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

14,371 charts across 123 topicsAll free: open access and open source

## Our Mission

What do we need to know to make the world a better place?

To make progress against the pressing problems the world faces, we need to be informed by the best research and data.

Our World in Data makes this knowledge accessible and understandable, to empower those working to build a better world.

Read about our mission Subscribe to our newsletters

**We are a non-profit — all our work is free to use and open source.** Consider supporting us if you find our work valuable.

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As seen on

## Featured work

NewArticle · 12 min read

What is foreign aid? How “Official Development Assistance” is measured

Foreign aid measurement is complicated — what exactly counts as Official Development Assistance, what doesn’t, and how much is actually spent abroad?

Simon van Teutem and Pablo Arriagada

From our classics

Global poverty in an unequal world: Who is considered poor in a rich country? And what does this mean for our understanding of global poverty?

What would global poverty look like if we rely on the notions of poverty in countries like Denmark, the US, or Germany? And why does this matter?

Max Roser

Data update

We’ve updated our charts on famines

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

Bastian Herre, Veronika Samborska, Joe Hasell, and Max Roser

Article · 15 min read

Air pollution kills millions every year — where does it come from?

A breakdown of the sources of many air pollutants that damage our health and ecosystems.

Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado

Article · 8 min read

How much foreign aid is spent domestically rather than overseas?

In many countries, a significant share of aid is spent domestically on hosting refugees, offering student scholarships, and administrative costs.

Simon van Teutem and Hannah Ritchie

See all our latest work

See all our latest work

## Data Insights

Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every few days.

See all Data Insights

April 18

### Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico account for 59% of people living in poverty in Latin America

A recent report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) highlights the high concentration of poverty in Latin America. Across the region, around 89 million people — more than one in seven — live on less than $3.65 a day.

Poverty can be measured using various poverty lines; here, we’re looking at the $3.65 line, which the World Bank uses to define poverty in lower-middle-income countries.

The chart shows that 52.2 million people living under this line are in just three countries — Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico — representing 59% of the region’s total.

As the report explains, while Brazil and Mexico don’t have the highest poverty rates, their large populations mean they have the largest number of people living below this line. Venezuela, in contrast, has a smaller population but one of the region’s highest poverty rates.

Identifying where poverty is most concentrated can help target efforts to reduce and eliminate it.

You can explore more data on poverty, including different poverty lines and world regions, in our Poverty Data Explorer →

Continue reading

April 16

### Recent surges in house prices have affected many — but not all — countries in the European Union

One of the most pressing problems I hear from European friends is that they cannot find an affordable place to live. Housing costs represent one of the largest expenses for most Europeans. While many people rent, purchasing a home remains a goal for some.

The chart shows the change in house prices of residential properties purchased by households in 12 countries across the European Union since 2010. In many, prices have increased sharply (even after inflation). Portugal shows the most dramatic increase, with prices rising by 50%.

But this large increase has not happened everywhere. Rises have been more modest in France and Belgium, and prices have actually fallen considerably in Romania and Italy.

These huge differences matter to young Europeans hoping to find their first home after leaving their family house.

Continue reading

April 14

### Every year, more than half of the global area burned by wildfire is in Africa

It’s often difficult to understand the scale of wildfires globally. That’s because most news coverage focuses on only a few countries.

News headlines might be filled with stories about large fires in Greece, Portugal, the United States, or Canada, but when we look at the data, the global total is no higher than usual.

This is because the global trend is so strongly dictated by the extent of fires in Africa, which we almost never hear about. As you can see in the chart, Africa experiences more than half of the burned area globally every year. In some years, it’s as much as two-thirds of the total.

Whether it’s a “high” or “low” year for wildfires globally largely reflects whether it’s a high or low year for Africa. These global trends don’t tell us much about the extent of wildfires in other regions.

Track global, regional, and country-level data on wildfires, which we update weekly →

Continue reading

April 11

### In several countries, air travel emissions now surpass pre-pandemic levels

Global air travel collapsed in 2020 as lockdowns and travel restrictions took effect. With fewer flights, CO₂ emissions from commercial aviation fell sharply. The chart shows Egypt as an example, where they dropped by more than half.

As air travel rebounded, emissions rose too — in many countries, they’ve now surpassed pre-pandemic levels. These countries are highlighted in red on the chart.

Emissions from flying make up about 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions, but air travel has one of the highest carbon footprints per passenger. As demand grows, reducing its impact will be important for meeting climate goals.

