7 Maps Showing How The World Is Actually Getting Better

It feels like there is a lot of doom and gloom in the world today, from global warming to crime to economic and integrational inequality to political polarization, etc.

It’s very easy to get wrapped up in this negative view of the world and I’m far from immune to it.

I’m now in my early 40s and have 3 young kids and I regularly worry about the type of world they’ll grow up and live in.

However, I thought it might be an interesting exercise to see how the world has changed in the last 40ish years.

And what I’ve found is that so much has gotten better for billions of people.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance, but I think it’s very important that we believe and act to make the world a better place for our kids.

And now on to the maps (note all data maps come from Our World In Data and specific countries are only included if they appear in both datasets.):

Life Expectancy At Birth 1982 vs 2021

Between 1982 and 2021 only 6 countries experienced a decline in life expectancy: Lesotho, Eswatini, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Dominica.

All others saw at least some increase, with 11 seeing increase in life expectancy of 20+ years!

The Data:

Country	Life expectancy at birth 1982	Life expectancy at birth 2021	Absoulte Change In Number of Years	Relative Change
Afghanistan	37.77	61.98	24.22	64.1%
Africa	50.28	61.66	11.38	22.6%
Albania	71.02	76.46	5.44	7.7%
Algeria	57.43	76.38	18.95	33.0%
American Samoa	69.31	72.54	3.23	4.7%
Americas	68.32	74.19	5.87	8.6%
Andorra	77.54	80.37	2.83	3.6%
Angola	43.05	61.64	18.59	43.2%
Anguilla	69.35	76.61	7.26	10.5%
Antigua and Barbuda	73.46	78.50	5.04	6.9%
Argentina	68.94	75.39	6.45	9.4%
Armenia	66.89	72.04	5.15	7.7%
Aruba	71.96	74.63	2.67	3.7%
Asia	60.61	72.53	11.92	19.7%
Australia	74.72	84.53	9.81	13.1%
Austria	73.14	81.58	8.43	11.5%
Azerbaijan	61.45	69.37	7.92	12.9%
Bahamas	68.44	71.60	3.16	4.6%
Bahrain	71.47	78.76	7.29	10.2%
Bangladesh	52.54	72.38	19.84	37.8%
Barbados	72.30	77.57	5.27	7.3%
Belarus	70.46	72.44	1.98	2.8%
Belgium	73.88	81.88	8.00	10.8%
Belize	67.95	70.47	2.52	3.7%
Benin	48.81	59.82	11.01	22.6%
Bermuda	73.75	79.28	5.53	7.5%
Bhutan	49.85	71.82	21.96	44.1%
Bolivia	52.05	63.63	11.58	22.2%
Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba	73.63	75.09	1.46	2.0%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	70.87	75.30	4.43	6.2%
Botswana	61.57	61.14	-0.43	-0.7%
Brazil	62.86	72.75	9.89	15.7%
British Virgin Islands	69.87	74.49	4.62	6.6%
Brunei	69.84	74.64	4.80	6.9%
Bulgaria	71.11	71.80	0.69	1.0%
Burkina Faso	47.60	59.27	11.67	24.5%
Burundi	47.29	61.66	14.37	30.4%
Cambodia	48.74	69.58	20.85	42.8%
Cameroon	52.08	60.33	8.25	15.8%
Canada	75.69	82.66	6.96	9.2%
Cape Verde	61.67	74.05	12.38	20.1%
Cayman Islands	70.93	75.13	4.19	5.9%
Central African Republic	50.30	53.89	3.59	7.1%
Chad	43.73	52.53	8.80	20.1%
Chile	70.30	78.94	8.64	12.3%
China	65.46	78.21	12.75	19.5%
Colombia	67.53	72.83	5.30	7.8%
Comoros	51.89	63.42	11.52	22.2%
Congo	57.02	63.52	6.50	11.4%
Cook Islands	66.28	74.76	8.48	12.8%
Costa Rica	74.65	77.02	2.37	3.2%
Cote d'Ivoire	52.92	58.60	5.68	10.7%
Croatia	69.57	77.58	8.01	11.5%
Cuba	73.13	73.68	0.55	0.8%
Curacao	71.27	75.44	4.17	5.9%
Cyprus	71.98	81.20	9.22	12.8%
Czechia	70.88	77.73	6.85	9.7%
Democratic Republic of Congo	45.92	59.19	13.27	28.9%
Denmark	74.59	81.38	6.78	9.1%
Djibouti	52.77	62.30	9.54	18.1%
Dominica	72.99	72.81	-0.18	-0.2%
Dominican Republic	62.65	72.61	9.97	15.9%
East Timor	30.82	67.74	36.91	119.8%
Ecuador	64.11	73.67	9.56	14.9%
Egypt	57.95	70.22	12.27	21.2%
El Salvador	51.10	70.75	19.64	38.4%
Equatorial Guinea	48.60	60.59	12.00	24.7%
Eritrea	44.86	66.54	21.68	48.3%
Estonia	69.73	77.14	7.42	10.6%
Eswatini	59.02	57.07	-1.95	-3.3%
Ethiopia	43.77	64.97	21.21	48.5%
Europe	71.53	77.03	5.50	7.7%
Falkland Islands	52.19	78.62	26.43	50.7%
Faroe Islands	75.68	79.26	3.58	4.7%
Fiji	62.79	67.11	4.32	6.9%
Finland	74.53	82.04	7.51	10.1%
France	74.76	82.50	7.73	10.3%
French Guiana	67.04	74.89	7.85	11.7%
French Polynesia	68.88	79.49	10.60	15.4%
Gabon	58.11	65.82	7.72	13.3%
Gambia	46.38	62.08	15.71	33.9%
Georgia	67.90	71.69	3.79	5.6%
Germany	73.63	80.63	7.00	9.5%
Ghana	51.38	63.80	12.41	24.2%
Gibraltar	73.34	79.33	5.99	8.2%
Greece	75.29	80.11	4.82	6.4%
Greenland	63.47	72.35	8.88	14.0%
Grenada	68.71	74.94	6.22	9.1%
Guadeloupe	70.93	80.54	9.60	13.5%
Guam	70.32	76.66	6.34	9.0%
Guatemala	50.13	69.24	19.10	38.1%
Guernsey	75.00	82.23	7.23	9.6%
Guinea	43.93	58.89	14.97	34.1%
Guinea-Bissau	44.37	59.65	15.28	34.4%
Guyana	61.41	65.67	4.27	6.9%
Haiti	50.55	63.19	12.64	25.0%
High-income countries	73.66	80.27	6.61	9.0%
Honduras	61.53	70.12	8.60	14.0%
Hong Kong	75.64	85.47	9.84	13.0%
Hungary	69.35	74.53	5.18	7.5%
Iceland	76.77	82.68	5.90	7.7%
India	54.73	67.24	12.51	22.9%
Indonesia	59.76	67.57	7.81	13.1%
Iran	57.73	73.87	16.14	28.0%
Iraq	59.73	70.38	10.65	17.8%
Ireland	73.16	82.00	8.84	12.1%
Isle of Man	69.10	80.53	11.42	16.5%
Israel	73.81	82.26	8.45	11.4%
Italy	74.91	82.85	7.94	10.6%
Jamaica	70.24	70.50	0.26	0.4%
Japan	77.06	84.78	7.72	10.0%
Jersey	74.78	80.66	5.88	7.9%
Jordan	67.15	74.26	7.10	10.6%
Kazakhstan	63.36	69.36	6.00	9.5%
Kenya	60.95	61.43	0.47	0.8%
Kiribati	57.72	67.42	9.70	16.8%
Kosovo	68.30	76.81	8.50	12.5%
Kuwait	71.50	78.67	7.18	10.0%
Kyrgyzstan	61.85	69.98	8.13	13.1%
