The World in Numbers

It is hard to picture eight billion people. Yet that is roughly how many of us now share the Earth: about 8.2 billion, more than at any point in human history. Behind that single number is the whole story of modern society — where we live, how we connect, and how fairly we share what we have. And, surprisingly, much of that story is more hopeful than the headlines suggest.

A world of cities

One of the biggest changes is where we live. For most of history, people lived in the countryside. Today, more than half of humanity — about 56% — lives in cities, and that share is rising every year. Modern life is far more urban than it was in our grandparents' time. Cities can be crowded and unequal, but they are also the places where new ideas spread fastest.

More connected than ever

We are also more connected than any generation before us. Around 6 billion people — roughly three-quarters of the planet — now use the internet. That means a student in one country can learn from a teacher in another, and a small charity can raise awareness across the world in a day. The world has never been more connected, although a "digital divide" still leaves the poorest with the least access.

The good news on poverty

Here is the most hopeful fact of all: extreme poverty is lower than it was a generation ago. Across South Asia, East Asia, and Latin America, hundreds of millions of people have left extreme poverty behind. Literacy is higher, and more children survive to adulthood than ever before. The world, on average, is richer, healthier, and better educated than at any time in history.

On average, the world is richer, healthier, and better educated than ever — but the gains are not shared equally.

The challenge that remains

Yet progress is uneven, and that is the heart of the problem: inequality. While poverty has fallen almost everywhere, it has not fallen in every place. Today, around 7 in 10 of the world's poorest people live in Africa — a far higher share than a decade ago. The biggest task of our century is not just to grow, but to make sure that the progress reaches everyone. The numbers are better than ever; the job is to make them fairer still.