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Is life getting better or worse? Watching the news, it’s easy to become pessimistic but don’t forget that reporting is often selective so what is the real state of humanity?
What follows is an edited and abridged version of the original by Lorimer Wilson, Managing Editor of munKNEE.com – A site for sore eyes and inquisitive minds.
First, let’s consider the changes that have occurred in the world since the end of World War II:
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- In 1950, the average life expectancy at birth was only 48.5 years. In 2019, it was 72.8 years. That’s an increase of 50 percent.
- Out of every 1,000 live births in 1950, 20.6 children died before their fifth birthday. That number was only 2.7 in 2019. That’s a reduction of 87 percent.
- Between 1950 and 2018, the average income per person rose from $3,296 to $15,138. That’s an inflation adjusted increase of 359 percent.
- Between 1961 and 2013, the average food supply per person per day rose from 2,191 calorie to 2,885 calories. That’s an increase of 31.7 percent.
- In 1950, the length of schooling that a person could typically expect to receive was 2.59 years. In 2017, it was 8 years. That’s a 209 percent increase.
- The world’s democratic score rose from an average of 5.31 out of 10 in 1950 to an average of 7.21 out of 10 in 2017. That’s a 35.8 percent increase.
The above are global improvements. What about life in your country? See the changes that have happened in your lifetime, and share the results with your family and friends. Go to the original article and enter the country and year of your birth.
To compare the changes with those that would have happened had I been born in the U.S. or Canada, for example, I went to the original article and entered Canada or the U.S. in Step 3 and below is the comparative information:
| Country | Life expectancy At Birth; Years To Date | Infant mortality rate PER 1,000 Live Births | GDP, per person, In 2011 U.S. dollars | Food supply, per person, per day, In Number OF calories | Mean years of schooling | Democracy VS. autocracy over time; scale 0 to 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada |
1954: 69 2019: 82 19% Improvement
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1954: 4 2019: 1 88% Improvement
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1954: $12,272 2018: $44,869 266% Improvement
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1954: 2,987 2013: 3,494 17% Improvement
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1954: 8 2017: 13 73% Improvement
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1954: 10 2017: 10 0% Improvement
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| United States |
1954: 69 2019: 79 14% Improvement
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1954: 3 2019: 1 80% Improvement
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1954: $16,512 2018: $55,335 235% Improvement
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1954: 3,084 2013: 3,682 19% Improvement
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1954: 8 2017: 13 59% Improvement
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1954: 10 2017: 9 -10% Deterioration
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“Your life in numbers” is brought to you by HumanProgress, which is a data-driven educational website devoted to improving the public’s understanding of the state of the world. All of our statistics come from reputable sources.