Land-locked Developing Countries (LLDC)	49.73	63.71	13.98	28.1%
Laos	49.40	68.06	18.66	37.8%
Latin America and the Caribbean	64.14	72.16	8.02	12.5%
Latvia	69.68	73.58	3.90	5.6%
Least developed countries	48.26	64.07	15.81	32.8%
Lebanon	45.13	75.05	29.92	66.3%
Lesotho	57.57	53.06	-4.50	-7.8%
Less developed regions	58.69	69.56	10.87	18.5%
Less developed regions, excluding China	56.54	67.18	10.63	18.8%
Less developed regions, excluding least developed countries	60.54	70.74	10.20	16.8%
Liberia	45.20	60.75	15.54	34.4%
Libya	65.81	71.91	6.10	9.3%
Liechtenstein	69.51	83.26	13.75	19.8%
Lithuania	71.16	73.72	2.56	3.6%
Low-income countries	47.13	62.45	15.32	32.5%
Lower-middle-income countries	55.93	66.45	10.51	18.8%
Luxembourg	72.74	82.63	9.89	13.6%
Macao	74.34	85.40	11.06	14.9%
Madagascar	49.63	64.49	14.85	29.9%
Malawi	45.99	62.90	16.91	36.8%
Malaysia	69.24	74.88	5.64	8.2%
Maldives	57.30	79.92	22.62	39.5%
Mali	41.82	58.94	17.12	40.9%
Malta	70.90	83.78	12.88	18.2%
Marshall Islands	61.40	65.27	3.87	6.3%
Martinique	71.56	80.69	9.13	12.8%
Mauritania	56.27	64.36	8.09	14.4%
Mauritius	66.94	73.56	6.61	9.9%
Mayotte	69.22	74.23	5.01	7.2%
Mexico	65.97	70.21	4.24	6.4%
Micronesia (country)	64.82	70.71	5.89	9.1%
Middle-income countries	59.97	70.11	10.14	16.9%
Moldova	66.18	68.85	2.67	4.0%
Monaco	75.39	85.95	10.56	14.0%
Mongolia	55.78	70.98	15.20	27.2%
Montenegro	71.30	76.34	5.04	7.1%
Montserrat	69.83	75.59	5.76	8.3%
More developed regions	72.79	78.07	5.27	7.2%
Morocco	56.90	74.04	17.15	30.1%
Mozambique	40.70	59.32	18.62	45.7%
Myanmar	54.95	65.67	10.72	19.5%
Namibia	57.64	59.27	1.63	2.8%
Nauru	61.88	63.62	1.74	2.8%
Nepal	48.94	68.45	19.51	39.9%
Netherlands	76.06	81.69	5.63	7.4%
New Caledonia	66.93	79.02	12.09	18.1%
New Zealand	73.72	82.45	8.73	11.8%
Nicaragua	58.61	73.84	15.23	26.0%
Niger	40.30	61.58	21.28	52.8%
Nigeria	46.51	52.68	6.16	13.3%
Niue	68.78	70.82	2.04	3.0%
No income group available	69.42	70.58	1.16	1.7%
North Korea	67.17	73.28	6.12	9.1%
North Macedonia	69.98	73.84	3.86	5.5%
Northern America	74.57	77.73	3.16	4.2%
Northern Mariana Islands	69.39	77.19	7.80	11.2%
Norway	76.02	83.23	7.21	9.5%
Oceania	70.92	79.44	8.53	12.0%
Oman	62.96	72.54	9.58	15.2%
Pakistan	58.42	66.10	7.68	13.2%
Palau	61.19	66.02	4.83	7.9%
Palestine	63.45	73.47	10.02	15.8%
Panama	69.94	76.22	6.28	9.0%
Papua New Guinea	58.11	65.35	7.24	12.5%
Paraguay	65.38	70.26	4.88	7.5%
Peru	60.02	72.38	12.36	20.6%
Philippines	62.78	69.27	6.48	10.3%
Poland	70.99	76.46	5.47	7.7%
Portugal	72.70	81.04	8.34	11.5%
Puerto Rico	73.52	80.16	6.64	9.0%
Qatar	71.50	79.27	7.77	10.9%
Reunion	69.30	81.61	12.31	17.8%
Romania	69.45	74.18	4.73	6.8%
Russia	66.98	69.42	2.44	3.6%
Rwanda	50.69	66.07	15.38	30.3%
Saint Barthelemy	73.04	80.43	7.39	10.1%
Saint Helena	70.12	76.84	6.72	9.6%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	64.28	71.68	7.40	11.5%
Saint Lucia	69.05	71.11	2.06	3.0%
Saint Martin (French part)	73.02	80.38	7.36	10.1%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	71.60	77.19	5.59	7.8%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	70.43	69.63	-0.80	-1.1%
Samoa	65.42	72.77	7.35	11.2%
San Marino	77.06	80.88	3.82	5.0%
Sao Tome and Principe	59.56	67.59	8.03	13.5%
Saudi Arabia	64.30	76.94	12.63	19.6%
Senegal	50.56	67.09	16.53	32.7%
Serbia	68.75	74.19	5.44	7.9%
Seychelles	66.55	71.29	4.75	7.1%
Sierra Leone	43.57	60.06	16.49	37.8%
Singapore	72.26	82.75	10.50	14.5%
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	72.43	73.97	1.54	2.1%
Slovakia	70.76	74.91	4.15	5.9%
Slovenia	70.84	80.69	9.85	13.9%
Small Island Developing States (SIDS)	62.94	70.81	7.87	12.5%
Solomon Islands	63.51	70.35	6.84	10.8%
Somalia	47.83	55.28	7.45	15.6%
South Africa	60.93	62.34	1.41	2.3%
South Korea	67.59	83.70	16.11	23.8%
South Sudan	39.11	54.98	15.86	40.6%
Spain	76.32	83.01	6.69	8.8%
Sri Lanka	69.67	76.40	6.72	9.7%
Sudan	54.32	65.27	10.95	20.1%
Suriname	62.46	70.27	7.82	12.5%
Sweden	76.35	82.98	6.63	8.7%
Switzerland	76.16	83.99	7.83	10.3%
Syria	61.12	72.06	10.94	17.9%
Taiwan	72.51	81.01	8.50	11.7%
Tajikistan	59.68	71.59	11.91	20.0%
Tanzania	51.53	66.20	14.67	28.5%
Thailand	65.16	78.72	13.55	20.8%
Togo	52.26	61.62	9.36	17.9%
Tokelau	66.13	75.23	9.09	13.8%
Tonga	66.07	70.99	4.91	7.4%
Trinidad and Tobago	67.65	72.97	5.32	7.9%
Tunisia	65.42	73.77	8.35	12.8%
Turkey	63.60	76.03	12.43	19.5%
Turkmenistan	61.60	69.26	7.66	12.4%
Turks and Caicos Islands	68.39	74.59	6.20	9.1%
Tuvalu	61.33	64.55	3.22	5.2%
Uganda	43.19	62.70	19.52	45.2%
Ukraine	69.28	71.62	2.34	3.4%
United Arab Emirates	69.66	78.71	9.05	13.0%
United Kingdom	74.04	80.74	6.70	9.1%
United States	74.45	77.20	2.75	3.7%
United States Virgin Islands	69.17	74.72	5.55	8.0%
Upper-middle-income countries	65.16	75.28	10.12	15.5%
Uruguay	71.22	75.44	4.21	5.9%
Uzbekistan	63.56	70.86	7.30	11.5%
Vanuatu	62.54	70.45	7.91	12.7%
Venezuela	69.72	70.55	0.83	1.2%
Vietnam	67.11	73.62	6.51	9.7%
Wallis and Futuna	60.92	78.44	17.52	28.8%
Western Sahara	46.65	70.78	24.13	51.7%
World	61.42	71.05	9.63	15.7%
Yemen	52.41	63.75	11.35	21.7%
Zambia	53.86	61.22	7.36	13.7%
Zimbabwe	59.87	59.25	-0.62	-1.0%

GDP Per Capita 1982 vs 2022

In terms of real GDP per capita (e.g. controlling for inflation), 17 countries experienced real GDP per capita declines during this period with Liberia, Syria, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic seeing sever 50%+ declines.

