What is Moore's Law?
Exponential growth is at the heart of the rapid increase of computing capabilities.
March 28
Article
Latest
Our latest articles, data updates, and announcements
March 18
Article
Two centuries of rapid global population growth will come to an end
Global population has increased rapidly over the past century. This period of rapid growth is temporary: the world is entering a new equilibrium and rapid population growth is coming to an end.
March 13
Article
What is the ozone layer, and why is it important?
Over the last 50 years, holes in the ozone layer have opened up. Why does that matter for life on Earth?
February 28
Article
Our World in Data will rely on data from the WHO to track confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths
Johns Hopkins University will stop publishing data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. Our team will replace our entire time series with WHO's data on 8 March 2023.
February 27
Article
How we choose which topics to work on, and which metrics to provide
On Our World in Data, we present thousands of metrics on hundreds of topics. How do we choose them?
February 22
Article
Technology over the long run: zoom out to see how dramatically the world can change within a lifetime
It is easy to underestimate the magnitude of this change. Understanding this can help us see how different the world could be in the future.
February 20
Article
What does it mean for a species to be at risk of extinction?
We need to focus on the most threatened species to protect them from extinction. But what does it mean for a species to be at risk, and how is it measured?
February 07
Article
AI timelines: What do experts in artificial intelligence expect for the future?
Many believe there is a real chance that human-level AI will be developed within the next decades, and some believe that it will exist much sooner.
January 19
Article
Engel's Law: Richer people spend more money on food, but it makes up a smaller share of their income
How does spending on food change as incomes rise?
January 05
Article
How many people die and how many are born each year?
Changes in the world population are determined by two metrics: the number of babies born and the number of people dying.
December 15
Article
Wild mammals make up only a few percent of the world’s mammal biomass
Livestock make up 62% of the world’s mammal biomass; humans account for 34%; and wild mammals are just 4%.
December 15
Article
Artificial intelligence is transforming our world — it is on all of us to make sure that it goes well
How AI gets built is currently decided by a small group of technologists. It should be in all of our interest to become informed and engaged.
December 06
Article
The brief history of artificial intelligence: the world has changed fast — what might be next?
Little is as important for the world’s future and our own lives as how this history continues.
November 30
Article
There have been five mass extinctions in Earth's history
When did the "Big Five" mass extinctions happen, and what were their causes?
November 30
Article
How many species are there?
How many species do we share our planet with? How many of these species have we found and identified?
November 30
Article
Did humans cause the Quaternary megafauna extinction?
10,000 to 50,000 years ago, hundreds of the largest mammals went extinct. It's likely that humans were the key driver of this.
November 30
Article
Global whaling peaked in the 1960s
Intense whaling drove many of the world’s whale species close to extinction. But a dramatic decline in whale hunting since then has given them hopes of recovery.
November 30
Article
The state of the world's rhino populations
How have rhino populations changed over time? What species are at risk of extinction today?
October 26
Article
From $1.90 to $2.15 a day: the updated International Poverty Line
The World Bank has updated the methods it uses to measure incomes and poverty around the world. What does this mean for our understanding of global poverty?
October 20
Article
How many people die from the flu?
The risk of death from influenza has declined over time, but globally, hundreds of thousands of people still die from the disease each year.
October 18
Article
Introducing our updated work on Poverty: a new design for our content
We’ve just published a major redesign of our topic pages. Explore this redesign with our new work on poverty.