
This timeline charts the fast pace of tech transformation across centuries
We can remind ourselves that our own future might look very different from the world today by looking back at how rapidly technology has changed our world in the past.
I am an economist working at the University of Oxford. My research interests are the growth and distribution of living standards globally.
Most of my research is concerned with inclusive and sustainable growth. These interests go back to my studies: In addition to economics I studied philosophy and geoscience. I have a BSc in geoscience, a BA and an MA in philosophy, an MSc in economics, and a doctorate from the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
We can remind ourselves that our own future might look very different from the world today by looking back at how rapidly technology has changed our world in the past.
AI experts do not agree about how, when or whether human-level AI will be developed, but many believe the tech will transform society as soon as 2060.
Artificial intelligence has come a long way since the 1950s. We now have AI systems like DALL-E and PaLM with abilities to produce photorealistic images and interpret and generate language.
“这个世界非常糟糕、这个世界比以前好多了、这个世界可以变得更好”,这三种观点是可以同时成立的。我们讨论世界状况的时候太过关注第一种观点了:新闻每天都在强调正在发生的问题和矛盾,却很少提及任何积极的发展。
The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better. All three statements can be valid at the same time, writes Our World in Data's Max Roser.
Research suggests that many children – especially in the world’s poorest countries – learn very little in school, with illiteracy rates reaching up to 90%.
To protect our planet’s forests the world as a whole would need to achieve the turnaround from deforestation to reforestation – a global forest transition.
Research shows that 62% of the world live on less than $10 per day. Even after centuries in the fight against poverty, we are still in the early stages.
Child mortality has seen a steady decline thanks to improvements in nutrition, healthcare, housing and education. But, millions of children still die prematurely each year.
Without significant economic growth to increase the average income in disadvantaged countries, it will not be possible for people to leave poverty behind.
The price of renewable energy has fallen significantly in the past few years, with the cost of solar falling by 89% in the last decade.
England was the first country to achieve sustained economic growth, where the material living conditions of a population improve over several generations. This is how.
The Spanish Flu was the largest influenza pandemic in history, it has long served as a warning to prepare for outbreaks, such as COVID-19 coronavirus.
Global poverty has declined continuously over the past two centuries, but what methods have been used to estimate it over time?
Research suggests that we're much more pessimistic about the state of the world and the progress being made than is fair.