However, 86 countries experienced GDP growth of over 100% during this period; including the world’s two most populous countries India (395% growth) and China (804%) and 9 out of the top 10 by population (Brazil just missed out on 100%, by only growing 93% during the past 40 years).

In fact China had the largest relative increase of any country on earth, big or small during this time.

Qatar was the biggest winner in absolute terms with a GDP increase of $120,125 USD per person during the 40 years.

The increase in GDP per capita has been the real standout story of the last 40 years.

The number of people lifted out of extreme poverty in China alone is a massive success worthy of celebration.

But what’s even better is that while no other country has grown as quickly, the vast majority of people live in countries where living standards have notably improved over the past 40 years.

The Data:

Country	GDP per capita 1982	GDP per capita 2022	Absolute Change	Relative Change
Afghanistan	$1,270	$1,358	$88	7%
Albania	$3,783	$12,978	$9,195	243%
Algeria	$5,145	$13,506	$8,361	163%
Angola	$1,374	$6,119	$4,745	345%
Argentina	$11,550	$18,292	$6,742	58%
Armenia	$9,809	$13,838	$4,029	41%
Australia	$22,972	$52,049	$29,077	127%
Austria	$22,254	$43,793	$21,539	97%
Azerbaijan	$7,831	$17,683	$9,852	126%
Bahrain	$7,036	$38,652	$31,616	449%
Bangladesh	$869	$4,926	$4,057	467%
Barbados	$11,424	$11,546	$122	1%
Belarus	$10,217	$18,700	$8,483	83%
Belgium	$23,071	$41,872	$18,801	81%
Benin	$1,862	$2,477	$615	33%
Bolivia	$3,816	$6,481	$2,665	70%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	$6,841	$12,143	$5,302	78%
Botswana	$2,640	$16,352	$13,712	519%
Brazil	$7,587	$14,640	$7,053	93%
Bulgaria	$10,154	$20,592	$10,438	103%
Burkina Faso	$1,183	$1,705	$522	44%
Burundi	$985	$717	$-268	-27%
Cambodia	$1,358	$3,944	$2,586	190%
Cameroon	$2,257	$2,812	$555	25%
Canada	$25,151	$45,530	$20,379	81%
Cape Verde	$1,470	$7,203	$5,733	390%
Central African Republic	$1,208	$596	$-612	-51%
Chad	$524	$1,394	$870	166%
Chile	$8,016	$22,741	$14,725	184%
China	$2,128	$19,238	$17,110	804%
Colombia	$6,698	$14,469	$7,771	116%
Comoros	$1,124	$1,900	$776	69%
Congo	$4,355	$4,188	$-167	-4%
Costa Rica	$6,751	$15,497	$8,746	130%
Cote d'Ivoire	$3,131	$4,012	$881	28%
Croatia	$14,123	$26,987	$12,864	91%
Cuba	$4,487	$7,649	$3,162	70%
Cyprus	$10,131	$31,523	$21,392	211%
Czechia	$12,109	$32,247	$20,138	166%
Czechoslovakia	$12,824	$30,641	$17,817	139%
Democratic Republic of Congo	$920	$844	$-76	-8%
Denmark	$24,807	$50,690	$25,883	104%
Djibouti	$3,043	$3,623	$580	19%
Dominica	$2,592	$8,880	$6,288	243%
Dominican Republic	$3,826	$17,714	$13,888	363%
Ecuador	$6,558	$10,124	$3,566	54%
Egypt	$3,543	$13,205	$9,662	273%
El Salvador	$3,339	$9,219	$5,880	176%
Equatorial Guinea	$2,533	$22,707	$20,174	796%
Estonia	$15,927	$30,067	$14,140	89%
Eswatini	$3,005	$8,522	$5,517	184%
Ethiopia	$980	$2,289	$1,309	134%
Finland	$21,495	$40,701	$19,206	89%
Former Sudan	$1,599	$2,405	$806	50%
France	$24,120	$39,066	$14,946	62%
Gabon	$8,099	$15,721	$7,622	94%
Gambia	$1,581	$2,011	$430	27%
Georgia	$11,611	$14,360	$2,749	24%
Germany	$22,380	$46,648	$24,268	108%
Ghana	$1,661	$4,242	$2,581	155%
Greece	$14,153	$25,284	$11,131	79%
Guatemala	$5,903	$7,969	$2,066	35%
Guinea	$858	$1,809	$951	111%
Guinea-Bissau	$1,195	$1,625	$430	36%
Haiti	$1,855	$1,546	$-309	-17%
Honduras	$3,076	$5,187	$2,111	69%
Hong Kong	$18,527	$48,289	$29,762	161%
Hungary	$10,493	$29,452	$18,959	181%
Iceland	$25,477	$42,146	$16,669	65%
India	$1,570	$7,766	$6,196	395%
Indonesia	$2,941	$12,802	$9,861	335%
Iran	$6,535	$18,473	$11,938	183%
Iraq	$7,704	$13,072	$5,368	70%
Ireland	$14,061	$60,257	$46,196	329%
Israel	$18,155	$36,649	$18,494	102%
Italy	$21,123	$36,224	$15,101	71%
Jamaica	$5,019	$7,482	$2,463	49%
Japan	$22,440	$38,269	$15,829	71%
Jordan	$7,401	$9,151	$1,750	24%
Kazakhstan	$11,322	$26,492	$15,170	134%
Kenya	$1,680	$3,404	$1,724	103%
Kuwait	$13,845	$71,534	$57,689	417%
Kyrgyzstan	$5,726	$5,305	$-421	-7%
Laos	$1,256	$7,168	$5,912	471%
Latvia	$14,190	$27,220	$13,030	92%
Lebanon	$2,823	$10,341	$7,518	266%
Lesotho	$1,576	$2,313	$737	47%
Liberia	$3,813	$811	$-3,002	-79%
Libya	$6,661	$12,755	$6,094	91%
Lithuania	$13,654	$30,863	$17,209	126%
Luxembourg	$25,005	$55,485	$30,480	122%
Madagascar	$1,423	$1,367	$-56	-4%
Malawi	$904	$1,190	$286	32%
Malaysia	$6,303	$26,629	$20,326	322%
Mali	$1,030	$1,652	$622	60%
Malta	$9,526	$34,496	$24,970	262%
Mauritania	$1,548	$3,680	$2,132	138%
Mauritius	$7,563	$20,643	$13,080	173%
Mexico	$10,240	$16,235	$5,995	59%
Moldova	$10,026	$6,675	$-3,351	-33%
Mongolia	$1,814	$13,443	$11,629	641%
Montenegro	$7,790	$20,942	$13,152	169%
Morocco	$3,725	$8,400	$4,675	126%
Mozambique	$1,852	$1,088	$-764	-41%
Myanmar	$1,417	$5,177	$3,760	265%
Namibia	$6,064	$7,979	$1,915	32%
Nepal	$1,135	$3,014	$1,879	166%
Netherlands	$22,780	$49,670	$26,890	118%
New Zealand	$20,715	$38,250	$17,535	85%
Nicaragua	$3,360	$5,093	$1,733	52%
Niger	$1,231	$1,008	$-223	-18%
Nigeria	$1,784	$5,070	$3,286	184%
North Macedonia	$9,977	$14,051	$4,074	41%
Norway	$24,141	$88,366	$64,225	266%
Oman	$7,651	$47,989	$40,338	527%
Pakistan	$2,002	$5,532	$3,530	176%
Palestine	$5,088	$4,775	$-313	-6%
Panama	$7,444	$23,557	$16,113	216%
Paraguay	$5,230	$8,763	$3,533	68%
Peru	$6,770	$12,763	$5,993	89%
Philippines	$3,859	$8,371	$4,512	117%
Poland	$8,429	$32,468	$24,039	285%
Portugal	$13,198	$28,992	$15,794	120%
Puerto Rico	$12,511	$35,281	$22,770	182%
Qatar	$29,046	$149,171	$120,125	414%
Romania	$6,490	$26,198	$19,707	304%
Russia	$12,267	$25,437	$13,170	107%
Rwanda	$1,680	$2,198	$518	31%
Saint Lucia	$3,102	$10,452	$7,350	237%
Sao Tome and Principe	$2,817	$3,752	$935	33%
Saudi Arabia	$20,535	$53,517	$32,982	161%
Senegal	$2,168	$2,661	$493	23%
Serbia	$10,949	$17,098	$6,149	56%
Seychelles	$5,786	$31,055	$25,269	437%
Sierra Leone	$1,610	$1,690	$80	5%
Singapore	$14,687	$80,320	$65,633	447%
Slovenia	$20,535	$32,674	$12,139	59%
South Africa	$6,891	$11,416	$4,525	66%
South Korea	$6,821	$41,321	$34,499	506%
Spain	$14,046	$34,123	$20,077	143%
Sri Lanka	$3,151	$10,705	$7,554	240%
Sweden	$24,002	$47,126	$23,124	96%
Switzerland	$27,661	$63,323	$35,662	129%
Syria	$10,817	$2,495	$-8,322	-77%
Taiwan	$8,910	$53,143	$44,233	496%
Tajikistan	$5,498	$5,508	$10	0%
Tanzania	$905	$3,057	$2,152	238%
Thailand	$4,375	$16,421	$12,046	275%
Togo	$1,323	$1,587	$264	20%
Trinidad and Tobago	$18,771	$25,773	$7,002	37%
Tunisia	$4,713	$10,914	$6,201	132%
Turkey	$6,381	$27,362	$20,981	329%
Turkmenistan	$6,575	$17,235	$10,660	162%
USSR	$10,418	$19,355	$8,937	86%
Uganda	$972	$2,122	$1,150	118%
Ukraine	$8,934	$7,749	$-1,185	-13%
United Arab Emirates	$36,635	$77,204	$40,569	111%
United Kingdom	$20,650	$38,407	$17,757	86%
United States	$29,210	$58,487	$29,277	100%
Uruguay	$9,578	$20,182	$10,604	111%
Uzbekistan	$7,594	$12,559	$4,965	65%
Venezuela	$15,423	$5,267	$-10,156	-66%
Vietnam	$1,293	$8,050	$6,757	523%
Yemen	$3,724	$1,959	$-1,765	-47%
Yugoslavia	$10,080	$19,352	$9,272	92%
Zambia	$1,398	$3,342	$1,944	139%
Zimbabwe	$2,240	$1,704	$-536	-24%

