Yesterday
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
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.
Read more in our article on the decline of lead poisoning →
September 24
Stomach cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths globally. It is estimated that around one million people died from it in 2021.
However, most are preventable, and as the chart shows, there has been a substantial decline in age-standardized death rates from stomach cancer over time.
This can be seen in data from the World Health Organization’s Mortality Database, which has recorded causes of death in many countries since the 1950s.
These large declines are the result of improvements in prevention and treatment. For example, screening and treatment have improved for stomach infections by H. pylori, a bacteria that causes stomach ulcers that can develop into cancer.
Additionally, improvements in hygiene, cancer treatments, and surgery, as well as reductions in smoking, have each been important in reducing stomach cancer mortality.
Explore this data for many more countries — we have just updated it →
September 23
Aquaculture production — farming fish and other seafood products — has exploded over the last few decades.
Nearly all of this growth has come from East Asia, which you can see in the chart. This is based on estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
In 2021, the world produced 126 million tonnes of seafood from aquaculture. 80% of this came from East Asia and the Pacific.
Explore this data →
September 20
This chart shows the share of the global population living in countries that criminally sanction domestic violence or provide protection against it. The data comes from the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project.
Throughout the decades, the legislation on domestic violence has increased markedly. Until the 1990s, less than 1% of the global population in countries was legally protected from it, with only Canada, Sweden, and Ireland providing such safeguards. And as recently as 20 years ago, 80% of people lived in countries without legal penalties for domestic violence.
But by 2023, this had more than reversed, and 9 in 10 people lived in countries with legal measures to combat domestic violence. This shift highlights an increased recognition around the world that domestic violence is common, especially against women.
Explore our charts on women's rights →
September 19
Child mortality rates in China have fallen from more than 20% in 1950 to less than 1% today.
But this steady progress was interrupted in the late 1950s during the “Great Leap Forward”. This was China’s national plan to industrialize rapidly, but it resulted in widespread famine and economic turmoil.
As the chart shows, child mortality rates spiked in China over this period. This change was so dramatic that it is also clearly visible in the global trend. This data comes from the UN’s World Population Prospects.
Explore this data →
September 18
Drug-related death rates have increased six-fold in Canada and the United States over two decades, according to recent data from the World Health Organization’s Global Health Estimates. We have just updated our charts with the latest data.
In 2000, drug-related death rates in Canada and the United States were reasonably similar to rates in other countries. But since then, deaths from drugs, particularly opioids, have risen sharply.
Opioids include prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and drugs like heroin.
Over recent years, opioids have become common in the management of chronic pain, and they’ve become much easier to access on the illicit drug market.
Explore data on deaths from drug use and other health issues in our Global Health Explorer →