Read my colleague Hannah Ritchie’s article to learn more about aviation’s contribution to global CO₂ emissions →

Continue reading

April 10

### Japan’s cherry trees have been blossoming earlier due to warmer spring temperatures

The peak flowering of cherry trees in Kyoto, Japan, has been recorded since the ninth century. Yasuyuki Aono and colleagues from the Osaka Prefecture University collated this data from historical diaries and chronicles, indicating the dates on which cherry blossom viewing parties had been held or other observations of peak blossom.

In 2025, the peak cherry blossom happened on April 4th.

This long-run data is a proxy measure for how the climate has changed. The onset of cherry blossoms is linked with warmer temperatures. Since the early 20th century, the combined effects of urbanization and higher temperatures due to climate change have gradually moved the peak blossom earlier in the year.

Explore this data in our interactive visualization →

Continue reading

April 09

### The Arctic is the world’s region that has warmed the most, followed by Europe

The world is heating up. By the 2010s, the global average temperature of the air above the surface was about 1°C higher than in the 1940s. But some regions are warming much faster.

The chart shows how average surface air temperatures have changed each decade across continents and oceans compared to historical averages.

The Arctic warmed more than any other region — by the 2010s, it was 2.8°C hotter than in the 1940s.

In the Arctic, melting sea ice has amplified this temperature increase: ice reflects sunlight, so having less of it leads to more warming.

Europe was in second. Since land heats up faster than water, its mostly land-based geography has increased its rate of warming. It has also seen a rapid reduction in aerosols from air pollution. These improvements in air quality can inadvertently increase temperatures because there are fewer aerosols to reflect sunlight.

You can explore how temperatures in each continent, ocean, and country have changed over time →

Continue reading

April 08

### Most of the world’s foreign aid comes from governments, not philanthropic foundations

Foreign aid provides millions worldwide with life-saving treatments, emergency food supplies, and humanitarian assistance.

But where does most of this money come from: the governments of rich countries, or wealthy individuals?

95% of foreign aid comes from governments. Less than 5% comes from private philanthropic donors. This data focuses on larger private donations in the form of grants; it does not include the smaller, individual charity donations you or I might make.

This means that those of us living in wealthy democracies — which is many of our readers — play a key role in determining the size of the global foreign aid budget. If we want more aid to reach the world’s poorest, we hold some power through the governments we elect and the priorities we demand of them.

Most of our governments — including my own in the United Kingdom — do not meet the UN’s target of giving 0.7% of their gross national income in aid. In fact, the UK has recently announced plans to cut its aid budget significantly.

Explore global data on who gives and receives foreign aid →

Continue reading

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## Explore our data

Featured data from our collection of 14,371 interactive charts.

See all our data

### Under-five mortality rateLong-run estimates combining data from UN & Gapminder

Under-five mortality rate Long-run estimates combining data from un & gapminder

#### What share of children die before their fifth birthday?

What could be more tragic than the death of a young child? Child mortality, the death of children under the age of five, is still extremely common in our world today.

The historical data makes clear that it doesn’t have to be this way: it is possible for societies to protect their children and reduce child mortality to very low rates. For child mortality to reach low levels, many things have to go right at the same time: good healthcare, good nutrition, clean water and sanitation, maternal health, and high living standards. We can, therefore, think of child mortality as a proxy indicator of a country’s living conditions.

The chart shows our long-run data on child mortality, which allows you to see how child mortality has changed in countries around the world.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### Share of population living in extreme povertyWorld Bank

Share of population living in extreme povertyWorld Bank

Share of population living in extreme poverty World bank

#### What share of the population lives in extreme poverty?

The UN sets the “International Poverty Line” as a worldwide comparable definition for extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is currently defined as living on less than $2.15 per day. This indicator, published by the World Bank, has successfully drawn attention to the terrible depths of poverty of the poorest people in the world.

Two centuries ago, the majority of the world’s population was extremely poor. Back then, it was widely believed that widespread poverty was inevitable. This turned out to be wrong. Economic growth is possible and makes it possible for entire societies to leave the deep poverty of the past behind. Whether or not countries are leaving the worst poverty behind can be monitored by relying on this indicator.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### Life expectancy at birthLong-run estimates collated from multiple sources by Our World in Data

Life expectancy at birthLong-run estimates collated from multiple sources by Our World in Data

Life expectancy at birth Long-run estimates collated from multiple sources by our world in data

#### How has people’s life expectancy changed over time?

Across the world, people are living longer. In 1900, the global average life expectancy of a newborn was 32 years. By 2021, this had more than doubled to 71 years.