Child (Under 5) Mortality Rate 1982 vs 2022

All but one country (Dominica) saw their infant morality rate decline during the 40 year period. And most saw at least a 50% reduction.

And 7 countries Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, North Macedonia, South Korea, Mongolia and Estonia saw their infant mortality rates drop by more than 90%.

Niger was the worst performer in both 1982 and 2022. But the rate in 1982 was 32.46% which dropped to 11.73% in 2022. Now 11.73% is still far too high, but it’s massive improvement in 40 years.

The data:

Country	Under-five mortality rate % 1982	Under-five mortality rate % 2022	Absloute Change	Relative Change
Afghanistan	23.32	5.77	-17.55	-75.3%
Albania	6.90	0.94	-5.96	-86.3%
Algeria	12.04	2.18	-9.86	-81.9%
Angola	23.43	6.69	-16.74	-71.5%
Antigua and Barbuda	1.41	0.95	-0.46	-32.7%
Argentina	3.66	0.94	-2.71	-74.2%
Armenia	6.77	1.03	-5.75	-84.8%
Australia	1.22	0.38	-0.84	-69.1%
Austria	1.48	0.32	-1.16	-78.3%
Azerbaijan	11.07	1.81	-9.26	-83.7%
Bahamas	2.87	1.29	-1.58	-55.0%
Bahrain	2.89	0.65	-2.24	-77.5%
Bangladesh	19.52	2.88	-16.64	-85.3%
Barbados	2.44	1.09	-1.35	-55.4%
Belarus	1.94	0.26	-1.68	-86.7%
Belgium	1.33	0.37	-0.96	-72.2%
Belize	5.99	1.09	-4.90	-81.7%
Benin	20.39	8.08	-12.31	-60.4%
Bhutan	18.09	2.37	-15.72	-86.9%
Bolivia	15.98	2.39	-13.59	-85.0%
Botswana	6.48	3.87	-2.60	-40.2%
Brazil	8.75	1.40	-7.34	-84.0%
British Virgin Islands	3.26	1.31	-1.96	-59.9%
Brunei	1.81	0.97	-0.83	-46.0%
Bulgaria	2.22	0.61	-1.61	-72.6%
Burkina Faso	22.75	7.88	-14.87	-65.4%
Burundi	20.25	5.05	-15.20	-75.1%
Cambodia	13.95	2.37	-11.58	-83.0%
Cameroon	16.77	6.98	-9.79	-58.4%
Canada	1.12	0.49	-0.62	-55.8%
Cape Verde	7.84	1.23	-6.61	-84.3%
Central African Republic	18.39	9.68	-8.71	-47.4%
Chad	23.54	10.29	-13.25	-56.3%
Chile	2.70	0.63	-2.07	-76.7%
China	5.76	0.66	-5.10	-88.5%
Colombia	5.18	1.24	-3.94	-76.1%
Comoros	16.43	4.82	-11.62	-70.7%
Congo	10.17	4.16	-6.01	-59.1%
Cook Islands	2.73	0.69	-2.03	-74.5%
Costa Rica	2.29	0.77	-1.51	-66.1%
Cote d'Ivoire	16.13	6.94	-9.20	-57.0%
Croatia	2.10	0.46	-1.64	-78.1%
Cuba	2.00	0.80	-1.20	-60.2%
Cyprus	1.78	0.35	-1.43	-80.3%
Czechia	1.52	0.26	-1.26	-82.7%
Democratic Republic of Congo	20.63	7.56	-13.07	-63.4%
Denmark	0.96	0.35	-0.61	-63.4%
Djibouti	14.47	5.19	-9.28	-64.1%
Dominica	2.22	3.22	1.00	44.8%
Dominican Republic	8.06	3.24	-4.82	-59.8%
Ecuador	8.21	1.22	-6.99	-85.2%
Egypt	14.89	1.81	-13.08	-87.9%
El Salvador	9.46	1.19	-8.27	-87.4%
Equatorial Guinea	20.11	7.34	-12.77	-63.5%
Eritrea	18.83	3.66	-15.17	-80.6%
Estonia	2.09	0.19	-1.90	-91.0%
Eswatini	10.26	5.00	-5.25	-51.2%
Ethiopia	23.53	4.62	-18.90	-80.4%
Fiji	4.05	2.82	-1.23	-30.3%
Finland	0.79	0.23	-0.56	-70.6%
France	1.15	0.41	-0.74	-64.6%
Gabon	11.21	3.88	-7.33	-65.4%
Gambia	21.70	4.56	-17.14	-79.0%
Georgia	5.48	0.93	-4.55	-83.0%
Germany	1.32	0.36	-0.97	-73.0%
Ghana	16.42	4.23	-12.19	-74.2%
Greece	1.72	0.39	-1.33	-77.4%
Grenada	3.34	1.60	-1.73	-52.0%
Guatemala	13.55	2.21	-11.35	-83.7%
Guinea	27.15	9.60	-17.55	-64.7%
Guinea-Bissau	25.04	7.19	-17.85	-71.3%
Guyana	6.92	2.66	-4.27	-61.6%
Haiti	18.05	5.65	-12.40	-68.7%
Honduras	8.62	1.60	-7.02	-81.4%
Hungary	2.22	0.40	-1.82	-82.0%
Iceland	0.87	0.26	-0.60	-69.8%
India	15.91	2.91	-13.00	-81.7%
Indonesia	11.33	2.13	-9.20	-81.2%
Iran	9.30	1.20	-8.10	-87.1%
Iraq	6.71	2.35	-4.36	-65.0%
Ireland	1.24	0.31	-0.92	-74.7%
Israel	1.66	0.34	-1.32	-79.5%
Italy	1.43	0.26	-1.17	-81.7%
Jamaica	3.53	1.88	-1.65	-46.8%
Japan	0.88	0.23	-0.65	-74.2%
Jordan	5.03	1.41	-3.62	-71.9%
Kazakhstan	6.60	0.97	-5.63	-85.3%
Kenya	10.24	4.11	-6.13	-59.9%
Kiribati	11.52	5.64	-5.88	-51.0%
Kuwait	2.99	0.86	-2.13	-71.2%
