Data Insights
Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, written by our team.
Was the global decline of extreme poverty only due to China?
The share of the world population living in extreme poverty has never declined as rapidly as in the past three decades.
The decline in China was particularly fast, and given that one in six people in the world live there, we’re often asked whether the decline in global poverty was only due to the decline in China.
The chart shows the data that answers this question. In red, we see the global decline. In green, we see the decline if we exclude China from the data. In the world outside of China, 29% lived in extreme poverty in 1990 — by 2022, this share was down to 11%.
The large economic growth that lifted 800 million Chinese people out of extreme poverty since 1990 was a major contributor to the global decline in poverty. But the non-Chinese world also achieved a very large reduction.
It is not true that the global decline in poverty was only due to China. Extreme poverty has declined in China and the rest of the world.
Data on suicides is lacking, especially from poorer countries
Many countries do not collect or publish national data on suicides, especially poorer countries.
Around 60% of high-income countries have shared data on annual suicide rates in a given year with the World Health Organization, but less than 20% of lower-middle-income countries do, and no low-income countries have done so since 2011.
This lack of data is partly due to an absence of vital registries — where death certificates are collected — and coroners, doctors, and legal systems to determine and record causes of death across the population.
Without this data, statistical organizations estimate suicide rates based on other data, such as surveys and data from similar countries. This is challenging because suicide is highly stigmatized in many countries and sometimes even criminalized.
The chart also shows that more countries have improved their data collection and reporting systems. With more effort to improve vital registries, we will gain a greater understanding of where and why suicides occur, who is at risk, and how to prevent this tragic cause of death.
The global eradication of polio is within reach
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children, causing paralysis and permanent disability; it can also lead to death.
In the early 1980s, over 50,000 cases were reported annually. This only includes cases that have been diagnosed and reported to health authorities. The true number of total cases was likely higher than 300,000 in the worst years.
The number of reported cases has been dramatically reduced in recent years. We have just updated the data shown in the chart. Last year, there were 536 paralytic polio cases worldwide.
Much of this reduction has come from global efforts toward better vaccination and improved screening and testing, primarily coordinated by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), founded in 1988.
Global polio eradication is possible through high vaccination rates, thorough screening and testing to detect cases, and rapid, high-quality immunization campaigns to limit outbreaks.
Read more on how our generation can eradicate polio globally →
Over 33,000 near-Earth asteroids have been detected since 1990
Since the late 20th century, astronomers and space agencies have taken steps to monitor the threat of large asteroids passing near Earth. International initiatives were established to detect, track, and characterize these celestial bodies to safeguard our planet from possible collisions.
As the chart shows, more than 33,000 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered and tracked since 1990. NASA estimates that over 90% of all the near-Earth objects larger than 1 kilometer have already been discovered.
Emissions of substances that deplete the ozone layer have fallen by more than 99% since 1989
In 1987, countries around the world signed the Montreal Protocol to reduce emissions of ozone-depleting substances — such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and halon gases used in refrigerators, deodorants, and other industrial processes.
This chart shows that since the Montreal agreement entered into force in 1989, global emissions of ozone-depleting substances have fallen by more than 99% as manufacturers have substituted them for less harmful alternatives.
The Montreal Protocol is one of the most successful international agreements to date.