Is The World Getting Worse?

Moving back in time, we observe severe oppression and impoverished conditions throughout the world. In 1820, it is estimated that somewhere between 84% to 94% of the world lived in poverty. However, according to the World Bank, in 2010, only 21% reside in the same conditions.^[7] In an astounding development, from 1980 -2000, over 700 million people moved out of extreme poverty. Reflecting on this, Max Roser writes:

“Before modern economic growth the huge majority lived in extreme poverty and only a tiny elite enjoyed a better living standard. With the onset of industrialization world poverty started its decline and slowly but steadily a larger share of the world population was lifted out of poverty. And since 1980 world poverty declined from 50% to 21% – at the fastest rate in history.”^[8]

“If the current pace of poverty reduction continues to the end, then half of the countries would eradicate MPI poverty within 20 years, 18 of the 22 within 41 years, and the remaining four countries within 95 years.”^[9]

 Reflecting on this data, Jon Berkley of the Economist, noted the following:

“If developing countries maintain the impressive growth they have managed since 2000; if the poorest countries are not left behind by faster-growing middle-income ones; and if inequality does not widen so that the rich lap up all the cream of growth—then developing countries would cut extreme poverty from 16% of their populations now to 3% by 2030. That would reduce the absolute numbers by 1 billion. If growth is a little faster and income more equal, extreme poverty could fall to just 1.5%—as near to zero as is realistically possible. The number of the destitute would then be about 100 million, most of them in intractable countries in Africa. Misery’s billions would be consigned to the annals of history.”^[10]

Another amazing thing that is currently taking place is that people are living much longer and becoming healthier. In fact, data shows that people have continued to have a longer life expectancy over the centuries. In 1720 the average man in England only lived to be about thirty years of age. Currently most are living past the age of eighty. In just one hundred years, the average American’s life expectancy has gone from forty to seventy-five. What is taking place today is considerably different than it was centuries ago. Consider the following chart:

Another aspect of this worldwide advancement is seen in the the change in child mortality rates. In the Eighteenth Century around 33% of the children in the Industrialized West died. Those rates improved slightly in the Nineteenth Century with around 25% of children dying. Currently less than 1% of the children in Industrialized nations are dying. While the child mortality rate has remained relatively high in Third-World countries, even this figure has been going down dramatically. Globally, infant mortality has fallen from 46 per 1000 in 2004 to 34 per 1000 in 2013. Worldwide the child mortality rate is now less than 4%.