Kyrgyzstan	9.26	1.73	-7.54	-81.4%
Laos	19.38	4.04	-15.34	-79.2%
Latvia	2.03	0.32	-1.71	-84.2%
Lebanon	4.71	1.74	-2.97	-63.1%
Lesotho	11.18	7.22	-3.96	-35.4%
Liberia	23.87	7.32	-16.55	-69.3%
Libya	6.38	1.03	-5.34	-83.8%
Lithuania	1.92	0.35	-1.57	-81.6%
Luxembourg	1.25	0.27	-0.98	-78.7%
Madagascar	17.60	6.58	-11.03	-62.6%
Malawi	24.52	4.01	-20.51	-83.6%
Malaysia	2.64	0.78	-1.86	-70.3%
Maldives	13.46	0.56	-12.90	-95.9%
Mali	28.44	9.38	-19.07	-67.0%
Malta	1.56	0.56	-1.00	-64.0%
Marshall Islands	6.16	2.86	-3.29	-53.5%
Mauritania	15.63	3.92	-11.71	-74.9%
Mauritius	3.45	1.50	-1.95	-56.6%
Mexico	6.54	1.28	-5.26	-80.4%
Micronesia (country)	5.95	2.42	-3.53	-59.3%
Moldova	4.65	1.42	-3.24	-69.6%
Mongolia	15.09	1.34	-13.75	-91.1%
Montserrat	3.00	0.66	-2.34	-77.9%
Morocco	12.13	1.73	-10.40	-85.8%
Mozambique	26.49	6.62	-19.87	-75.0%
Myanmar	13.43	4.01	-9.42	-70.2%
Namibia	9.77	3.79	-5.98	-61.2%
Nepal	19.43	2.73	-16.70	-85.9%
Netherlands	1.04	0.39	-0.65	-62.3%
New Zealand	1.48	0.46	-1.02	-68.8%
Nicaragua	9.58	1.52	-8.06	-84.1%
Niger	32.46	11.73	-20.73	-63.8%
Nigeria	20.79	10.72	-10.07	-48.5%
Niue	2.61	2.48	-0.13	-4.8%
North Korea	3.87	1.70	-2.16	-56.0%
North Macedonia	5.50	0.46	-5.03	-91.6%
Norway	0.99	0.22	-0.77	-78.1%
Oman	9.09	1.05	-8.04	-88.4%
Pakistan	16.05	6.10	-9.96	-62.0%
Palau	4.28	2.23	-2.04	-47.8%
Palestine	7.02	1.43	-5.59	-79.6%
Panama	4.06	1.33	-2.74	-67.4%
Papua New Guinea	10.02	4.14	-5.88	-58.7%
Paraguay	6.11	1.74	-4.37	-71.5%
Peru	11.98	1.51	-10.47	-87.4%
Philippines	7.68	2.75	-4.93	-64.2%
Poland	2.26	0.44	-1.82	-80.4%
Portugal	2.42	0.32	-2.11	-87.0%
Qatar	3.29	0.52	-2.76	-84.0%
Romania	3.27	0.68	-2.59	-79.3%
Russia	2.66	0.48	-2.19	-82.1%
Rwanda	18.66	3.80	-14.85	-79.6%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	4.50	1.54	-2.96	-65.7%
Saint Lucia	2.81	1.73	-1.08	-38.4%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	4.34	1.09	-3.25	-74.9%
Samoa	3.99	1.61	-2.38	-59.7%
Sao Tome and Principe	9.37	1.45	-7.93	-84.6%
Saudi Arabia	8.11	0.64	-7.47	-92.1%
Senegal	19.18	3.70	-15.48	-80.7%
Seychelles	2.51	1.45	-1.06	-42.1%
Sierra Leone	28.13	10.08	-18.04	-64.1%
Singapore	1.32	0.22	-1.10	-83.7%
Slovakia	2.08	0.59	-1.50	-71.8%
Slovenia	1.69	0.23	-1.46	-86.3%
Solomon Islands	4.83	1.83	-3.00	-62.2%
Somalia	20.03	10.61	-9.42	-47.0%
South Africa	8.60	3.45	-5.15	-59.8%
South Korea	3.16	0.28	-2.89	-91.2%
South Sudan	28.52	9.88	-18.64	-65.4%
Spain	1.30	0.30	-1.00	-76.8%
Sri Lanka	4.00	0.65	-3.35	-83.8%
Sudan	14.48	5.16	-9.33	-64.4%
Suriname	7.19	1.66	-5.53	-76.9%
Sweden	0.80	0.25	-0.55	-68.9%
Switzerland	0.97	0.40	-0.56	-58.4%
Syria	7.03	2.14	-4.89	-69.5%
Tajikistan	12.78	3.03	-9.75	-76.3%
Tanzania	17.78	4.05	-13.73	-77.2%
Thailand	5.56	0.81	-4.75	-85.4%
Togo	17.08	6.04	-11.04	-64.6%
Tonga	2.78	1.09	-1.69	-60.7%
Trinidad and Tobago	3.69	1.54	-2.15	-58.2%
Tunisia	8.42	1.15	-7.27	-86.4%
Turkey	11.55	0.96	-10.59	-91.7%
Turkmenistan	10.91	4.04	-6.87	-63.0%
Turks and Caicos Islands	3.10	0.59	-2.51	-80.9%
Tuvalu	6.05	2.04	-4.01	-66.3%
Uganda	21.31	4.05	-17.26	-81.0%
Ukraine	2.49	0.85	-1.64	-65.8%
United Arab Emirates	2.78	0.53	-2.25	-80.9%
United Kingdom	1.27	0.41	-0.86	-67.8%
United States	1.39	0.63	-0.76	-54.9%
Uruguay	3.31	0.66	-2.64	-80.0%
Uzbekistan	10.17	1.33	-8.84	-86.9%
Vanuatu	5.93	1.82	-4.11	-69.3%
Venezuela	4.08	2.42	-1.66	-40.6%
Vietnam	6.64	2.03	-4.61	-69.4%
Yemen	18.38	4.13	-14.25	-77.5%
Zambia	15.86	5.56	-10.31	-65.0%
Zimbabwe	10.09	4.77	-5.32	-52.7%

Literacy Rate 1982 vs 2022

Now, unfortunately Our World In Data seems to be missing several countries (especially many European ones), but the maps above do give us a good sense how literacy rate is going.

