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Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems

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3297 charts across 297 topics

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All our articles on global problems and global changes

Demographic Change

Population change

Life and death

Distribution of the World Population

Health

The global average life expectancy is 73 years.

The global inequality is large.

When and why did the average age at which people die increase and how can we make further progress against early death?

Life Expectancy

5.5 million children younger than five die every year.

The global child mortality rate is 3.9%.

Why are children dying and what can be done to prevent it?

Child and Infant Mortality

303,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes every year.

What could be more tragic than a mother losing her life in the moment that she is giving birth to her newborn? Why are mothers dying and what can be done to prevent these deaths?

Maternal Mortality

The world has seen great improvements in health.

But there are still large inequalities.

An overview of our research on global health.

Global Health

56 million people die every year.

What do they die from?

How did the causes of death change over time?

Causes of Death

The global burden of disease is large.

Per year 2.5 billion healthy life years are lost due to diseases, accidents, and premature deaths

How is the burden of disease distributed and how did it change over time?

Burden of Disease

9.6 million people die from cancer every year.

54% are younger than 70 years old.

Cancers are one of the leading causes of death globally. Are we making progress against cancer?

Cancer

An estimated 792 million people have a mental health disorder.

We provide a global overview of the prevalence of depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.

Mental Health

800,000 die from suicide per year.

58% are younger than 50 years old.

Every suicide is a tragedy. But they can be prevented.

Suicide

Health risks

5 million people die prematurely from air pollution each year.

Our overview on both indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Air Pollution

3.4 million people die prematurely from outdoor air pollution every year.

43% are younger than 70 years old.

Outdoor air pollution is one of the world’s largest health and environmental problems.

Outdoor Air Pollution

1.6 million people die prematurely from indoor air pollution every year.

55% are younger than 70 years old.

Indoor air pollution – caused by the burning of firewood, crop waste, and dung for cooking and heating – is a major health risk of the world’s poorest.

Indoor Air Pollution

13% of adults are obese, globally.

Obesity is responsible for 4.7 million premature deaths every year.

When did obesity increase? How do rates vary across the world? What is the health impact?

Obesity

8.1 million people die prematurely from smoking every year.

Half are younger than 70 years old.

Tobacco smoking is one of the world’s largest health problems today.

Smoking

2.8 million people die prematurely from alcohol consumption every year.

74% are younger than 70 years old.

Who consumes the most alcohol? How has consumption changed over time? And what are the health impacts?

Alcohol Consumption

11.8 million people die prematurely from drug use every year.

This includes tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and illicit drug use.

Drug use – which includes smoking, alcohol, and illicit drug use is one of the world’s largest health problems today.

Drug Use

590,000 people die prematurely from illicit drug use every year.

42% are younger than 50 years old.

How common is the use and addiction to opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis? What is the impact?

Opioids, cocaine, cannabis and illicit drugs

Infectious diseases

COVID-19 developed into a global pandemic.

Country-by-country data and research on the pandemic. Updated daily.

Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)

1 million people die from HIV/AIDS each year.

84% are younger than 50 years old.

A global epidemic and the leading cause of death in some countries.

HIV / AIDS

620,000 people die from malaria every year.

57% are children younger than 5 years old.

The deadly disease transmitted by mosquitoes is one of the leading causes of death in children. How did we eliminate the disease in some world regions and how can we continue progress against malaria?

Malaria

Humanity has already eradicated one severe disease.

Which ones could we eradicate in our lifetimes and how?

Eradication of Diseases

1.6 million people die from diarrheal diseases every year.

One-third are children under five years old.

Diarrheal diseases are one of the leading cause of child deaths while they are largely preventable. How can we continue to make progress against these diseases?

Diarrheal diseases

In the past smallpox killed millions every year.

Humanity eradicated this infectious disease globally. How was this possible?

Smallpox

One generation ago polio paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children every year.

Now the world can possibly eradicate it: polio remains endemic in only 2 countries.

Polio

2.6 million people die from pneumonia every year.

One-third are children younger than five years old.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children younger than 5 years.

Pneumonia

40,000 people die from Tetanus every year.

Half are children under the age of five.

Tetanus is a bacterial infection that leads to painful muscle contractions and possibly death.

Tetanus

Health institutions and interventions

Food and Agriculture

Nutrition

11% of the world population – 820 million people – are undernourished.

22% of children younger than five are ‘stunted’.

What are the consequences of undernourishment and how can we make progress against hunger and undernourishment?

