By the Numbers

One in ten people are older than 65. Three in four live under a leader who is.

How old are leaders across the world, and how long have they been in power?

17 hrs ago • Hannah Ritchie

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The UK’s Triple Lock pensions: an explainer in charts

How the triple lock pension works; why it’s so divisive; and how the next government might change it.

Oct 2 • Hannah Ritchie

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September 2026

US Energy Data: a new platform to explore American energy, state-by-state

Trying to make some of the richest energy data in the world accessible and understandable.

Sep 14 • Hannah Ritchie

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Young people tend to be happier than older generations, but not in the Anglosphere

For a long time, the “U-shaped curve” has been a dominant framework in the research on happiness.

Sep 10 • Hannah Ritchie

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August 2026

Forget more reservoirs; should the UK just build desalination plants instead?

Maybe, but not as a way to manage droughts. That’s when they seem to break.

Aug 31 • Hannah Ritchie

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The UK needs to build more reservoirs

We haven't built any in my lifetime, despite population growth and a changing climate.

Aug 18 • Hannah Ritchie

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Tracking global food production through a record El Niño

An interactive tool to explore historical data on food production, and updated forecasts from the USDA.

Aug 14 • Hannah Ritchie

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Is Europe having a bad wildfire year?

Several countries in Europe are having a very large wildfire year; this is offset by lower burn in the Balkans

Aug 2 • Hannah Ritchie

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July 2026

Thailand’s population has already peaked

Within a few decades, fertility rates fell from over 5 children per woman to less than 2.

Jul 23 • Hannah Ritchie

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My book — Clearing the Air — is coming out in paperback in September

And this week you can get 25% off in the UK.

Jul 21 • Hannah Ritchie

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June 2026

How much deforestation is your country importing through trade?

An interactive tool to explore deforestation flows across the world.

Jun 24 • Hannah Ritchie

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How quickly do electric car sales translate into cars on the road?

And other insights from the electric car rollout in 2025.

Jun 12 • Hannah Ritchie

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