Here’s how a few of the biggest countries did:

• China: 65.5% in 1982 to 97.2% in 2022
• India: 40.8% in 1981 to 76.3% in 2022
• Indonesia: 67.3% in 1980 to 96% in 2022
• Pakistan: 25.7% in 1981 to 58% in 2022
• Nigeria: 55.5% in 1991 to 62% in 2022
• Bangladesh: 29.2% in 1981 to 75% in 2022

So improvements in all of the world’s largest developing countries.

Extreme Poverty Rate 1982 vs 2023

Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $2.15 per day. This data is adjusted for inflation and for
differences in the cost of living between countries.

Again the data for this is a little difficult to use. But here’s what happened din the world’s largest countries:

• China: 91.8% in 1981 to 0%! in 2021
• India: 56.7% in 1983 to 12.9% in 2021
• Indonesia: 74.3% in 1984 to 1.8% in 2023
• Pakistan: 67.3% in 1987 to 4.9% in 2018
• Nigeria: 47.8% in 1985 to 30.9% in 2018
• Bangladesh: 37.3% in 1983 to 5% in 2022

Again big drops across the board, especially China which went from over 90% to basically no one in a generation!

Human Rights 1982 vs 2023

Based on the expert estimates and index by V-Dem. It captures the extent to which people are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor; they have property rights; and enjoy the freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association. The variable ranges from 0 to 1 (most rights).

This one is not a universal improvement. 35 countries saw human right get worse while 145 saw improvements. Unfortunately, both China and India are seen as having worse human rights records today than in 1982.

The most notable improvements were the former Soviet Republics and Eastern Block States and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

The data:

Country	Civil liberties index 1982	Civil liberties index 2023	Change In Index
Afghanistan	0.080	0.053	-0.03
Africa	0.349	0.592	0.24
Albania	0.017	0.881	0.86
Algeria	0.377	0.428	0.05
Angola	0.084	0.616	0.53
Argentina	0.248	0.897	0.65
Armenia	0.151	0.838	0.69
Asia	0.346	0.495	0.15
Australia	0.950	0.917	-0.03
Austria	0.944	0.928	-0.02
Azerbaijan	0.151	0.356	0.21
Bahrain	0.322	0.282	-0.04
Bangladesh	0.530	0.423	-0.11
Barbados	0.904	0.922	0.02
Belarus	0.151	0.213	0.06
Belgium	0.954	0.957	0.00
Benin	0.273	0.830	0.56
Bhutan	0.505	0.721	0.22
Bolivia	0.493	0.795	0.30
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.447	0.813	0.37
Botswana	0.870	0.830	-0.04
Brazil	0.384	0.841	0.46
Bulgaria	0.190	0.896	0.71
Burkina Faso	0.458	0.671	0.21
Burundi	0.283	0.251	-0.03
Cambodia	0.070	0.287	0.22
Cameroon	0.389	0.565	0.18
Canada	0.931	0.907	-0.02
Cape Verde	0.694	0.923	0.23
Central African Republic	0.410	0.423	0.01
Chad	0.185	0.297	0.11
Chile	0.150	0.929	0.78
China	0.257	0.172	-0.09
Colombia	0.422	0.798	0.38
Comoros	0.318	0.491	0.17
Congo	0.132	0.284	0.15
Costa Rica	0.919	0.934	0.02
Cote d'Ivoire	0.494	0.735	0.24
Croatia	0.447	0.900	0.45
Cuba	0.224	0.295	0.07
Cyprus	0.807	0.895	0.09
Czechia	0.241	0.953	0.71
Democratic Republic of Congo	0.125	0.412	0.29
Denmark	0.969	0.960	-0.01
Djibouti	0.349	0.413	0.06
Dominican Republic	0.813	0.890	0.08
East Timor	0.051	0.857	0.81
Ecuador	0.809	0.828	0.02
Egypt	0.334	0.249	-0.09
El Salvador	0.107	0.511	0.40
Equatorial Guinea	0.230	0.252	0.02
Eritrea	0.050	0.056	0.01
Estonia	0.151	0.962	0.81
Eswatini	0.311	0.177	-0.13
Ethiopia	0.058	0.378	0.32
Europe	0.714	0.869	0.15
Fiji	0.822	0.758	-0.06
Finland	0.951	0.957	0.01
France	0.952	0.917	-0.03
Gabon	0.419	0.794	0.38
Gambia	0.753	0.882	0.13
Georgia	0.151	0.869	0.72
Ghana	0.377	0.904	0.53
Greece	0.934	0.881	-0.05
Guatemala	0.052	0.702	0.65
Guinea	0.145	0.324	0.18
Guinea-Bissau	0.233	0.740	0.51
Guyana	0.566	0.855	0.29
Haiti	0.124	0.629	0.51
Honduras	0.430	0.819	0.39
Hong Kong	0.881	0.616	-0.27
Hungary	0.337	0.822	0.49
Iceland	0.950	0.953	0.00
India	0.695	0.556	-0.14
Indonesia	0.236	0.735	0.50
Iran	0.114	0.221	0.11
Iraq	0.113	0.492	0.38
Ireland	0.927	0.958	0.03
Israel	0.814	0.814	0.00
Italy	0.928	0.920	-0.01
Jamaica	0.841	0.876	0.04
Japan	0.941	0.931	-0.01
Jordan	0.532	0.671	0.14
Kazakhstan	0.151	0.534	0.38
Kenya	0.248	0.776	0.53
Kuwait	0.564	0.587	0.02
Kyrgyzstan	0.151	0.559	0.41
Laos	0.060	0.151	0.09
Latvia	0.151	0.924	0.77
Lebanon	0.563	0.679	0.12
Lesotho	0.377	0.779	0.40
Liberia	0.245	0.853	0.61
Libya	0.108	0.322	0.21
Lithuania	0.151	0.912	0.76
Luxembourg	0.948	0.947	0.00
Madagascar	0.414	0.740	0.33
Malawi	0.092	0.782	0.69
Malaysia	0.568	0.753	0.19
Maldives	0.371	0.737	0.37
Mali	0.398	0.716	0.32
Malta	0.875	0.907	0.03
Mauritania	0.283	0.616	0.33
Mauritius	0.873	0.725	-0.15
Mexico	0.582	0.677	0.10
Moldova	0.151	0.901	0.75
Mongolia	0.159	0.818	0.66
Morocco	0.343	0.629	0.29
Mozambique	0.103	0.596	0.49
Myanmar	0.105	0.113	0.01
Namibia	0.217	0.855	0.64
Nepal	0.249	0.775	0.53
Netherlands	0.950	0.921	-0.03
New Zealand	0.958	0.962	0.00
Nicaragua	0.445	0.130	-0.32
Niger	0.298	0.785	0.49
Nigeria	0.655	0.652	0.00
North America	0.567	0.732	0.17
North Korea	0.015	0.018	0.00
North Macedonia	0.447	0.807	0.36
Norway	0.961	0.933	-0.03
Oceania	0.872	0.861	-0.01
Oman	0.378	0.448	0.07
Pakistan	0.223	0.437	0.21
Palestine/West Bank	0.189	0.546	0.36
Panama	0.324	0.883	0.56
Papua New Guinea	0.824	0.802	-0.02
Paraguay	0.174	0.792	0.62
Peru	0.649	0.848	0.20
Philippines	0.210	0.556	0.35
Poland	0.302	0.835	0.53
Portugal	0.965	0.923	-0.04
Qatar	0.341	0.361	0.02
Romania	0.164	0.878	0.71
Russia	0.151	0.296	0.15
Rwanda	0.292	0.190	-0.10
Sao Tome and Principe	0.561	0.902	0.34
Saudi Arabia	0.164	0.165	0.00
Senegal	0.742	0.829	0.09
Serbia	0.447	0.787	0.34
Seychelles	0.579	0.888	0.31
Sierra Leone	0.305	0.811	0.51
Singapore	0.691	0.719	0.03
Slovakia	0.241	0.916	0.68
Slovenia	0.447	0.903	0.46
Solomon Islands	0.817	0.850	0.03
Somalia	0.066	0.442	0.38
South Africa	0.123	0.832	0.71
South America	0.468	0.813	0.35
South Korea	0.447	0.884	0.44
South Sudan	0.248	0.207	-0.04
Spain	0.877	0.946	0.07
Sri Lanka	0.639	0.726	0.09
Sudan	0.248	0.238	-0.01
Suriname	0.527	0.895	0.37
Sweden	0.973	0.961	-0.01
Switzerland	0.933	0.955	0.02
Syria	0.095	0.133	0.04
Taiwan	0.403	0.936	0.53
Tajikistan	0.151	0.183	0.03
Tanzania	0.607	0.816	0.21
Thailand	0.567	0.438	-0.13
Togo	0.305	0.630	0.33
Trinidad and Tobago	0.872	0.884	0.01
Tunisia	0.466	0.725	0.26
Turkey	0.248	0.382	0.13
Turkmenistan	0.151	0.108	-0.04
Uganda	0.272	0.420	0.15
Ukraine	0.151	0.625	0.47
United Arab Emirates	0.326	0.348	0.02
United Kingdom	0.841	0.895	0.05
United States	0.940	0.928	-0.01
Uruguay	0.321	0.936	0.62
Uzbekistan	0.151	0.374	0.22
Vanuatu	0.860	0.876	0.02
Venezuela	0.873	0.346	-0.53
Vietnam	0.246	0.373	0.13
World	0.466	0.665	0.20
Zambia	0.370	0.823	0.45
Zanzibar	0.449	0.657	0.21
Zimbabwe	0.464	0.394	-0.07

