For a book about statistics, this wasn’t boring. It’s engaging. While I definitely agree we’re constantly inundated with bad news (it’s attention-grabbing and networks need advertisers’ money) about the world, the attitude taken in this book is so nonchalant. Like, yeah, very few kids are dying in droves these days. Let’s pat ourselves on the back! There are reasons like colonization, corrupt governments, low innovation, etc why some countries are in the state they are in, but the book mostly skirts past that (it acknowledges this more toward the end). Rosling notes things are improving. He gives an analogy about a premature baby in an incubator, which I thought was fitting. Yes, the baby is premature, but if their health is improving, that’s a good turn in the right direction. 

The main takeaway of the book is an increase in education, sex education, and income helps lower population. When people (read: women) have more money and education, they tend to have fewer children, so they can better care for them. With more income, countries can bounce back quicker after natural disasters, and their citizens have better quality of lives by each generation. I also like the idea about dividing different countries by income levels too. 

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how far we have come from the days of high child mortality and other unfortunate events. Maybe this is a reminder that the world isn’t completely hopeless. 

Read this for Introduction to Business Statistics.