Basic World Statistics

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected in its late-2024 outlook that global headline inflation is forecast to decline steadily to approximately $5.9\%$ in 2024, down from higher rates in 2023, reflecting global monetary policy tightening.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimated that approximately $5.5$ billion people, or about $68\%$ of the world's population, are using the Internet in 2024. This highlights the growing, though still uneven, global connectivity.

China is the largest consumer of electricity globally by a wide margin, with its consumption (over $10,000$ TWh in 2024 forecasts) driven by its massive manufacturing sector and large population. It accounts for roughly one-third of global electricity use.

The World Bank currently defines **extreme poverty** using the International Poverty Line (IPL) of living on less than $2.15$ per person per day (based on 2017 Purchasing Power Parity, or PPP). This metric is used to track SDG 1 (No Poverty).

United Nations projections estimate the world population will rise from the current $8.1$ billion to approximately $9.8$ billion by 2050, primarily driven by growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

China leads the world in renewable electricity generation, particularly in hydroelectric and solar power. In 2023, China produced nearly a third of all global renewable electricity.

While poverty exists globally, over two-thirds of the world's population living in extreme poverty is concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, a proportion that has been rising in recent years due to slow growth and fragility.

Large equipment (like household appliances) makes up the largest category of e-waste by total weight, despite small items like phones being more numerous.

Due to high and sustained fertility rates, Nigeria is projected by the UN to overtake the United States as the world's third most populous country by mid-century.

The Amazon rainforest in South America, primarily within Brazil, continues to experience the highest rates of net annual forest loss globally, driven mainly by cattle ranching and agriculture.

The replacement fertility rate is slightly above $2.0$ ($2.1$ is the accepted figure) to account for natural mortality and the imbalance in the sex ratio at birth, ensuring each generation replaces itself.

China dominates the solar sector, holding both the largest operational solar capacity (over $440,000$ MWac) and the largest prospective pipeline, far exceeding the combined capacity of the next few largest markets.

While food insecurity is a global issue, the largest numbers of chronically hungry people are found in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, often exacerbated by conflict and climate change.

Australia has one of the lowest population densities globally (around 3 people per sq km), driven by its massive, arid, and largely uninhabitable interior. Russia and Canada are close but slightly more dense.

M-Pesa, launched in Kenya, is the most successful mobile money platform globally, providing banking services to millions without traditional bank accounts across several African and Asian countries.

Satellite data and glaciology reports show that the rate of ice mass loss from both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets has been accelerating significantly in the past two decades, contributing to rising sea levels.

Russia holds the largest proven reserves of natural gas globally, followed by Iran and Qatar, making it a major player in the global energy market.

The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) complements the income-based measure by looking at deprivations across three primary areas: health (nutrition and child mortality), education (years of schooling and attendance), and standard of living (assets, water, electricity, etc.).

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) consistently holds the title for the largest total market capitalization of all publicly listed companies globally, often followed by Nasdaq (US) and then the Japan/Shanghai exchanges.

Africa still lags significantly behind other regions, with an internet usage rate of around $37\%$ in 2024, compared to a global average of $68\%$ and over $90\%$ in Europe and the Americas.