Extreme poverty: How far have we come, and how far do we still have to go?
The world has made immense progress against extreme poverty, but it is still the reality for almost one in ten people worldwide.
November 22, 2021
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Our latest articles, data updates, and announcements
November 5, 2021
Article
Which countries get the most electricity from low-carbon sources?
Explore global data on the production of renewable and nuclear electricity.
November 5, 2021
Article
Decarbonizing electricity is only one step towards a low-carbon energy system
We need to focus on electrifying or decarbonizing other parts of our energy too.
November 4, 2021
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When will countries phase out coal power?
Which countries have committed to phasing out coal power?
November 3, 2021
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Fossil fuel subsidies: If we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions we should not pay people to burn fossil fuels
Repealing subsidies is not easy, but it is possible – and the world is slowly making progress in this direction
November 2, 2021
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Access to basic education: almost 60 million children of primary school age are not in school
The world has made a lot of progress in recent generations, but millions of children are still not in school.
September 9, 2021
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Can we reduce fertilizer use without sacrificing food production?
Some countries need more fertilizers to increase crop yields. But some could cut back without sacrificing food production.
September 7, 2021
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Excess fertilizer use: which countries cause environmental damage by overapplying fertilizers?
Nutrients are essential for crop growth. But when they're overapplied they become a pollutant.
September 2, 2021
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To protect the world’s wildlife, we must improve crop yields — especially across Africa
Habitat loss is the biggest threat to the world's animals. Without improvements in crop yields, thousands of species could see much of their habitat lost to farmland.
September 1, 2021
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Depression is complicated — this is how our understanding of the condition has evolved over time
Our understanding of depression has evolved over time, with wider screening for depression, new questionnaires, and better statistical tools.
August 6, 2021
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Smallholders produce one-third of the world’s food, less than half of what many headlines claim
Most of the world's farmers are smallholders. They are also often the poorest. How much of the world's food do they produce?
August 2, 2021
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How much of the world’s food production is dependent on pollinators?
Many of the world's pollinator insects are in decline. What does this mean for global food production?
July 21, 2021
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Child mortality: an everyday tragedy of enormous scale that we can make progress against
We live in a world in which ten children die every minute.
July 14, 2021
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Smoking: How large of a global problem is it? And how can we make progress against it?
Every year, around eight million people die prematurely as a result of smoking. But there are things we can do to prevent this.
July 12, 2021
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Almost three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet
A healthy, nutritious diet is much more expensive than a calorie sufficient one.
July 5, 2021
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Energy poverty and indoor air pollution: a problem as old as humanity that we can end within our lifetime
About three billion people in the world do not have access to modern energy sources for cooking. Millions die from indoor air pollution every year.
July 1, 2021
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The world is making progress on clean water and sanitation, but is far behind its target to ensure universal access by 2030
All countries pledged to provide safe water and sanitation for everyone by 2030. How far are we from reaching these targets?
June 11, 2021
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Which countries have mandatory childhood vaccination policies?
How do policies on childhood vaccinations vary across the world?
June 10, 2021
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Emissions from food alone could use up all of our budget for 1.5°C or 2°C – but we have a range of opportunities to avoid this
If we want to meet our global climate targets we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food. What options do we have?
June 7, 2021
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Why do we need to know about progress if we are concerned about the world's largest problems?
Why have we made it our mission to publish “research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems”?
June 1, 2021
Article
The argument for a carbon price
We are paying a price for fossil fuels, but that price is not paid by those who burn the fossil fuels — we need to change that.