With this article, I assembled a collection of charts from around the web which point to where the world (probably) is headed in different sectors. Hopefully, some of this data could yield insights into industries, cultures, and behaviors that I/we can dedicate time to.
The things I looked at and found graphs for are:
- Global GDP
- Working Hours Per Week
- Number of People Living in Extreme Poverty
- Life Expectancy
- Number of Global Democracies
- Number of Internet Users
- Computing Power Artificial Intelligence
- Energy Consumption
- Co2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Below, I have inserted graphs (mostly from a great website called Our World in Data) which was very helpful.
Where’s the world headed?
We are on an exponential curve. Whether we recognize it or not, the world 10 years ago was not the world today, and the world 100 years ago was not the world today. When it comes to GDP, poverty, working hours, democracy, the internet, artificial intelligence, energy consumption, and emissions, these things are going in exponential directions.
At some point, I expect these metrics to plateau… but let’s wait and see where the world goes.
Global GDP
Overall, more countries are producing more value. By extension, workers are more productive and working less hours. Relative to the rate of change in GDP, China, India, America stand out.
China’s economic growth is only rivaled by India. While America’s GDP is large, its rate of change is dwarfed by the East.
Because of increased productivity and technology, people are working less for higher wages.
Declining Global Poverty
Life Expectancy
With increased technology, higher incomes, and better health care access, people are living longer.
Number of Democracies
As people have better economic opportunities, they have more freedom and a say in how their government is run.
Number of Internet Users
As incomes have risen, infrastructure for internet access has gone up, especially because of mobile phones.
80% of the world (6 billion) will own a smartphone by 2020. By the work below:
Computing Power and Artificial Intelligence
Energy Consumption
CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By the results of everything you have seen so far, the negative consequence is increasing emissions.