CO2 Emissions Per Capita 1982 vs 2022

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuels and industry. Land-use change is not included. Measured in Tons of CO2

Again this one is not a universal improvement. However, one notable exception is Europe which has reduced emissions per capita by 35% since 1982 and grown their economy.

Similarly the US has reduced it’s emissions per capita by 23% during the same period.

This suggests, that economic growth and CO2 growth are now no longer linked and there’s every reason to believe global CO2 emissions per capita could start falling in the near future (as of now they are just 13.8% higher than they were in 1982, despite China’s massive economic growth).

The Data:

Country	Annual CO2 emissions (per capita) in 1982	Annual CO2 emissions (per capita) in 2022	Absolute Change	Relative Change
Afghanistan	0.208	0.295	0.088	42.3%
Africa	1.122	0.994	-0.127	-11.4%
Albania	2.403	1.743	-0.660	-27.5%
Algeria	1.959	3.927	1.969	100.5%
Angola	0.518	0.452	-0.067	-12.8%
Antigua and Barbuda	4.493	6.422	1.929	42.9%
Argentina	3.573	4.238	0.664	18.6%
Armenia	2.414	2.305	-0.110	-4.5%
Aruba	9.876	8.133	-1.742	-17.6%
Asia	1.648	4.611	2.964	179.9%
Asia (excl. China and India)	2.587	4.017	1.431	55.3%
Australia	14.372	14.985	0.613	4.3%
Austria	7.075	6.878	-0.197	-2.8%
Azerbaijan	7.022	3.675	-3.348	-47.7%
Bahamas	9.727	5.171	-4.556	-46.8%
Bahrain	25.140	25.672	0.532	2.1%
Bangladesh	0.097	0.596	0.500	517.6%
Barbados	2.522	4.377	1.855	73.5%
Belarus	9.774	6.167	-3.607	-36.9%
Belgium	11.880	7.688	-4.192	-35.3%
Belize	1.130	1.789	0.660	58.4%
Benin	0.109	0.631	0.522	478.5%
Bermuda	7.279	6.937	-0.342	-4.7%
Bhutan	0.142	1.349	1.207	851.7%
Bolivia	0.724	1.758	1.034	142.8%
Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba	10.638	4.083	-6.555	-61.6%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3.868	6.103	2.236	57.8%
Botswana	1.074	2.839	1.764	164.2%
Brazil	1.339	2.245	0.906	67.7%
British Virgin Islands	3.076	5.004	1.928	62.7%
Brunei	13.281	23.950	10.669	80.3%
Bulgaria	10.016	6.804	-3.211	-32.1%
Burkina Faso	0.079	0.263	0.184	234.7%
Burundi	0.034	0.062	0.028	80.9%
Cambodia	0.051	1.190	1.139	2237.1%
Cameroon	0.698	0.343	-0.355	-50.9%
Canada	16.511	14.249	-2.262	-13.7%
Cape Verde	0.112	0.959	0.847	754.0%
Central African Republic	0.058	0.041	-0.017	-30.0%
Chad	0.044	0.134	0.089	201.2%
Chile	1.734	4.304	2.570	148.2%
China	1.585	7.993	6.408	404.2%
Colombia	1.667	1.922	0.255	15.3%
Comoros	0.137	0.493	0.356	259.4%
Congo	0.703	1.245	0.542	77.2%
Cook Islands	2.944	3.995	1.051	35.7%
Costa Rica	0.812	1.523	0.711	87.6%
Cote d'Ivoire	0.621	0.417	-0.204	-32.9%
Croatia	3.769	4.349	0.579	15.4%
Cuba	3.484	1.866	-1.619	-46.5%
Curacao	59.746	9.189	-50.557	-84.6%
Cyprus	4.535	5.617	1.082	23.9%
Czechia	17.569	9.336	-8.233	-46.9%
Democratic Republic of Congo	0.108	0.036	-0.072	-66.3%
Denmark	10.459	4.940	-5.519	-52.8%
Djibouti	0.980	0.404	-0.576	-58.8%
Dominica	0.555	2.106	1.551	279.6%
Dominican Republic	1.048	2.105	1.057	100.9%
Ecuador	2.244	2.312	0.068	3.0%
Egypt	1.224	2.333	1.109	90.6%
El Salvador	0.381	1.217	0.837	219.6%
Equatorial Guinea	0.232	3.031	2.799	1205.9%
Estonia	23.602	7.776	-15.825	-67.1%
Eswatini	0.687	1.053	0.365	53.2%
Ethiopia	0.040	0.155	0.115	290.3%
Europe	10.588	6.858	-3.730	-35.2%
Europe (excl. EU-27)	12.495	7.887	-4.608	-36.9%
Europe (excl. EU-28)	13.165	8.818	-4.347	-33.0%
European Union (27)	9.229	6.174	-3.055	-33.1%
European Union (28)	9.288	5.984	-3.304	-35.6%
Faroe Islands	10.364	14.085	3.721	35.9%
Fiji	1.234	1.155	-0.079	-6.4%
Finland	8.904	6.527	-2.377	-26.7%
France	8.107	4.604	-3.503	-43.2%
French Polynesia	1.933	2.851	0.918	47.5%
Gabon	8.287	2.388	-5.899	-71.2%
Gambia	0.210	0.285	0.075	35.7%
Georgia	2.739	2.963	0.223	8.1%
Germany	13.088	7.984	-5.104	-39.0%
Ghana	0.235	0.622	0.387	164.9%
Greece	5.406	5.745	0.340	6.3%
Greenland	10.058	10.474	0.416	4.1%
Grenada	0.645	2.713	2.068	320.6%
Guatemala	0.492	1.076	0.584	118.7%
Guinea	0.190	0.357	0.168	88.2%
Guinea-Bissau	0.166	0.155	-0.011	-6.8%
Guyana	1.800	4.374	2.574	143.0%
Haiti	0.139	0.211	0.072	51.9%
High-income countries	11.306	10.133	-1.174	-10.4%
Honduras	0.436	1.070	0.634	145.5%
Hong Kong	3.798	4.082	0.284	7.5%
Hungary	8.127	4.450	-3.677	-45.2%
Iceland	6.811	9.500	2.689	39.5%
India	0.446	1.997	1.550	347.5%
Indonesia	0.680	2.646	1.965	289.0%
Iran	3.242	7.799	4.558	140.6%
Iraq	2.099	4.025	1.925	91.7%
Ireland	7.408	7.721	0.313	4.2%
Israel	6.128	6.209	0.081	1.3%
Italy	6.484	5.727	-0.757	-11.7%
