How Britain built some of the world’s safest roads
The death rate per mile driven has declined 22-fold since 1950.
Latest:Our latest articles, updates and announcements
Hannah Ritchie has a new book about tackling climate change coming out on September 18th
“Clearing the Air” is available for pre-order now.Bans on highly toxic pesticides could be an effective way to save lives from suicide
Pesticide poisoning is a common method of suicide in many low- to middle-income countries. Banning highly toxic pesticides and substituting them with less fatal ones can save lives.Global inequality is huge — but so is the opportunity for people in high-income countries to support poor people
People in high-income countries could dramatically improve lives worldwide with minimal financial commitment, yet few do.$3 a day: A new poverty line has shifted the World Bank’s data on extreme poverty. What changed, and why?
In June 2025, the World Bank increased its extreme poverty estimates by 125 million people. This doesn’t mean the world has gotten poorer: it reflects a new, higher International Poverty Line of $3 a day, up from $2.15.Death rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen dramatically — what were the breakthroughs behind this?
Over a century of progress in surgery, drugs, prevention, and emergency response has driven down death rates from heart disease and stroke.The world left its fight against tuberculosis unfinished — how can we complete the job?
If we get it right, the world could save more than 1.2 million lives every year.The Demographic and Health Surveys brought crucial data for more than 90 countries — without them, we risk darkness
Cuts to US aid could end the Demographic and Health Surveys. This would leave a massive gap in our understanding of global health, mortality, and development.How does the World Bank classify countries by income?
The World Bank classifies countries into four income groups based on average income per person. This article explains how these groups are defined.New feature: embed archived versions of our interactive charts in your website
Learn more about different options for embedding our interactive charts.There are now more than half a billion mobile money accounts in the world, mostly in Africa — here's why this matters
Mobile money allows people without banks to securely transfer funds via text message, and its adoption is growing rapidly.The end of tuberculosis that wasn’t
In the 1980s, many thought tuberculosis was on the path to elimination. In reality, more were dying from the disease than ever.Two billion people don’t have safe drinking water: what does this really mean for them?
For billions, it can mean hours spent collecting water. For almost a million, it means dying from disease.Measles leaves children vulnerable to other diseases for years
Measles causes more than an acute illness: it suppresses immune memory and increases the risk of complications for years.Announcing new features: better interactive maps
Learn what’s new and try it out yourself.Childhood leukemia: how a deadly cancer became treatable
Before the 1970s, most children affected by leukemia would quickly die from it. Now, most children in rich countries are cured.Once a leading killer, tuberculosis is now rare in rich countries — here’s how it happened
As much as one quarter of deaths in Europe and the United States were once from tuberculosis.What are international dollars?
International dollars are used to compare incomes and purchasing power across countries and over time. Here, we explain how they’re calculated and why they’re used.Measles vaccines save millions of lives each year
Measles once killed millions every year. Vaccines changed this, preventing disease, long-term immune damage, and deadly outbreaks.Where in the world are babies at the lowest risk of dying?
It’s difficult to compare countries because they don’t always measure infant mortality in the same way.Children in rich countries are much less likely to die than a few decades ago, but we rarely hear about this progress
In most rich countries, child mortality has more than halved in the last thirty years; we know we can go further.