Big improvements were achieved by countries around the world. The chart shows that life expectancy has more than doubled in every region of the world. This improvement is not only due to declining child mortality; life expectancy increased at all ages.

This visualization shows long-run estimates of life expectancy brought together by our team from several different data sources. It also shows that the COVID-19 pandemic led to reduced life expectancy worldwide.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### Per capita CO₂ emissionsLong-run estimates from the Global Carbon Budget

Per capita CO₂ emissionsLong-run estimates from the Global Carbon Budget

Per capita CO₂ emissions Long-run estimates from the global carbon budget

#### How have CO₂ emissions per capita changed?

The main source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is the burning of fossil fuels. It is the primary greenhouse gas causing climate change.

Globally, CO2 emissions have remained at just below 5 tonnes per person for over a decade. Between countries, however, there are large differences, and while emissions are rapidly increasing in some countries, they are rapidly falling in others.

The source for this CO2 data is the Global Carbon Budget, a dataset we update yearly as soon as it is published. In addition to these production-based emissions, they publish consumption-based emissions for the last three decades, which can be viewed in our Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data Explorer.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### GDP per capitaLong-run estimates from the Maddison Project Database

GDP per capitaLong-run estimates from the Maddison Project Database

GDP per capita Long-run estimates from the maddison project database

#### How do average incomes compare between countries around the world?

GDP per capita is a very comprehensive measure of people’s average income. This indicator reveals how large the inequality between people in different countries is. In the poorest countries, people live on less than $1,000 per year, while in rich countries, the average income is more than 50 times higher.

The data shown is sourced from the Maddison Project Database. Drawing together the careful work of hundreds of economic historians, the particular value of this data lies in the historical coverage it provides. This data makes clear that the vast majority of people in all countries were poor in the past. It allows us to understand when and how the economic growth that made it possible to leave the deep poverty of the past behind was achieved.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### Share of people that are undernourishedFAO

Share of people that are undernourishedFAO

Share of people that are undernourished Fao

#### What share of the population is suffering from hunger?

Hunger has been a severe problem for most of humanity throughout history. Growing enough food to feed one’s family was a constant struggle in daily life. Food shortages, malnutrition, and famines were common around the world.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization publishes global data on undernourishment, defined as not consuming enough calories to maintain a normal, active, healthy life. These minimum requirements vary by a person’s sex, weight, height, and activity levels. This is considered in these national and global estimates.

The world has made much progress in reducing global hunger in recent decades. But we are still far away from an end to hunger, as this indicator shows. Tragically, nearly one in ten people still do not get enough food to eat and in recent years — especially during the pandemic — hunger levels have increased.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### Literacy rateLong-run estimates collated from multiple sources by Our World in Data

Literacy rateLong-run estimates collated from multiple sources by Our World in Data

Literacy rate Long-run estimates collated from multiple sources by our world in data

#### When has literacy become a widespread skill?

Literacy is a foundational skill. Children need to learn to read so that they can read to learn. When we fail to teach this foundational skill, people have fewer opportunities to lead the rich and interesting lives that a good education offers.

The historical data shows that only a very small share of the population, a tiny elite, was able to read and write. Over the course of the last few generations, literacy levels increased, but it remains an important challenge for our time to provide this foundational skill to all.

At Our World in Data, we investigated the strengths and shortcomings of the available data on literacy. Based on this work, our team brought together the long-run data shown in the chart by combining several different sources, including the World Bank, the CIA Factbook, and a range of research publications.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

### Share of the population with access to electricityWorld Bank

Share of the population with access to electricityWorld Bank

Share of the population with access to electricity World bank

#### Where do people lack access to even the most basic electricity supply?

Light at night makes it possible to get together after sunset; mobile phones allow us to stay in touch with those far away; the refrigeration of food reduces food waste; and household appliances free up time from household chores. Access to electricity improves people’s living conditions in many ways.

The World Bank data on the world map captures whether people have access to the *most basic* electricity supply — just enough to provide basic lighting and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.

It shows that, especially in several African countries, a large share of the population lacks the benefits that basic electricity offers. No radio and no light at night.

Explore and learn more about this data

Explore and learn more about this data

## Data explorers
See all our Data Explorers

Interactive visualization tools to explore a wide range of related indicators.

Poverty

Data Explorer

Population & Demography

Data Explorer

Global Health

Data Explorer

Energy

Data Explorer

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## All our topics

All our data, research, and writing — topic by topic.

