the world's population are international migrants
The vast majority of people in the world — over 96% — live in the country where they were born. Only a small minority are international migrants.
International migrants are people who have lived in a country other than where they were born for more than one year. In contrast, natives live in the country where they were born.
Since 1990, the absolute number of international migrants has risen sharply, but their share of the global population has remained relatively unchanged due to population growth.
This data comes from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).
October 18, 2024
Global wildfire burn has declined in the last 20 years due to less shrub and savanna burning
The average area burned by wildfires each year has fallen in the last few decades. This is due mainly to changes in land practices, including the intensification of agriculture and less savanna burning.
This chart shows the estimated area burnt by wildfires each year, broken down by land cover type. This data comes from the Global Wildfire Information System.
The area of shrublands and savannas burned each year has decreased since the early 2000s, while the area of forest burned has remained very similar.
Much of this decline has occurred in Africa and, to a lesser extent, in Oceania.
This doesn't mean that weather-related risks of wildfires have declined: warmer and drier conditions increase these risks. And despite a global reduction, countries can experience very large and anomalous years. Last year’s large burn in Canada is a clear example.
This year also looks to be on-track to be the largest wildfire year this century.
October 17, 2024
Diarrheal diseases are among the most common causes of death, especially in children
In 2021, 1.2 million people died from diarrheal diseases. Around 340,000 of these deaths were in children under five years old. This makes diarrheal diseases one of the leading causes of death among people of all ages, but also children specifically.
These estimates come from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study.
Deaths from diarrheal diseases have fallen a lot in recent decades as a result of public health interventions. But more progress is possible.
Diarrheal deaths are preventable because they are primarily caused by pathogens, whose spread can be easily controlled. By increasing global access to clean water and sanitation, oral rehydration therapy, and vaccination, this major cause of death can be reduced substantially.
Explore our full page on diarrheal diseases, with more writing and over 40 interactive charts →
October 16, 2024
Healthy diets remain unaffordable for the majority in many countries
Around one in three people worldwide — that’s 2.8 billion — could not afford a healthy diet in 2022. This is based on the most recent estimates from the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
A “healthy diet” is defined as one that follows nutritional guidelines, making sure that someone has enough variety to meet all of their dietary needs. It is considered unaffordable when the lowest possible cost of the diet, along with essentials like housing and transportation, is higher than what someone earns each day.
In low- to middle-income countries like India or Pakistan and much of Sub-Saharan Africa, more than half of the population struggles to afford a healthy diet, with rates exceeding 90% in the poorest.
October 15, 2024
Guyana’s oil-driven economy has had the largest GDP per capita growth in the world in recent years
Guyana, a small country in South America, has seen the fastest growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world over the past decade.
This is illustrated in the chart, which shows GDP per capita for Guyana and the World, based on estimates from the World Bank.
The data is adjusted for inflation, so Guyana’s sharp growth is not due to price changes over time.
A large and sudden expansion in oil production has driven most of this growth. In 2020, Guyana began extracting oil. From 2020 to 2023, the country’s oil production grew 425%, making it a key contributor to global crude oil supply growth.
Over this period, Guyana’s GDP per capita rose from below the global average to well above it.
Read more about economic development and oil production →
October 14, 2024
On average, Americans spend about the same amount of money on restaurants and cafes as on food at home
On average, Americans spend about the same amount on food consumed at home as they did in the 1950s. But they spend a lot more in restaurants, cafes, and at work.
The chart shows the average amount of money spent on food, at home and away from home in the United States. This is based on data from the USDA Economic Research Service. It’s adjusted for inflation over time.
Today, the amount spent on food away from home is about the same as what is spent on food at home.
October 11, 2024
Teenage pregnancy rates have fallen across the world
Teenage pregnancy rates have fallen across all regions in the last few decades.
The chart shows the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 since 2000, based on data compiled by the United Nations.
Globally, rates have fallen by around one-third. This decline has been even more dramatic in some regions. For example, rates have fallen by more than two-thirds in Central and South Asia.
Birth rates have also fallen among adolescents aged 10 to 14 years old, where health concerns for pregnancy in such young girls are even greater.
Explore teenage pregnancy data for individual countries over time →
October 10, 2024
The “baby boom” saw a sharp rise in the fertility rate in the United States
When it comes to demographic trends, few are as well known as the “baby boom”.
