Data Insights
Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every few days.
March 28, 2024
February 2024 was the ninth consecutive month of record-high temperatures
February this year marked the ninth consecutive month of record-breaking global temperatures.
We see this from monthly temperature anomalies. Anomalies compare current temperatures to historical averages, showing us shifts over time.
In the chart, each line represents the temperature anomaly in a given year. As you can see, the line for 2023 was markedly above every other year on the chart from June onward. And the first two months of 2024, visible in the top left corner, have also set new records.
In February, the global surface air temperature was 0.81°C above the 1991–2020 average for the same month.
March 27, 2024
Nuclear weapons tests are much less common than in the past
The first time a nuclear bomb was ever detonated was in the Trinity test, conducted by the United States in July 1945. Less than a month later, nuclear bombs were used against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Nuclear weapons have not been used in combat again. But more than 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted by eight countries.
Between 1958 and 1961, the United States and the Soviet Union temporarily suspended nuclear tests. But, as we can see on the chart, their number peaked immediately afterward. In 1962, a total of 178 nuclear bombs were detonated — roughly one test every two days.
Thankfully, the number of nuclear tests has decreased rapidly since the mid-1980s. In the last two decades, only 6 tests have been conducted, all by North Korea. The last test took place in 2017.
March 25, 2024
Richer countries often use much of their crops for animal feed and biofuels
Richer countries tend to use less of their crops for human food, and more for animal feed and biofuels. This is what the chart shows: in several countries, less than a quarter of cereals are used for direct consumption as human food.
In poorer countries, supplies are tighter and they can’t afford the inefficiency. Most crop production goes directly to human consumption.
March 22, 2024
Colonialism meant that for centuries, many territories and people were ruled from elsewhere
Two hundred years ago, large parts of the world were ruled by a few European colonial powers, as the chart shows.
Since then, people in many countries have fought against colonial rule.
A first wave of countries gained independence in the 19th century, particularly in the Americas.
However, most countries did not gain independence until the middle of the 20th century.
March 20, 2024
Plastic recycling rates are increasing, but slowly, in many regions
Over the last twenty years, plastic waste recycling has considerably increased worldwide, as the chart shows.
OECD countries in the European Union, India, and China have spearheaded this growth. By 2019, recycling rates were 12–13%. Non-OECD Asian countries and Latin America have also made headway, but more slowly.
The United States and the Middle East & North Africa region have seen more sluggish advances, with the US only managing to reach a 4.5% recycling rate by 2019, according to the OECD data.
Different regional strategies and capacities have led to markedly different outcomes in plastic waste management.
March 18, 2024
The modal age at death has been rising
The “modal age at death” is the most common age at which people in a population die. The modal age at death for women in Japan in 2021 was 93. In France, it was 92.
This metric helps us understand trends in longevity at older ages. Unlike life expectancy, it is not affected by infant or child mortality.
You can see that over time, the figure has been rising steadily. In France in 1970, the modal age at death was 84 years for women, but now it is 8 years higher.
Large gains in longevity have occurred even among the elderly.
March 6, 2024
Extreme poverty in China has been almost eliminated — first in urban, then in rural regions
In 1981, 97% of people in the Chinese countryside lived in extreme poverty. Even in cities, it was more than 70%.
Since then, large economic growth has made it possible for hundreds of millions of people in China to leave extreme poverty behind, first in cities and then in the countryside.
By 2020, the share of people living in extreme poverty in both urban and rural areas was below 1%.
March 5, 2024
Solar and wind gain an edge over coal in a number of countries
Solar and wind have surpassed coal as a source of electricity generation in a number of countries, as the chart shows. This marks a substantial shift towards more sustainable sources of energy.
Even in the United States, the world’s third-largest producer of coal electricity, the gap between solar and wind power, and coal is now very small. The adoption of clean energy is accelerating.
March 4, 2024
Differences in life expectancy across the world are extremely large
People in richer countries tend to live much longer than those in poorer countries.
We can see this in the cross-country life expectancy statistics shown on the chart. In Japan, life expectancy at birth is about 85 years, while in Chad and Nigeria, life expectancy is about 52 years — a gap of over three decades.
March 1, 2024
Pacemakers are crucial to people with heart rhythm disorders, but their adoption varies widely
Pacemakers are crucial medical devices for people with heart disorders and irregular heartbeats. They provide a steady heart rhythm and help the heart pump blood effectively to the rest of the body.
The chart shows that there are large differences in the rates of pacemaker implantations across countries.
In France and Sweden, over 1,000 per million people each year receive pacemaker implantations. In Egypt and Turkey, that figure is less than 150.