Is the world getting better or worse?

Both, depending on the measure. That is the point. On many long-run measures the world is measurably better than it was: extreme poverty, child mortality and deaths from disease have fallen sharply. Yet hundreds of millions still face hunger, and progress on several fronts has stalled. The honest answer is "bad and better at the same time".

Is the world getting better?

Both, and that is the point. The news is built to alarm, so it leaves most people with a picture darker than the data. On many long-run measures the world is measurably better than it was. On others, progress has stalled and hundreds of millions are still left behind. Here are 33 verified numbers, each with its source. Not optimism. Accuracy.

Child mortality (under 5) −60% since 1990 37 per 1,000 Extreme poverty worldwide −76% since 1990 10.4% Life expectancy +41 years since 1900 73 years Cost of solar electricity −90% since 2010 0.043 $/kWh Deaths from smallpox ≈2M/year in the 1960s → 0 0 (eradicated 1980) Internet access from <1% in 1995 to 74% in 2025 74% Maternal mortality −40% since 2000 197 per 100,000 Adult literacy +13 pts since 1990 88% Polio (wild virus) −99.9% since 1988 ≈40 cases (2025) Access to electricity +14 pts since 2000 92% DTP3 vaccine coverage from 20% (1980) to 84% 84% Safe drinking water at home +2.2B people since 2000 74% Guinea worm disease from ≈3.5M in 1986 10 cases (2025, provisional) Share of electricity from solar and wind from 0.2% in 2000 13.4% Deaths from natural disasters −90%+ since the 1920s around 10× lower than a century ago Ozone-depleting substances layer recovery by ~2066 −99% Chronic hunger worldwide −4.5 pts since 2000 8.2% Basic sanitation access +27 pts since 2000 82.2% Access to clean cooking +25 pts since 2000 74.4% Children in child labour −8.2 pts since 2000 7.8% Years of schooling (adults) +2.9 years since 1990 8.8 years Malaria death rate −34% since 2000 9.6 per 100,000 Tuberculosis death rate −69% since 2000 14.7 per 100,000 HIV/AIDS death rate −63% from 2000s peak 9.9 per 100,000 Neonatal mortality (first 28 days) −53% since 1990 17 per 1,000 Child stunting (under 5) −9.9 pts since 2000 23.2% New HIV infections −65% from 1995 peak 1.2 million (2025) Tobacco use among adults −11.8 pts since 2000 20.9% Road traffic death rate −16% since 2010 15 per 100,000 Female labor force participation 56% in 1990 → 55.1% in 2024 55.1% Share of new car sales that are electric from 2% in 2018 to 25% in 2025 25% Adult obesity worldwide +129% since 1990 15.4% Mobile broadband affordability from 1.9% of income in 2021 to 1.1% in 2024 1.1%

Recalibrate a little every morning.

Progress Tab shows you one of these on every new tab. Guess first, then see the real number.

Add to Chrome Free · no account · opens on every new tab