Looking Into The Mirror
World Status Today
Many of us consider our species, the human beings, as very intelligent, because we achieved a significant influence on the planet we live on. We subdued other living beings and we manipulate our planet as we see it fit. But how does the world status really look like if we have a look at some essential aspects of human life?
The fast majority of all human beings live in very harsh conditions and are struggling for survival: They 1. live in a conflict zone, 2. have been displaced, 3. lack safe drinking water, 4. face hunger, 5. breathe toxic air, 6. lack safe sanitation and/or 7. are vulnerable to climate change. While the struggle for survival affects mostly people in poorer countries, people in wealthier countries are struggling more with heavy 8. physical and 9. mental disorders. Many people around the world struggle with 10. loneliness and 11. the vast majority has sleep disorders of some kind.
- 2 Billion People Live in Conflict Areas (2022)
- 100 million humans have been displaced (2022)
- 2 billion people lack safe drinking water (2020)
- Between 691 and 783 million people faced hunger (2022)
- Almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits
93% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day (2023) - 3.6 billion people lack safe sanitation (2020)
- 3.3 Billion people Are Highly Vulnerable to Climate Change (2022)
- More than 1.9 billion adults are overweight, of these over 650 million were obese (2016)
1.28 billion adults aged 30–79 years worldwide have hypertension (2023)
More than 800 million people around the world have diabetes (2022)
Raised cholesterol affects 39% of adults (2019)
39.5% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes (USA, 2015–2017) - 970 million people suffer from mental disorders (2019)
- Over 1 in 5 People Worldwide Feel Lonely a Lot (2023)
- Only 13% of adults are sleeping well daily (2024) and 76% report sleep disorders (2019)
World Status Statistics
Conflicts
Military Expenditure
Mental Health
Hunger
Drinking Water
Biodiversity
Freshwater Use
Global Warming
Annual CO₂ Emissions
World Status News
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Planetary Health Check: Our Planet is Reaching its Limit
The Planetary Boundaries (PBs) framework analyses and monitors the nine PB processes and systems that scientifically are proven to regulate the health of our planet. Each of these processes is currently quantified by one or two different control variables. The 2024 Planetary Health Check report reveals that six out of nine PB processes have breached the safe PB levels, with all six showing trends of increasing pressure in all control variables, suggesting further boundary transgression in the near future.
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Global military spending surges amid war, rising tensions and insecurity
Total global military expenditure reached $2443 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8 per cent in real terms from 2022. This was the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009. The 10 largest spenders in 2023—led by the United States, China and Russia—all increased their military spending, according to new data on global military spending published today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), available at www.sipri.org.
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2024 Global Sleep Survey Uncovers a World in Sleep Crisis
The survey uncovered a staggering number of people suffering from a chronic lack of good sleep, with nearly 40% of re