Hunger and Undernourishment

Around 130 million people died in famines during the last 150 years.

This estimate is based on our historical reconstructions.

In many parts of the world famines have been common in the past. What causes famines? How can famines be averted?

Famines

2,884 kcal per day is the global average food supply per person.

There are large inequalities in food supply across countries.

How had the availability of food changed over time? How does food supply vary across the world today?

Food Supply

Human height gives us an indicator of changes in health and nutrition in the past.

The average height of a population can inform us about the nutrition and living conditions of populations in the past for which we have little other data.

Human Height

An estimated 2 billion people are deficient in essential micronutrients.

Food is not only a source of energy and protein, but also micronutrients – vitamins and minerals – which are essential to good health. Who is most affected by the ‘hidden hunger’ of micronutrient deficiency?

Micronutrient Deficiency

A diverse diet is essential for good nutrition.

There are large inequalities in dietary diversity between countries.

What do people across the world eat?

Diet Compositions

Food prices are important for both consumers and farmers.

Food needs to be affordable for people, and at the same it is a key source of income for one-quarter of the world’s labor force.

Food Prices

13% of adults are obese, globally.

Obesity is responsible for 4.7 million premature deaths every year.

When did obesity increase? How do rates vary across the world? What is the health impact?

Obesity

2.8 million people die prematurely from alcohol consumption every year.

74% are younger than 70 years old.

Who consumes the most alcohol? How has consumption changed over time? And what are the health impacts?

Alcohol Consumption

Food Production

Agricultural inputs

Energy and Environment

Energy

Waste

Air and Climate

Water

Land and Ecosystems

Poverty and Economic Development

Public Sector

Poverty and Prosperity

Economic Inequality

Labor

Corruption

Living conditions, Community and Wellbeing

Time is the ultimate limited resource

How do people across the world spend their time? How do daily activities differ across countries, and how do these differences matter for people’s lives? Explore data and research on time use.

Time Use

The institution of marriage is changing quickly

How is the institution of marriage changing? What percentage of marriages end in divorce? Explore global data on marriages and divorces.

Marriages and Divorces

Loneliness is common across the world.

Family and friends are important for our well-being. In this article we explore data on loneliness and social connections, and review available evidence on the link between social connections and well-being.

Loneliness and Social Connections

Life satisfaction and happiness vary widely both within and among countries.

Self-reported life satisfaction differs widely between people and between countries. What explains these differences?

Happiness and Life Satisfaction

Health, education and living standards have increased in recent decades, but more progress is needed.

The HDI is a measure of human development that captures health, education, and income. How does the index vary around the world, and how did it change over time?

Human Development Index (HDI)

An estimated 17% of children globally work.

Why and where do children work? How did child labor change over time?

Child Labor

Many people have to work long hours with for very low incomes.

How much time do people across the world spend working? How have working hours changed over time, and what do these changes matter for people’s lives? Explore data and research on working hours.

Working Hours

55% of the world population live in urban areas.

In 1960 it was 34%.

The world population is moving to cities. Why is urbanization happening and what are the consequences?

Urbanization

Tourism is an important source of income and employment for many countries.

How many travel for tourism? Where do they go?

Tourism

Culture

Housing

One-quarter of the world do not have access to safe drinking water

Explore global access to clean water and sanitation.

Clean Water and Sanitation

13% of the world do not have access to electricity.

40% do not have access to clean fuels for cooking.

Access to electricity and clean cooking fuels are vital for a good standard of living and good health.

Access to Energy
  • 2.1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water.

That's 29% of the world population.

Clean and safe water is essential for good health. How did access change over time? Where do people lack access?

Clean Water

Homelessness is a problem in countries around the world.

How many are homeless? How did homelessness change over time?

Homelessness

1.6 million people die prematurely from indoor air pollution every year.

55% are younger than 70 years old.

Indoor air pollution – caused by the burning of firewood, crop waste, and dung for cooking and heating – is a major health risk of the world’s poorest.

Indoor Air Pollution

Many do not have light at night

Light at night was once expensive everywhere. In some places people are still lacking light at night, while in other places light became extremely cheap.

Light at Night
  • 4.5 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation.

That's 60% of the world population.

Access to safe sanitation is essential for reducing deaths from infectious disease, preventing malnutrition and providing dignity. What is the global situation today and how can we make progress?

Sanitation

Violence and War

War and Peace

Violence

Education and Knowledge

Educational outcomes

Access to Education

Inequality in education

Inputs to education

Media