## Population and Demographic Change

- Population Change:
- Population Growth
- Age Structure
- Gender Ratio
- Births & Deaths:
- Life Expectancy
- Fertility Rate
- Child & Infant Mortality
- Geography of the World Population:
- Urbanization
- Migration

## Health

- Life & Death:
- Global Health
- Causes of Death
- Child & Infant Mortality
- Burden of Disease
- Life Expectancy
- Mental Health
- Suicides
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Cancer
- Maternal Mortality
- Health Risks:
- Air Pollution
- Outdoor Air Pollution
- Indoor Air Pollution
- Lead Pollution
- Alcohol Consumption
- Illicit Drug Use
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Infectious Diseases:
- Pandemics
- COVID-19
- Malaria
- HIV/AIDS
- Diarrheal Diseases
- Tuberculosis
- Polio
- Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Influenza
- Pneumonia
- Tetanus
- Mpox (monkeypox)
- Smallpox
- Health Institutions & Interventions:
- Eradication of Diseases
- Vaccination
- Antibiotics & Antibiotic Resistance
- Healthcare Spending

## Energy and Environment

- Climate & Air:
- Climate Change
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Air Pollution
- Outdoor Air Pollution
- Indoor Air Pollution
- Ozone Layer
- Energy Systems:
- Energy
- Access to Energy
- Energy Mix
- Fossil Fuels
- Nuclear Energy
- Renewable Energy
- Metals & Minerals
- Environment & Ecosystems:
- Natural Disasters
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Impacts of Food Production
- Fish & Overfishing
- Animal Welfare
- Land Use
- Water Use & Stress
- Forests & Deforestation
- Wildfires
- Waste & Pollution:
- Plastic Pollution
- Oil Spills
- Lead Pollution
- Waste Management
- Clean Water & Sanitation
- Clean Water
- Sanitation
- Electricity:
- Electricity Mix

## Food and Agriculture

- Food Production:
- Agricultural Production
- Meat & Dairy Production
- Fish & Overfishing
- Crop Yields
- Animal Welfare
- Environmental Impacts of Food Production
- Farm Size
- Agricultural Inputs:
- Land Use
- Fertilizers
- Pesticides
- Employment in Agriculture
- Nutrition:
- Hunger & Undernourishment
- Food Supply
- Food Prices
- Obesity
- Famines
- Diet Compositions
- Micronutrient Deficiency
- Human Height

## Poverty and Economic Development

- Poverty & Prosperity:
- Poverty
- Economic Growth
- Economic Inequality
- Foreign Aid
- Economic Inequality by Gender
- Public Sector:
- Government Spending
- State Capacity
- Taxation
- Corruption
- Healthcare Spending
- Education Spending
- Military Personnel & Spending
- Labor:
- Women's Employment
- Child Labor
- Working Hours
- Global Connections:
- Trade & Globalization
- Migration
- Tourism
- Clean Water & Sanitation
- Clean Water
- Sanitation

## Education and Knowledge

- Education:
- Global Education
- Literacy
- Education Spending
- Knowledge:
- Research & Development
- Internet
- Books

## Innovation and Technological Change

- Technological Change
- Research & Development
- Artificial Intelligence
- Internet
- Space Exploration & Satellites
- Transport

## Living Conditions, Community and Wellbeing

- Housing & Infrastructure:
- Homelessness
- Access to Energy
- Indoor Air Pollution
- Clean Water & Sanitation
- Clean Water
- Sanitation
- Light at Night
- Time Use
- Working Hours
- Relationships:
- Marriages & Divorces
- Loneliness & Social Connections
- Trust
- Happiness & Wellbeing:
- Happiness & Life Satisfaction
- Human Development Index (HDI)

## Human Rights and Democracy

- Human Rights
- Democracy
- State Capacity
- Women's Rights
- LGBT+ Rights
- Corruption
- Economic Inequality by Gender
- Child Labor
- Violence Against Children & Children's Rights

## Violence and War

- War & Peace
- Nuclear Weapons
- Homicides
- Terrorism
- State Capacity
- Military Personnel & Spending
- Violence Against Children & Children's Rights

#### Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone.

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Our World in Data is a project of Global Change Data Lab, a nonprofit based in the UK (Reg. Charity No. 1186433). Our charts, articles, and data are licensed under CC BY, unless stated otherwise. Tools and software we develop are open source under the MIT license. Third-party materials, including some charts and data, are subject to third-party licenses. See our FAQs for more details.

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