Jamaica	2.825	2.295	-0.531	-18.8%
Japan	7.535	8.502	0.967	12.8%
Jordan	2.600	2.030	-0.569	-21.9%
Kazakhstan	15.711	13.980	-1.731	-11.0%
Kenya	0.269	0.460	0.191	70.9%
Kiribati	0.407	0.518	0.111	27.3%
Kuwait	12.759	25.578	12.819	100.5%
Kyrgyzstan	5.196	1.425	-3.771	-72.6%
Laos	0.046	3.080	3.035	6652.4%
Latvia	8.905	3.562	-5.344	-60.0%
Lebanon	1.863	4.354	2.491	133.7%
Liberia	0.292	0.165	-0.126	-43.3%
Libya	9.360	9.242	-0.118	-1.3%
Liechtenstein	4.037	3.810	-0.227	-5.6%
Lithuania	10.191	4.606	-5.584	-54.8%
Low-income countries	0.716	0.280	-0.436	-60.9%
Lower-middle-income countries	1.072	1.778	0.706	65.9%
Luxembourg	24.448	11.618	-12.830	-52.5%
Macao	1.884	1.513	-0.371	-19.7%
Madagascar	0.107	0.149	0.042	39.0%
Malawi	0.087	0.103	0.015	17.4%
Malaysia	2.201	8.577	6.375	289.6%
Maldives	0.273	3.248	2.975	1090.0%
Mali	0.047	0.312	0.264	556.7%
Malta	3.862	3.104	-0.758	-19.6%
Mauritania	0.552	0.957	0.405	73.3%
Mauritius	0.510	3.270	2.760	541.1%
Mexico	4.301	4.015	-0.286	-6.6%
Moldova	8.714	1.657	-7.057	-81.0%
Mongolia	3.767	11.151	7.384	196.0%
Montenegro	2.734	3.656	0.921	33.7%
Montserrat	1.618	4.845	3.227	199.4%
Morocco	0.815	1.826	1.012	124.1%
Mozambique	0.212	0.243	0.031	14.5%
Myanmar	0.161	0.645	0.484	301.4%
Nauru	16.191	4.170	-12.021	-74.2%
Nepal	0.027	0.507	0.480	1775.1%
Netherlands	9.337	7.137	-2.200	-23.6%
New Caledonia	8.302	17.641	9.339	112.5%
New Zealand	5.735	6.212	0.477	8.3%
Nicaragua	0.604	0.799	0.194	32.2%
Niger	0.113	0.117	0.004	3.2%
Nigeria	0.845	0.589	-0.256	-30.3%
Niue	1.072	3.873	2.801	261.4%
North America	14.051	10.535	-3.517	-25.0%
North America (excl. USA)	5.563	4.741	-0.822	-14.8%
North Korea	6.318	1.951	-4.366	-69.1%
North Macedonia	4.632	3.625	-1.007	-21.7%
Norway	7.512	7.509	-0.003	0.0%
Oceania	10.281	9.852	-0.429	-4.2%
Oman	5.034	15.730	10.696	212.5%
Pakistan	0.423	0.849	0.425	100.5%
Palau	12.416	12.124	-0.293	-2.4%
Panama	1.599	2.699	1.100	68.8%
Papua New Guinea	0.601	0.771	0.170	28.3%
Paraguay	0.419	1.330	0.911	217.4%
Peru	1.284	1.789	0.505	39.3%
Philippines	0.684	1.301	0.618	90.3%
Poland	11.633	8.107	-3.526	-30.3%
Portugal	2.928	4.051	1.123	38.3%
Qatar	39.456	37.601	-1.855	-4.7%
Romania	8.727	3.740	-4.987	-57.1%
Russia	15.216	11.417	-3.799	-25.0%
Rwanda	0.108	0.112	0.005	4.4%
Saint Helena	0.560	3.299	2.738	488.8%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	1.540	4.708	3.168	205.6%
Saint Lucia	0.900	2.615	1.715	190.6%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	6.603	10.293	3.690	55.9%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0.370	2.296	1.927	521.0%
Samoa	0.395	1.122	0.727	183.9%
Sao Tome and Principe	0.472	0.582	0.110	23.3%
Saudi Arabia	14.096	18.197	4.101	29.1%
Senegal	0.505	0.674	0.168	33.3%
Serbia	6.114	6.025	-0.089	-1.5%
Seychelles	1.268	6.150	4.881	384.9%
Sierra Leone	0.158	0.131	-0.026	-16.8%
Singapore	11.320	8.912	-2.408	-21.3%
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	71.949	14.352	-57.597	-80.1%
Slovakia	11.469	6.052	-5.417	-47.2%
Slovenia	7.015	5.998	-1.017	-14.5%
Solomon Islands	0.483	0.412	-0.071	-14.7%
Somalia	0.121	0.037	-0.084	-69.5%
South Africa	9.040	6.746	-2.294	-25.4%
South America	1.943	2.487	0.543	28.0%
South Korea	3.573	11.599	8.026	224.6%
South Sudan	0.072	0.168	0.096	132.0%
Spain	5.492	5.164	-0.328	-6.0%
Sri Lanka	0.289	0.794	0.504	174.3%
Sudan	0.193	0.470	0.277	143.3%
Suriname	4.958	5.803	0.845	17.0%
Sweden	7.464	3.607	-3.857	-51.7%
Switzerland	5.725	4.048	-1.677	-29.3%
Syria	2.562	1.249	-1.313	-51.2%
Taiwan	4.033	11.631	7.598	188.4%
Tajikistan	2.667	1.006	-1.660	-62.3%
Tanzania	0.105	0.238	0.133	126.8%
Thailand	0.782	3.776	2.994	382.8%
Togo	0.271	0.291	0.021	7.6%
Tonga	0.454	1.769	1.315	290.0%
Trinidad and Tobago	15.906	22.424	6.518	41.0%
Tunisia	1.378	2.879	1.501	108.9%
Turkey	1.876	5.105	3.229	172.1%
Turkmenistan	9.698	11.034	1.336	13.8%
Uganda	0.039	0.127	0.088	224.8%
Ukraine	13.386	3.558	-9.829	-73.4%
United Arab Emirates	31.470	25.833	-5.637	-17.9%
United Kingdom	9.712	4.720	-4.992	-51.4%
United States	19.506	14.950	-4.556	-23.4%
Upper-middle-income countries	3.081	6.227	3.146	102.1%
Uruguay	1.629	2.306	0.677	41.5%
Uzbekistan	5.370	3.483	-1.887	-35.1%
Vanuatu	0.414	0.636	0.222	53.5%
Venezuela	5.799	2.717	-3.082	-53.2%
Vietnam	0.330	3.500	3.170	961.4%
World	4.094	4.658	0.564	13.8%
Yemen	0.601	0.337	-0.264	-43.9%
Zambia	0.576	0.446	-0.131	-22.7%
Zimbabwe	1.125	0.543	-0.582	-51.8%

What do you think? Is the world really worse or in many ways is it getting better?