Latest

The global population pyramid: How global demography has changed and what we can expect for the 21st century

Global demographic transition signals a shift from young, growing populations to older, stable ones, reshaping societies and economies.

Max Roser

How do we know the history of extreme poverty?

To estimate historical global poverty, researchers can analyze economic data and reconstruct national accounts to understand income levels and inequality in the past.

Joe Hasell and Max Roser

The death of UK coal in five charts

Coal is almost dead in the place where it all began

Hannah Ritchie

Our World in Data is at Y Combinator

We are one of the few non-profits that Y Combinator has decided to accept.

Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Jaiden Mispy, Joe Hasell, and Daniel Gavrilov

India's population growth will come to an end: the number of children has already peaked

The number of children in India peaked in the first decade of the 2000s.

Hannah Ritchie

Is income inequality rising around the world?

Whether inequality is rising or falling depends on where, when, and what aspect of inequality we have in mind.

Joe Hasell

We've updated our topic page on Trade and Globalization

Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

How child mortality has declined in the last two centuries

How has child mortality declined worldwide across the last two centuries?

Hannah Ritchie

Is trade a major driver of income inequality?

Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

Twice as long — life expectancy around the world

Life expectancy has doubled over the last two centuries around the world. How has this happened?

Max Roser

What were the world's deadliest earthquakes?

Hannah Ritchie

The Internet's history has just begun

The Internet has already changed the world, but the big changes it will bring still lie ahead.

Max Roser

How rinderpest was eradicated

Rinderpest was a disease that primarily infected cattle and buffalo. Thanks to a decades-long international campaign, it was the first animal disease to be eradicated.

Sophie Ochmann and Hannah Behrens

How urban is the world?

More than half of the world live in urban areas, and this will continue to grow.

Hannah Ritchie

Now it is possible to take stock - did the world achieve the Millennium Development Goals?

Substantial progress has been achieved in the first 15 years of the new millennium, but in most aspects not as fast as the achievement of the MDGs required.

Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser

The map we need if we want to think about how global living conditions are changing

By showing us where the people in the world are, cartograms help us understand global living conditions better.

Max Roser

FAQs on plastics

Common questions about plastic pollution.

Hannah Ritchie

New teaching notes from Our World in Data

Materials with key interactive data visualizations for five of our most popular topics.

Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

Why is carbon pricing in some countries more successful than in others?

Carbon pricing can be an effective way to reduce emissions. Why is it more successful in some countries?

Guest Authors

Most of us are wrong about how the world has changed — especially those who are pessimistic about the future

The majority of people believe that the share of people in extreme poverty is rising. The opposite is true.

Max Roser

Our World in Data for teaching – what we are learning from your feedback

Esteban Ortiz-Ospina