Factsheets

Standards of living are difficult to measure, but indicators of social development are available. A basic measure, per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is the value of all goods and services produced within a region over a given time period, averaged per person. A more advanced metric, the Human Development Index (HDI), considers life expectancy, education, and Gross National Income (GNI). The three highest HDI-ranked countries in 2024 are Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland.¹ Many of the indicators discussed below are used to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of targets agreed upon by United Nations member states as crucial for global human progress.

Population

• The 2023 U.S. population was 335M and world population was over 8.06B.^2,3
• Global population is projected to reach 9.8B by 2050. An estimated 6.7B people will be living in urban areas, a 68% increase from 2015.³

• The population of Sub-Saharan Africa is growing rapidly and may exceed 3B by 2100. It is projected to become the most populated region in the world by 2070.⁴
• Significant issues affecting population include shifting mortality and fertility rates, international migration, gender inequality, and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.⁴
• Fertility rate, or number of births per woman of child-bearing age, is projected to fall from a global average of 2.25 in 2024 to 2.1 by the late 2040s.⁵ Currently, Niger has the highest fertility rate at 7.0; the U.S. fertility rate is 1.8.⁶
• In 2020, global contraceptive use was 1.7 times higher than in 1990 and was 6 times higher in Least Developed Countries (LDC) than in 1990.⁷ However, more than 20% of women of reproductive age in 15 countries still do not have access to contraceptives.⁸
• Life expectancy averages 64.9 years in LDC compared to 77.4 in the U.S.⁹

Standard of Living

• For the first time in 20 years, global extreme poverty rose in 2020—a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. By the end of 2030, 7% of the world’s population (574M people) will live in extreme poverty.¹⁰
• In 2022, 11.5% of the U.S. population—37.9M people—were living in poverty (income under $29,678 for a family of 4 with 2 children).¹¹ Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations in the U.S. face higher than average levels of poverty (17.1%, 16.9, and 24.9%, respectively).¹¹
• Slovakia, Slovenia, Belgium, and the Netherlands have among the most equal income distributions in the world. There are over 100 countries with more equal distribution than the U.S.¹
• More than 653,104 people in the U.S. experienced homelessness at some point in 2023, the highest number since reporting began in 2007.¹²

Food (See U.S. Food System Factsheet)

Average expenditures on food as a percentage of income range from 14% in developed countries to 30% in developing countries in 2021.^13,14 On average, Americans spend 7%, while Nigerians spend 59%.¹³ Globally, 45% of deaths of children under age five are caused by undernutrition.¹⁵

The 20th century’s Green Revolution led to large increases in agricultural yields and helped feed the rapidly growing global population. Sub-Saharan Africa was the only developing region where increased food production was primarily due to increased crop area (vs. increased crop yield).¹⁷

Fraction of Population Undernourished, 2021¹⁶

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Water and Sanitation (See Factsheets Related to Water)

• In 2022, approximately 1.5B people lacked access to proper sanitation, down from 2.7B in 2020.¹⁸ Access is lowest in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, where 25% of people have proper facilities.¹⁹ Globally, 89% of urban areas have access to proper sanitation facilities, compared to 70% in rural areas.¹⁸
• Only 37% of people in LDCs have access to basic hygiene (soap and water).¹⁹
• In 2020, 73% of the world had access to clean drinking water at home, but 282M people spent more than 30 minutes per trip to collect safe drinking water.^18,19 In Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa only 47% and 49% of the rural populations, respectively, have access to improved water resources.¹⁹

Deaths from Unsafe Water and Sanitation, 2019²⁰

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Healthcare and Disease

• In 2022, there were 249M cases of malaria worldwide, with 94% occurring in Africa; 580,000 people died and 76% of cases in children under 5 resulted in death.²¹ Malaria mortality rates have decreased by more than 50% globally since 2000, but more populations will be at risk of malaria due to climate change.^21,22
• COVID-19 is a leading cause of death. WHO estimates suggest 336.8M years of life lost globally by the end of 2021¹⁸ and at least 7.05M deaths globally as of July 2024.²³
• Diarrheal diseases killed 1.6M people in 2016 due to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services.²⁴
• In 2023, 39.9M people were infected with HIV and 630,000 died from AIDS.²⁵ 20.8M cases were in eastern and southern Africa.²⁵ New infections declined by 39% between 2010 and 2023, but still fall short of 2025 UN targets.²⁵ 
• Indoor air pollution, primarily from smoke while cooking, contributes to 3.2M premature deaths each year.²⁶
• Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. A healthy diet, regular physical activity, and avoiding tobacco reduces the risk associated with premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases and strokes.¹⁸
• In 2015, about 90 million people globally fell below the poverty line due to out-of-pocket health care costs.²⁷

Education and Employment

• Global youth literacy rose from 83% in 1990 to 92% in 2020.²⁹ The gap in female and male literacy rates is closing; in 1990, literacy rates were 87% and 80% for boys and girls, respectively. In 2020, the literacy rates were 93% and 91%.²⁹ 
• In 2022, the U.S. spent nearly 5.5% of GDP on education, compared to the global average of 3.7%.³⁰
• Sub-Saharan Africa primary school enrollment increased from 52% to 80% from 1990-2015 (the world average is 91.5%).³¹
• In Low Human Development nations, 25% percent of the population has at least some secondary education.³² In Very High Human Development nations this metric is 89%.³²
• Most jobs in developing countries are in agriculture (60%), services (27%), and industry (13%).³³

^​​Adult Literacy Rates, 2018^{34, 35}

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Environment

• In the 21st century, climate change will result in increasing risk for plant and animal species, more flooding and coastal erosion, extreme heat, droughts, more intense storms, and risks associated with malnutrition and water-related and vector-borne diseases. Poor communities are especially vulnerable because of their low adaptive capacity and high dependence on local climate.³⁶
• Not investing in climate change mitigation would result in an average 7.2% decrease in global GDP by 2100, while adhering to the Paris Agreement could limit this decrease to 1.1%.³⁷

Global Initiatives

• In 2015, the UN established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including eliminating poverty and hunger, reducing inequalities, and improving health and education while ensuring environmental sustainability.³⁸
• In 2022, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands reached or exceeded giving 0.7% (the UN target) of their GNI as Official Development Assistance (ODA).³⁹ The U.S. donates a lower percentage of GNI, but the greatest absolute dollar amount of any nation. In 2019, U.S. ODA totaled $60.5 billion.³⁹