The world often feels like it’s falling apart, but the data tells a different story. Here are 32 charts showing measurable human progress across health, education, technology, environment, and human rights.
Last updated: 2025-08-17
16 Bad Things That Are Decreasing
Legal Slavery
Number of countries where slavery is legal
Maternal Deaths
Deaths per 100,000 live births
Oil Spills
1,000 tons spilled per year
Solar Panel Price
Average price of PV modules, $/W
Child Mortality
Children dying before age 5, percent
Battle Deaths
Deaths in state conflicts per 100,000 people
CO₂ Intensity
Carbon emissions per dollar of GDP
Plane Crash Deaths
Aviation fatalities per million passengers
Disaster Deaths
Natural disaster deaths, thousands per year
Nuclear Warheads
Global nuclear weapons, thousands
Air Pollution
Sulfur dioxide emissions, kg per person
Ozone Depletion
Ozone-depleting substances, thousands of tons
Hunger
Population undernourished, percent
Extreme Poverty
Population in extreme poverty, percent
Smoking
Share of adults who smoke
Homicide Rate
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people
16 Good Things That Are Increasing
Scientific Research
Scholarly articles published per year
Food Production
Cereal crop yield, tonnes per hectare
Adult Literacy
Population that can read and write, percent
Democracy
Countries that are electoral + liberal democracies
Electricity Access
Population with electrical power, percent
Mobile Communications
Mobile phone subscriptions, percent
Clean Water
Population with safe water access, percent
Internet Access
Population using the internet, percent
Life Expectancy
Average lifespan at birth, years
Clean Energy
Renewable electricity generation, percent
Improved Sanitation
Share of the population using safely managed sanitation facilities
Protected Land
Share of land under legal protection
Women’s Right to Vote
Number of countries where women can vote
Monitored Species
Number of species evaluated for conservation status
Comprehensive Vaccination
Share of one-year-olds with all six basic vaccines
Child Cancer Survival
5-year survival rate for childhood cancer
The Big Picture
These charts represent decades of human effort, innovation, and cooperation. While challenges remain, the trajectory is clear: by most measures that matter for human wellbeing, we are making remarkable progress.
The data comes primarily from Our World in Data, with additional sources including Gapminder, WHO, IMDb, and Discogs.
This post is automatically updated monthly with the latest available data.