@humanprogress (Twitter)

Newly designed Web site for http://HumanProgress.org - highly recommended. Trends, data, and commentary. https://www.humanprogress.org/

In 1981, the year Ronald Reagan became America's 40th President, 44.3 percent of the world lived in extreme poverty (i.e., less than $1.90 per person per day). Last year, it was 9.6 percent.

In 1992, there were 953 million undernourished people. By 2015, that had decreased by 268 million. https://buff.ly/2G8CXN9 #hunger #health

Even our air is getting cleaner. In the United States, for example, aggregate emissions of six common pollutants (i.e., carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, fine & coarse particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide) fell by 67% between 1980 and 2016.

If humanity does face starvation in 2050, it will not be because of capitalism...

Next time you discuss the very richest Americans, keep in mind the extraordinarily high rate of turnover among them.

World literacy rates have risen to 84 percent and show a strong increase in developing countries within the past twenty-five years. https://buff.ly/2CgP0Fz #education

Before the Enlightenment, Europeans drank alcohol throughout the day. Then, through trade with the Arab world, a transformation occurred: coffee, rich with caffeine, a stimulant, swept across the continent and replaced alcohol, a depressant.

The percent of the population who are daily smokers has fallen. https://buff.ly/2EZZX1u

Over the last year, we have heard much about the intrinsic racism and homophobia in American society. However...