Author Archives: Claudia Soria

Hunger Map 2012

One of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is to reduce the number of people with hunger by half by the year 2015. An estimated 870 million people still suffer from hunger around the world.

This map published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), shows that a good number of developing nations have made progress toward reaching that goal, as can be seen for the countries in green, with East Asia and Latin America as the top performers. On the other hand, many countries in Africa and West Asia have not made any progress, or worse, their situation has even deteriorated as can be seen for the countries in yellow or red.

Wealth Comparison for the Years 1500 and 2015

Comparing the levels of wealth per person for the years 1500 and 2015, as shown in these two maps, it is interesting to see how economic power has shifted from some nations to others.

Back in the 1500s, economic power was held by a majority of European nations leaded by Italy. China ranked number 23, India 53, and Japan 61. North America’s wealth was negligible compared to Europe’s, but the African region enjoyed more wealth than they do today.

A forecast for the year 2015 places Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore at the top in GDP per capita. Some European nations are still wealthy, such is the case of Malta, Luxembourg, Norway, and Ireland, but Italy is not in the lead anymore. Japan’s wealth per capita has increased, and so has the United States’, but the wealth of African countries has become the lowest worldwide.

Source: Global Finance: Wealth Distribution and Income Inequality by Country

Economic and Human Impact of Natural Disasters

This visualization by the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) shows the impact of natural disasters in the period 2000-2012.

Between 2009 and 2011 the economic cost of disasters increased from $50 billion to $371 billion due to the 2011 Great East Japanese Earthquake. The largest number of people killed occurred in the period 2009-2010, mainly due to earthquakes, including the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The largest number of people affected in the last twelve years occurred between 2001 and 2002, mainly due to droughts, including droughts in China and India.

Source: United Nations on Tumbler

Cervical Cancer and the HPV Vaccine in Developing Countries

An estimated 275,000 women die of cervical cancer every year, with the majority of these deaths occurring in developing nations. Those deaths could be easily avoided by vaccinating women with the HPV vaccine.

Due to the high cost of the HPV vaccine, $100 per dose in developed nations, many women and girls in poor countries did not have access to it. Thanks to the GAVI Alliance, a partnership funded by governments as well as by corporate and private partners, this vaccine will be available in developing nations at a cost of $4.50 per dose. African countries soon beginning vaccination include Kenya, Ghana, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.

Source: GAVI Alliance: Millions of girls in developing countries to be protected against cervical cancer thanks to new HPV vaccine deals

Millennium Development Goals Progress Index for 2013

Based on the data published by The Guardian, we have created this map that shows the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Progress Index for 2013.

The top countries that have accelerated their progress in meeting the MDGs in 2013 compared to 2012 include Nigeria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, and Panama.

On the other side of the spectrum, the top countries that have slowed down their progress to meet the MDG’s in 2012 compared to 2012 include Nigeria, Jordan, and Kyrgyzstan.

World Production of Rare Earth Metals

Rare earth metals or rare earth elements are a collection of seventeen chemical elements located at the bottom of the periodic table. They are key elements in the manufacture of high technology components, hybrid cars, solar panels, lasers, electronics, etc.

As of 2010, China produced 97% of the total world production of rare earths, or 130,000 metric tons, followed by India (2%), Brazil (0.42%), and Malaysia (0.27%).

The estimated demand for rare earths for 2015 will increase 54% compared to the demand in 2010.

Source: GOOD: Infographic: The Future Global Supply of Rare Earth Elements

The Most Devastating Tornadoes in the U.S. Since 1950

In lieu of the killer tornado that hit Oklahoma city on May 20, 2013, Slate published a map of the most devastating tornadoes to hit the United States since 1950.

As seen in the map, the southwest is the region with the highest frequency of devastating tornadoes.

Source: Slate: Map of the Week: All Killer Tornadoes Since 1950

Global Attitudes About the Economy

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 39 nations, regarding attitudes about the state of the economy in the respondents’ respective countries, yielded interesting results.

Respondents in emerging economies are the most optimistic. A median of 53% believe their economy is doing well, specially in China and Malaysia. In contrast, respondents in developed economies are the most pessimistic. A median of only 24% say their economy is doing well. European nations such as Greece, Italy, Spain, and France are the most pessimistic of all.

In the case of developing economies, some are somewhat optimistic (Philippines and Bolivia), and other not so much (Tunisia and Lebanon).

Source: Pew Research Global Attitudes Project: Widespread Dissatisfaction with Economy

Read full report: Pew Research Global Attitudes Project: Economies of Emerging Markets Better Rated During Difficult Times

Most of the World’s Population Live in Asia

According to this map published by the Washington Post, there are more people living within the lighted circle than there are outside of it.

The countries inside this circle are China, Mongolia, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, Malaysia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Laos. The total population of those countries combined is an estimated 3.6 billion, about 51% of the total world population.

The Most and Least Racially Tolerant Countries

A survey conducted by two Swedish economists asked respondents in 80 countries what kind of people they would not like as neighbors, to which many replied “people of a different race”.

The results from that survey are displayed in this map published by the Washington Post. According to the survey, people in English-speaking, Scandinavian, and Latin American countries are the most racially tolerant, with the exception of Venezuela. South Africa shows to be a tolerant country, while the attitudes in Europe show a lot of variation. People in countries such as France, Turkey, India, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, South Korea, and Indonesia are the least racially tolerant.

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