The baby boom was a sharp rise in the fertility rate toward the end of the Second World War and for decades after. It happened in several countries around the world, but it was especially pronounced in the United States.
Before the baby boom, the US had seen a long-term decline in the fertility rate, down to about 2 children per woman by the 1930s.
During the baby boom, the fertility rate rose sharply, almost doubling to nearly 4 children per woman — levels that hadn’t been seen since the beginning of the 20th century. By the early 1970s, the fertility rate had returned to about 2 children per woman. Today, it’s just over 1.6.
It’s estimated that more than 70 million people were born in the US between 1946 and 1964, the official years of the baby boom according to the US Census Bureau. By 1964, this generation comprised almost 40% of the nation’s population.
As such a large generation, “baby boomers” have played a significant role in shaping many social, economic, and political trends in modern US history.
October 09, 2024
Road deaths in the United Kingdom have fallen by three-quarters since 1970
The number of people dying in road accidents in the United Kingdom has fallen by around three-quarters since 1970.
The chart shows the number of road deaths over time, based on data from the OECD, which we just updated. This includes the deaths of pedestrians, drivers, passengers, and cyclists.
In the early 1970s, there were around 8,000 road deaths per year. This has dropped below 2,000 in recent years. Deaths reached a low in 2020 due to reduced traffic from the COVID-19 pandemic but have rebounded slightly since then.
This multi-decade decline is even steeper when we look at the number of deaths per kilometer driven.
October 08, 2024
Denmark generates a larger share of its electricity from wind than any other country
In 2023, wind power generated nearly 60% of Denmark’s electricity. This made Denmark the country with the highest share of wind in its electricity mix. This is based on data from Ember.
Wind also contributes significantly to Denmark’s broader energy system. Data from the Energy Institute shows that wind power accounts for over a quarter of Denmark’s total primary energy consumption — the largest figure globally.
Denmark also ranks first in per capita wind power generation, with Sweden close behind.
October 07, 2024
Many countries have become much more supportive of same-sex relationships
When I was born in 1993, one-third of people in the United Kingdom said they “would not want homosexual neighbors”. Today, that’s less than 5%.
As you can see in the chart, the acceptance of same-sex relationships has increased in many other countries, too. This data comes from the Integrated Values Survey.
Attitudes to homosexuality tend to be far more positive in Western Europe and North and South America than in other parts of the world. In many countries across Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa, the majority of surveyed respondents still say they would not want homosexual neighbors.
Explore the data on attitudes to homosexuality across the world →
October 04, 2024
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, neighboring countries have increased their military spending
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has led to increased military spending not only in the two countries themselves but also in other neighboring countries.
The chart, using inflation-adjusted data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, shows that Russia has increased its military spending to support the invasion, while Ukraine has expanded its budget tenfold to defend itself.
The war has also motivated several of Russia’s other neighbors to increase their military spending. For instance, in 2023, Poland almost doubled its military spending from 15 to 27 billion US$, and Finland raised its budget from 4.5 to 6.9 billion US$.
Other neighboring countries, like Lithuania and Estonia, have so far not made increases as dramatic but have returned to the longer-term expansion of their military budgets.
Some Western European countries, especially Denmark, have also already increased their military spending after Russia’s invasion.
October 03, 2024
How far apart are the incomes of the rich and poor in different countries?
The chart shows how incomes are spread in several countries in different world regions. The data comes from the excellent Luxembourg Income Study.
Blue points show the monthly after-tax income of someone who falls just inside the richest 10% of their country's population. Red points show the income of someone who falls just inside the poorest 10%. To allow for comparisons, all incomes are shown in international dollars, which account for differences in cost of living across countries.
The ratio between these two numbers gives us a measure of inequality known as the “P90/P10 ratio”.
In Norway, a country with very low inequality, this ratio is around 3. A person just inside the richest 10% has a monthly income of $5,490 — a little more than 3 times the $1,760 earned by someone just inside the poorest 10%.
In the United States, inequality is much higher, and the ratio is twice as large — around 6. The chart shows that the richest 10% are much richer than those in Norway, with incomes above $7,440. But, the poorest are also poorer, with incomes of less than $1,240.
