Young Americans spend much more time alone than they did in the past. According to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, people aged 15–29 spent about 45% more time alone in 2023 than in 2010.

The survey classifies all time spent without anybody physically present as “time spent alone”. This can include time spent talking on the phone or video calls.

Time spent alone among young people increased slowly in the second half of the 2010s and then rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. It hasn’t fallen back to earlier levels since then.

In absolute terms, young people spent around four hours alone per day in 2010. By 2023, that number had grown to six hours per day.

Although all Americans spend more time alone, the increase is much smaller for older age groups. Those aged 30 to 44 spend about 20% more time alone now than in 2010, while for people 45 and older, the increase is about 10%.

While time alone can help with rest and personal reflection, it can also lead to loneliness and declining well-being. As time spent alone has increased, young people’s time with family, and even more so with friends, has decreased.

Explore more research and data on how people spend their time →

In May 2004, ten countries joined the European Union in its largest expansion. These new members entered the EU’s internal market, allowing the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people.

Poland was one of these countries. At the time, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita stood at $21,200 per year, around half the EU average.

Since then, this gap has narrowed. As the chart shows, Poland’s GDP per capita has more than doubled.

While many factors contributed to this growth, integration into the EU played a role. Since 2004, Poland’s inflation-adjusted exports have more than tripled, with around three-quarters going to other EU countries. This boost to growth is sometimes described as an “EU accession bonus”.

Poland has also been a major beneficiary of EU funding, receiving over €163 billion (net of its own contributions). Most of this money has supported areas such as transport infrastructure, research and development, and energy.

Compare levels of GDP per capita across other countries →

More than half a million children die from diarrheal diseases each year. This is tragic because many of these deaths could be prevented with the tools we already have.

Just ten pathogens are responsible for three-quarters of all diarrheal deaths in children; these are shown in the chart in red, blue, and gold. The leading cause is rotavirus, which kills over 200,000 children each year. Rotavirus vaccines already exist and are very effective in reducing death rates, but vaccination rates are still lagging in many poorer countries.

Other major killers include Shigella, Cryptosporidium, and E. coli, which can be tackled through better hygiene, clean water, improved sanitation, and new treatments.

These pathogens typically spread through contaminated food and water, respiratory droplets, and close contact with others. Basic tools like clean water and sanitation, access to vaccines, and oral rehydration treatment could go a long way in preventing early death, and give every child the chance to have a healthy, long life.

Explore more writing and data on diarrheal diseases on our dedicated page →

Globally, more than 700,000 people die from suicide every year.

Understanding the factors that increase the risk of suicide can help us provide the most effective interventions and support systems.

One thing we do know is that more men die from suicide than women. In the chart, you can see male suicide rates (on the vertical axis) plotted against female rates. One dot is one country. Since all of the dots lie above the line, male suicide rates were higher in all countries included in this dataset.

The size of this gender gap varies by country. In the United States, rates among men are four times higher than amongst women. In South Korea and Japan, they’re around double. Some countries lie closer to the line, meaning the gap is smaller.

The exact reasons for this gender gap are still debated. Factors could include the lethality of different methods, stigma around seeking help, different social pressures, and alcohol and drug abuse.

Every suicide is a tragedy. However, suicide death rates have declined in many countries, and we know that they can be reduced further with greater understanding and support. If you are dealing with suicidal thoughts, you can receive immediate help by visiting resources such as findahelpline.com.

Read my colleague Saloni Dattani’s article on how suicide statistics can vary across sources →

Famines are still a major global problem. From 2020 to 2023 alone, they caused over a million deaths.

Yet the long-term trend shows significant progress. In the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, it was common for famines to kill over 10 million people per decade. This was true as recently as the 1960s, when China’s Great Leap Forward became the deadliest famine in history.

But as you can see in the chart, that number has dropped sharply, to about one to two million per decade.

This improvement is even more striking given that the world’s population has grown substantially. Despite many more people living on Earth, far fewer die from famines than before.

This progress has resulted from various factors, including increased food production, poverty reduction, fewer conflicts, and more accountable governments.

Learn more about why fewer people die from famines today →

In 2021, malaria was the leading cause of death among children under five in more than 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In Nigeria, over 125,000 young children died from it — that’s 340 every day, one child around every four minutes. The country accounts for one-third of all under‑5 malaria deaths in the world.

Malaria is both preventable and treatable. But millions of children still lack access to basic protection: bed nets, timely treatment, and safe living conditions. We’ve seen malaria eliminated elsewhere.

The tools exist; the challenge is getting them to those who need them most.

Read more from my colleague Max Roser on why progress is possible — and how each of us can contribute →

Over 100 million infants are vaccinated against measles every year, which means more than 80% of one-year-olds are protected from this potentially life-threatening disease. This global effort has saved millions of lives.

That scale should be reassuring. Measles vaccines are safe and reduce the risk of infection by over 95%, making them one of our most powerful tools to prevent childhood deaths. Outbreaks have become increasingly rare in many countries, global infant mortality has fallen, and measles vaccination alone is estimated to have saved more than 94 million lives.

But that progress is under threat: vaccination rates have fallen in recent years, as the chart shows, and fewer children are getting the protection they need. When coverage slips, measles spreads rapidly; more children suffer and die from a disease we can easily prevent.

Read my colleague Hannah’s article on the number of lives saved by childhood vaccinations →