Latest

March 05

Article

Global poverty in an unequal world: Who is considered poor in a rich country? And what does this mean for our understanding of global poverty?

What would global poverty look like if we rely on the notions of poverty in countries like Denmark, the US, or Germany? And why does this matter?

Max Roser

March 04

Article

If the world adopted a plant-based diet, we would reduce global agricultural land use from 4 to 1 billion hectares

We could reduce the amount of land used for grazing and croplands used to grow animal feed.

Hannah Ritchie

March 01

Article

Do rich countries import deforestation from overseas?

Rich countries import foods produced on deforested land in the tropics. How much deforestation do they import?

Hannah Ritchie

February 22

Article

The economies that are home to the poorest billions of people need to grow if we want global poverty to decline substantially

The majority of the world today is poor: 85% of the world live on less than $30 per day. We need economic growth to alleviate global poverty.

Max Roser

February 19

Article

Global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Can we bring it to an end?

There was a marked acceleration in deforestation in the 20th century. But, global deforestation peaked in the 1980s. Since then, it has slowed.

Hannah Ritchie

February 09

Article

The world has lost one-third of its forests, but an end to deforestation is possible

Over the last 10,000 years, the world has lost one-third of its forests. An area twice the size of the United States. Half occurred in the last century.

Hannah Ritchie

January 14

Article

Do we only have 60 harvests left?

Claims that the world has only 100, 60, or even 30 years of harvests left often hit the headlines. These claims are overblown, but soil erosion is a problem and we can do something about it.

Hannah Ritchie

January 08

Article

Our World in Data is now tracking Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations across the world

We are building a global dataset on COVID-19 Vaccinations. Explore the latest data for all countries.

Edouard Mathieu, Hannah Ritchie, and Max Roser

January 06

Article

How are working hours measured and what can we learn from the data?

The primary way to measure working hours is with surveys, but the data can have limitations that are important to understand.

Charlie Giattino and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

December 21

Article

Do workers in richer countries work longer hours?

Workers in richer countries tend to work fewer hours than those in poorer countries.

Charlie Giattino and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

December 16

Article

Are we working more than ever?

Working hours for the average worker have decreased dramatically over the last 150 years.

Charlie Giattino and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

December 10

Article

The world’s energy problem

The world faces two energy problems: most of our energy still produces greenhouse gas emissions, and hundreds of millions lack access to energy.

Max Roser

December 01

Article

Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?

In most places, power from new renewables is now cheaper than new fossil fuels.

Max Roser

November 30

Article

Our World in Data switches to Johns Hopkins University as our main data source for COVID-19 cases and deaths

To continue providing daily updates on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Our World in Data has switched from ECDC to Johns Hopkins University as our data source for confirmed cases and deaths.

Hannah Ritchie

November 26

Article

Breaking out of the Malthusian trap: How pandemics allow us to understand why our ancestors were stuck in poverty

The Industrial Revolution ended the Malthusian trap in which incomes were determined by the size of the population — making it possible for a country to leave abject poverty behind.

Max Roser

November 13

Article

Why do COVID-19 deaths in Sweden's official data always appear to decrease?

There are two ways that COVID-19 deaths can be presented over time: by the date of death, or the date on which the death is reported. The data for Sweden is shown by date of death – this means the most recent points should be treated as incomplete.

Edouard Mathieu

November 09

Article

Where in the world do people have the highest CO2 emissions from flying?

Globally, aviation accounts for around 2.5% of CO₂ emissions. But for many, it accounts for a much larger share.

Hannah Ritchie

November 02

Article

Less than half of young Americans voted in the last presidential election

40% of eligible voters in the US did not vote in the 2016 election. Young Americans in particular often do not exercise their right to vote – less than half of eligible under-30s voted in the last election.

Bobbie Macdonald

October 29

Article

Why is life expectancy in the US lower than in other rich countries?

Americans have a lower life expectancy than people in other rich countries despite paying much more for healthcare. What factors may explain this?

Max Roser

October 23

Article

Global inequalities in CO₂ emissions from aviation

Aviation accounts for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. Where do these emissions come from?

Hannah Ritchie

October 09

Article

The Our World in Data COVID-19 Testing dataset has been published in the academic journal, Nature Scientific Data

The Our World in Data dataset which has tracked COVID-19 testing across the world since the start of the pandemic has been peer-reviewed and published in the academic journal, Nature Scientific Data.

Joe Hasell