In many countries, the ratio is between 4 and 6. But in the most unequal countries, it is much higher. In South Africa, the ratio is 22. Those in the bottom decile are among the poorest people in the world, living on less than $110 per month. In contrast, the richest 10% earn $2,490 or above — higher than the incomes of half the UK population and nearly a third of the US population.
Explore incomes across the distribution for other countries in our dedicated Data Explorer →
October 02, 2024
Most of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but refined in China
Cobalt is a critical element in many lithium-ion battery technologies, which are used in most consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops; and more recently, in electric vehicles.
Almost three-quarters of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
However, the DRC produces virtually none of the world’s refined cobalt — the mineral used in final products. Most of the world’s refined cobalt is made in China.
You can see this in the chart, which shows each country’s share of global mined and refined cobalt production in 2021. This data comes from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and British Geological Survey (BGS).
While lithium-ion battery technologies that use cobalt are dominant today, alternative battery chemistries that don’t use cobalt are emerging.
Explore more data on which countries produce the world’s critical minerals →
October 01, 2024
Democracy is still young in most countries considered democratic today
Most electoral democracies are younger than the oldest people who live in them.
The chart shows that almost two dozen democracies are younger than 18 — as young as the children in these countries. Others are only as old as their young adults. This is based on data from Regimes of the World.
In these younger democracies, most people have experienced life under authoritarian rule, and older people lacked democratic political rights for most of their lives.
A larger group of countries have been electoral democracies for one to three generations. In these countries, children and young adults have only known life in a democracy, but their parents and grandparents have experienced non-democratic rule.
Only ten countries have been democratic for more than 90 years. In these places, democracy is older than almost all of their citizens.
September 30, 2024
Obesity rates have increased on every continent
Obesity rates have increased across the world over the last 50 years, but at varying speeds and from different starting positions.
The chart shows the change in the share of adults who are defined as “overweight” or “obese” across a range of countries. It is based on the latest data from the World Health Organization (which only goes up to 2016).
Rates have increased worldwide — from Australia and the United States to India and Nigeria — but tend to be higher in richer countries where food supplies are more plentiful and affordable for the population.
This is measured based on body mass index (BMI), which takes account of someone’s height and weight. It’s a crude measure, but it gives us quick insights into how people’s metabolic health is changing.
September 27, 2024
Almost every new car sold in Norway is electric
New petrol and diesel cars are becoming a rarity in Norway.
In 2023, 93% of new cars sold in the country were electric. This is shown in the chart, based on data from the International Energy Agency.
This is a rapid increase from a decade ago when just 6% of new cars were electric.
Here, “electric cars” include fully battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars (which have a smaller battery and also have a combustion engine). But in Norway, battery-electric cars now dominate: in 2023, 85% were fully electric, compared to just 8% of plug-in hybrids.
Explore the data for other countries in our dedicated article →
September 26, 2024
Every country in the world was warmer in the 2010s than in the 1940s — except Ireland
This chart shows average temperatures in the 1940s and 2010s compared to the average from 1991-2020. These differences — called temperature anomalies — help us see how temperatures have changed. We source this data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 project.
Globally, the 1940s were 0.66°C cooler than the 1991-2020 average, while the 2010s were 0.2°C warmer. This means that over about 70 years, the global average temperature increased by approximately 0.86°C. Compared to pre-industrial times, the current global average temperature is estimated to have risen by approximately 1.3°C.
Ireland is the only country where temperatures in the 1940s were similar to the 2010s.
Every other country has seen temperatures increase over this period, with some experiencing more than several degrees of warming.
This illustrates how local climate variations can differ from global trends. The effects can vary from place to place, but global warming remains a broad phenomenon.
September 25, 2024
Lead exposure has fallen dramatically in the United States since the 1970s
Lead exposure has fallen dramatically in the United States over the last 50 years.
Despite being toxic to human health, lead was used in various products, including gasoline, paint, and pipes. However, there have been successful efforts to phase it out in recent decades.
The chart shows measurements of lead concentrations in children’s blood since the late 1970s, based on data from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. Both the average child and those with the highest exposure rates — the 95th percentile — show a dramatic decline.
Lead exposure is still a massive problem in many low-to-middle-income countries, where its use in paints, pipes, and other sectors is not monitored or controlled.