World Population:

• has achieved 7 billion on October 31, 2011.
• is projected to achieve 8 billion in 2023, 9 billion in 2037, and 10 billion people in the year 2055.
• has doubled in 40 years from 1959 (3 billion) to 1999 (6 billion).
• is currently (2020) growing at a rate of around 1.05 % p.a, adding 81 million people per year to the whole.
• The growth rate reached its peak within the late 1960s when it was at 2.09%.
• The growth rate is declining and is projected to decrease in the coming years (reaching below 0.50% by 2050 and 0.03% in 2100).
• A tremendous change occurred with the industrial revolution: whereas it had taken all of human history up to the year 1800 for the world population to succeed in 1 billion, the second billion was reached in only 130 years (1930), the third billion in 30 years (1960), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), the fifth billion in 13 years (1987), the sixth billion in 12 years (1999) and the seventh billion in 12 years (2011). During the 20th century alone, the world's population has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.

Sources for the world population counter:

• World Population Prospect: the 2019 Revision - United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (June 2019)

For more detailed information:

• World Population (Worldstatistics)

"this year" = from January 1 (00:00) up to now

"today" = from the beginning of the current day up to now

"net population growth" = births minus deaths

Quick facts:

• Total global healthcare expenditure represents around 9% of world GDP
• The government portion of healthcare spending is about 60%

Sources and info:

• World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO)
• World Economic Outlook (WEO) - International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• World Development Indicators (WDI) - World Bank

Quick facts:

• Public spending on education in the world is about 5% of global GDP

Sources and info:

• Human Development Report - United Nations
• Global Education Digest - Unesco Institute for Statistics (UIS)
• World Bank Public Expenditure Database - edstats - World Bank

Sources and info:

• SIPRI military expenditure data - SIPRI

Sources and info:

• Car Production Statistics - International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA)
• Global Auto Report [Pdf file] - ScotiaBank
• Light Vehicle Production Forecasts - IHS

Quick facts:

• As recently as 1965, bicycle and car production volumes were essentially the same, at nearly 20 million each p.a, but as of 2003, bike production had moved up to over 100 million per year compared with around 50 million cars produced that year.

Sources and info:

• Elaboration of Worldwatch Institute data
• Bicycle Retailer and Industry News - Statistics

Sources and info:

• Worldwide PC Shipments - Gartner
• Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker - IDC

Sources and info:

• Bowker Book Industry Statistics
• World Economic Outlook (WEO) - International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)- (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

Sources and info:

• World Press Trends - World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)

Sources and info:

• World Press Trends - World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)

Sources and info:

• Gartner
• IDC Telecom and Networks

Sources and info:

• Gartner
• DFC Intelligence
• NDP Group - Entertainment Market Research

Sources and info:

• World Development Indicators (WDI) - World Bank
• Measuring the Information Society - International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
• comScore
• GfK group

Sources and info:

• The Radicati Group

Sources and info:

• Technorati on State of the Blogosphere reports and elaboration of other data
• WordPress Stats - Automattic Inc.

Sources and info:

• Internet Live Stats (InternetLiveStats.com)

Sources and info:

• comScore
• Google Inc.

Quick Facts:

• The number shown up above is net of reforestation

Sources and info:

• Global Forest Resources Assessment (2010) - FAO

Sources and info:

• Dimensions of need: Restoring the land - FAO

Quick Facts:

• CO2 Emissions shown are from Fossil Fuel Combustion

Sources and info:

• International Energy Agency (IEA) Statistics - CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion
• Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR)
• Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) - United States Department of Energy
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Sources and info:

• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Sources and info:

• Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• United Nations Environment Program
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Sources and info:

• The State of Food Insecurity in the World - FAO

Sources and info:

• Obesity and overweight - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Obesity and overweight - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Hunger Stats - United Nations World Food Programme
• World Health Report - World Health Organization (WHO)
• The State of the World's Children - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Sources and info:

• Featured Page

Sources and info:

• Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer-And Service-Specific Estimates
  by:
  RTI InternationalAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality - US Dept of Health and Human Services
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• America's Health Rankings (report by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention)
• The U.S. Weight Loss & Diet Control Market - MarketData Enterprises, Inc., May 1, 2011
• America's Health Rankings (report by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention)

Quick Facts:

• Withdrawals for irrigation are close to 70% of the total withdrawn for human uses, those for industry 20%, and those for municipal use about 10%

Sources and info:

• Global Water Outlook to 2025 - International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
• World Water Council

Sources and info:

• Drinking Water - World Health Organization (WHO)
• Water - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene - World Health Organization (WHO)
• Water - World Health Organization (WHO)
• Water-related diseases: information sheets - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• BP Statistical Review of World Energy - British Petroleum
• World Energy Consumption - Wikipedia

Sources and info:

• International Energy Agency (IEA) Statistics

Sources and info:

• Renewables Global Status Report - REN21

Sources and info:

• Energy: A beginner's guide - Vaclav Smil
• Solar Energy - Wikipedia

Quick Facts:

• Barrel = 42 Gallons = 159 Liters

Sources and info:

• World Proved Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas, Most Recent Estimates - Energy Information Administration (EIA) - Data from BP Statistical Review, Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, BP Statistical Review, CEDIGAZ, and Oil & Gas Journal.

Sources and info:

• World Proved Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas, Most Recent Estimates - Energy Information Administration (EIA) - Data from BP Statistical Review, Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, BP Statistical Review, CEDIGAZ, and Oil & Gas Journal.

Countdown to the end of Oil:

Assumption:

• If consumed at current rates

Sources and info:

• World Proved Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas, Most Recent Estimates - Energy Information Administration (EIA) - Data from BP Statistical Review, Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, BP Statistical Review, CEDIGAZ, and Oil & Gas Journal.

Quick Facts:

• Boe = barrel of oil equivalent

Sources and info:

• World Proved Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas, Most Recent Estimates - Energy Information Administration (EIA) - Data from BP Statistical Review, Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil, BP Statistical Review, CEDIGAZ, and Oil & Gas Journal.

Sources and info:

• Global Burden of Disease (GBD) - World Health Organization (WHO)

Quick facts:

• Every year an estimated 290,000 to 650,000 people die in the world due to complications from seasonal influenza (flu) viruses.
• This figure equates to 795 to 1,781 deaths per day due to the seasonal flu.

Sources and info:

• Seasonal flu death estimate increases worldwide - CDC
• Up to 650 000 people die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Young child survival and development - UNICEF
• Child Mortality - Childinfo (UNICEF)

Sources and info:

• Sexual and reproductive health - World Health Organization (WHO)
• Shah, I.; Ahman, E. (December 2009). "Unsafe abortion: global and regional incidence, trends, consequences, and challenges" (Pdf). Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada 31 (12): 1149–58. PMID 20085681

Sources and info:

• Why do so many women still die in pregnancy or childbirth? - World Health Organization (WHO)
• Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980—2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5

Sources and info:

• HIV/AIDS Statistics - World Health Organization
• Global HIV and AIDS estimates - AVERT

Sources and info:

• UNAIDS

Sources and info:

• Cancer - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Malaria - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Cigarette Consumption - Tobacco Atlas [Pdf] - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Tobacco Control, Global Health Observatory (GHO) - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (GISAH) - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• Suicide prevention (SUPRE) - World Health Organization (WHO)

Sources and info:

• The illegal drugs global business - Frontline, PBS special report

Sources and info:

• Global launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 - World Health Organization (WHO)