“When a problem is solved, it disappears from the news.”Why progress feels invisibleNews reports what happens suddenly. Progress happens slowly, a little every day. That's why the world often feels worse than it really is.
Big wins for humanity rarely make the front page. They happen slowly, so they never feel like news. Here are some of them, each with the number behind it and where it comes from.
About 3.5 million people a year caught this painful parasite in 1986. In 2024 there were 15 human cases worldwide. It could become only the second human disease ever wiped out.
The Carter Center · as of 2024Deaths of children under five fell from 12.8 million in 1990 to 4.8 million in 2023, even though there are many more children in the world.
UN IGME child mortality report · as of 2023Around 1990, more than one person in three lived in extreme poverty. Today it is roughly one in ten. Over a billion people climbed out.
World Bank poverty data · as of 2024The cost of electricity from big solar farms fell by about 90% between 2010 and 2023. In much of the world, it is now the cheapest new power there is.
IRENA renewable power costs · as of 2023After the world banned the chemicals that damaged it, the ozone hole over Antarctica is on track to close by about 2066. Proof that global action works.
UN Environment / WMO ozone assessment · 202391% of people now have electricity, up from under 80% in 2000. That means light to study by, fridges for medicine and phones that connect.
Tracking SDG7 (IEA, World Bank, WHO) · as of 202287% of adults in the world can read and write. Two hundred years ago it was about one in eight.
UNESCO; Our World in Data · recent dataAfter a century of trying, there are now two malaria vaccines recommended by the WHO, and countries across Africa are giving them to children.
World Health Organization · 2021 and 2023“When a problem is solved, it disappears from the news.”Why progress feels invisibleNews reports what happens suddenly. Progress happens slowly, a little every day. That's why the world often feels worse than it really is.
Seen a story of real progress, backed by evidence? Share it with the Intelligent Optimism community.
Figures are the latest we could check at the time of writing. Sources: The Carter Center (Guinea Worm Eradication Program); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation; World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform; IRENA, Renewable Power Generation Costs; UNEP/WMO Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion; Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report; UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Our World in Data; World Health Organization.