ENCOURAGING WORLD STATISTICS

IF WE HAD THE SAME RATE OF DEATH DUE TO WAR

TODAY AS WE DID 2,000 YEARS AGO, THEN 2 BILLION

PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED DUE TO VIOLENT CONFLICT

IN THE 20TH CENTURY. THE ACTUAL NUMBER, HOWEVER,

WAS 100 MILLION. THAT'S 20 TIMES LOWER.

THE GLOBAL ILLITERACY RATE HAS DROPPED

FROM 46% TO 18% SINCE 1970

IN THE NEXT 30 YEARS, MORE PEOPLE WILL RECEIVE

FORMAL EDUCATION THAN IN ALL OF HUMAN

HISTORY UP TO THIS POINT

SIMILARLY, MORE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES WERE

MADE IN THE 20TH CENTURY THAN IN ALL OF

HUMAN HISTORY BEFORE THAT

721 MILLION FEWER PEOPLE LIVE IN EXTREME

POVERTY IN 2010 AS COMPARED TO 1981

THIS MEANS THAT THE PROPORTION OF THE WORLD'S

POPULATION IN ABJECT POVERTY HAS GONE DOWN

FROM 40% TO ONLY 14%

THE GLOBAL MIDDLE CLASS HAS ACCESS TO MORE

GOODS AND SERVICES TODAY THAN EVER IN HISTORY.

TELEVISION, MOBILE PHONES, AND REFRIGERATORS

HAVE BECOME READILY AFFORDABLE

PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD REPORT FEELING

HAPPIER, PARTIALLY DUE TO THE ALLEVIATION

OF POVERTY