The world has recently become less democratic
Many more people have democratic rights than in the past. Some of this progress has recently been reversed.
September 06
Article
Latest
Our latest articles, data updates, and announcements
July 20
Article
The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better.
It is wrong to think these three statements contradict each other. We need to see that they are all true to see that a better world is possible.
July 19
Article
People around the world have gained democratic rights, but some have many more rights than others
How democratic have countries been across the world? And how big are the differences between them?
July 11
Article
Five key findings from the 2022 UN Population Prospects
Explore the key highlights from the UN’s latest release of its world population estimates.
July 07
Article
Guinea worm disease is close to being eradicated – how was this progress achieved?
In the late 1980s, there were near a million new cases of guinea worm disease recorded worldwide. In 2021, there were only 15. How was this achieved?
June 16
Article
How does the land use of different electricity sources compare?
All energy production takes up land, but which sources use the most land, and which use it most efficiently?
June 09
Article
We need more testing to eradicate polio worldwide
The world is close to eradicating polio, but has been set back in the last few years. To achieve the goal of global eradication, it's crucial to improve testing.
June 01
Article
Millions of children learn only very little. How can the world provide a better education to the next generation?
Research suggests that many children — especially in the world’s poorest countries — learn only very little in school. What can we do to improve this?
May 31
Article
Ending our COVID-19 testing data updates
As of 23 June 2022, we will no longer add new data points to our COVID-19 testing dataset. We will continue updates of all other metrics in our COVID-19 dataset.
May 30
Article
After millennia of agricultural expansion, the world has passed ‘peak agricultural land’
The world produces more food than ever, but the amount of land we use is now falling. This means we can feed more people while restoring wild habitat.
May 18
Article
What is the lifetime risk of depression?
Depression is one of the world’s most common health conditions. It's estimated that one-in-three women and one-in-five men have an episode of major depression by the age of 65.
May 13
Article
What share of people say they are vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian?
Most people still eat some meat, but surveys suggest that many are adopting a diet with less animal products.
May 09
Article
The largest mammals have always been at the greatest risk of extinction – this is still the case today
Humans hunted many of the world’s large mammals to extinction. This threat still exists today, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
April 20
Article
Humans destroyed forests for thousands of years — we can become the first generation that achieves a world in which forests expand
Why has humanity destroyed such vast forests? And how can we bring this to an end?
April 07
Article
At what age do people experience depression for the first time?
People are being diagnosed with depression at an earlier age than in the past because of increased openness to mental health disorders and improved diagnostic guidelines.
April 04
Article
Increasing agricultural productivity across Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most important problems this century
Agricultural productivity across Sub-Saharan Africa needs to improve to reduce hunger, poverty, and the destruction of biodiversity.
March 24
Article
How could the war in Ukraine impact global food supplies?
Both Ukraine and Russia are some of the world’s largest food exporters. How could global food be impacted?
March 22
Article
Malaria: One of the leading causes of child deaths, but progress is possible and you can contribute to it
We do not have to live in a world where 1,320 children die from a preventable disease every day.
March 18
Article
The International Energy Agency publishes the detailed, global energy data we all need, but its funders force it behind paywalls. Let's ask them to change it.
For energy security and progress on climate change we need open data on energy. The funders of the IEA can make this happen.
March 15
Article
The future is vast – what does this mean for our own life?
If we manage to avoid a large catastrophe, we are living at the early beginnings of human history.
March 08
Article
Migration data: our sources and definitions
Where does our migration data come from? How are these metrics defined?