Charted: The Rapid Decline in Global Birth Rates

In 1798, British economist Thomas Malthus proposed a groundbreaking theory now known as the “Malthusian Trap”—suggesting that human population growth is exponential and thus would outpace the linear growth of resources such as food supply.

He worried that this runaway population growth would become unsustainable, eventually relying on sudden shock events—wars, disasters, famines—to reset the population to more sustainable levels. And over the next 200 years, the world population skyrocketed from 1 billion to 8 billion people on the planet.

However, as it turns out, no such shock events were required to turn the tide of population growth. Instead, it’s been rapidly declining birth rates across the world that seem to be leading to an unthinkable outcome for Malthus: a gradually plateauing or even shrinking global population.

In the visualization above, Pablo Alvarez has visualized the crude birth rate for the 49 most populous countries of the world in 2021, using data from the UN’s World Population Prospects 2022 to examine changes since 1950.

Understanding Birth Rates vs Fertility Rates

Birth rates are commonly measured using a metric called the “crude birth rate” (CBR), which represents the number of live births per 1,000 individuals in a given population during a specific period—usually one year.

The measured decline in CBR is also a result of plummeting fertility rates across the globe. Not to be confused with birth rates, fertility rates measure how many children a woman will have over the course of her lifetime.

While a country’s birth rate is directly impacted by the fertility rate, it also takes into account other factors: population size, age structure of the population, access to contraception, cultural norms, government policies, and socioeconomic conditions.

Birth Rates of the Most Populated Countries

Here’s a snapshot of the CBR for the 49 most populous countries of the world at different years from 1950 to 2021.

Country	1950	1990	2021	% Change (1950-2021)
Afghanistan	48.87	51.42	35.84	-27%
Algeria	51.05	30.76	21.52	-58%
Angola	46.15	51.34	38.81	-16%
Argentina	26.00	21.99	13.90	-47%
Bangladesh	46.52	34.97	17.82	-62%
Brazil	46.43	24.84	12.88	-72%
Canada	26.80	15.46	9.82	-63%
China	41.05	24.44	7.63	-81%
Colombia	46.74	27.37	14.20	-70%
DRC	46.02	46.01	42.05	-9%
Egypt	54.20	33.21	22.56	-58%
Ethiopia	49.40	50.05	32.38	-34%
France	20.77	13.34	10.50	-49%
Germany	16.22	11.30	9.17	-43%
Ghana	46.76	40.37	27.55	-41%
India	43.84	31.82	16.42	-63%
Indonesia	40.64	25.52	16.42	-60%
Iran	50.14	32.46	13.70	-73%
Iraq	45.73	39.41	27.37	-40%
Italy	19.70	10.01	6.93	-65%
Japan	28.34	9.91	6.57	-77%
Kenya	49.47	43.52	27.68	-44%
Malaysia	44.31	27.89	15.24	-66%
Mexico	49.31	29.30	14.86	-70%
Morocco	51.08	29.23	17.55	-66%
Mozambique	46.66	46.38	36.60	-22%
Myanmar	45.58	27.48	17.10	-62%
Nepal	47.06	38.11	20.40	-57%
Nigeria	45.61	43.79	37.12	-19%
Pakistan	43.72	43.15	27.52	-37%
Peru	48.16	30.90	17.62	-63%
Philippines	49.84	33.26	21.81	-56%
Poland	30.85	14.28	9.49	-69%
Russia	28.80	13.52	9.64	-67%
Saudi Arabia	53.34	34.41	17.47	-67%
South Africa	41.65	31.15	19.82	-52%
South Korea	40.03	15.69	5.58	-86%
Spain	20.01	10.30	7.55	-62%
Sudan	47.75	43.09	33.60	-30%
Tanzania	47.75	43.78	36.21	-24%
Thailand	43.84	19.73	9.00	-79%
Türkiye	46.39	25.87	14.68	-68%
U.S.	22.81	16.73	11.06	-52%
Uganda	52.42	51.37	36.80	-30%
UK	16.44	13.88	10.08	-39%
Ukraine	22.95	12.76	7.72	-66%
Uzbekistan	39.85	33.98	23.55	-41%
Vietnam	38.82	28.51	15.01	-61%
Yemen	52.59	50.64	30.54	-42%

Every country on the list has seen a decline in birth rates in the last 70 years, with some declines more staggering than others. For example, China recorded 41 births per 1,000 people in 1950. By 2021, that number had fallen to just 7.6, a 81% decrease.

South Korea, the 29th most populous country in the world in 2021, saw an even larger 86% drop in its birth rate since 1950. In fact, almost every single country in this dataset has seen a double-digit fall in their birth rates over the past 70 years. Only the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen a single-digit percentage decline between 1950 and 2021.

Why are Global Birth Rates Falling?

For the 49 most populated countries in 2021, birth rates have halved on average in the last 70 years:

But while the thought of a shrinking world population may seem worrisome, declining birth rates are generally thought of as a triumph of rapid socio-economic development.

As countries progress and living standards improve, there is a shift in societal norms and aspirations. For example, expanded education and career opportunities for women allow the pursuit of professional growth and personal goals, with some women choosing to delay starting a family or having smaller families.

Growing urbanization is another key driver of declining birth rates, characterized by smaller living spaces, increased focus on careers, and limited support networks. Another is the growing access to family planning services and contraceptives, particularly since the 1970s.

What are the Future Consequences?

The biggest consequence of declining birth rates—and one that is already being seen in many parts of the world—is a rapidly aging population.

With fewer children being born, the proportion of elderly individuals increases relative to the working-age population. This demographic imbalance poses challenges for social welfare systems, healthcare, and pension schemes.

Declining birth rates can also impact the labor market and economic productivity. A smaller workforce may lead to labor shortages, skill gaps, and reduced innovation. And shrinking populations reduce consumer demand, a cornerstone of the global economy, which may trigger a restructure of the current growth model of development.

The post Charted: The Rapid Decline of Global Birth Rates appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Charted: The World’s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100

As demographics continue to shift in the 21st century, the world’s aging population will continue to be a focal point for many global decision makers.

Most countries around the world have experienced population explosions, or are about to. Combine this with declining birth rates and falling mortality rates, and it’s clear that the global senior population will continue to reach new heights.

These graphics by Pablo Alvarez use data from the 2022 UN World Population Prospects to visualize this increasing aging population across countries.

The World’s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100

In 2022, there were 771 million people aged 65+ years globally, accounting for almost 10% of the world’s population.

This segment has been growing at an increasing rate, and it’s expected to hit 16% in 2050, and eventually 24% by 2100. Here’s what that’s projected to look like, for every country and territory.

Country by Population Aged +65 Years	1950	2022	2100
Afghanistan	2.85%	2.39%	16.03%
Albania	6.04%	16.66%	49.08%
Algeria	3.49%	6.39%	28.83%
American Samoa	2.38%	7.27%	45.41%
Andorra	10.02%	14.98%	37.04%
Angola	2.93%	2.6%	12.07%
Anguilla	3.69%	10.71%	37.49%
Antigua and Barbuda	4.14%	10.63%	35.4%
Argentina	4.13%	11.92%	31.79%
Armenia	8.17%	13.15%	36.13%
Aruba	1.77%	16.15%	36.51%
Australia	8.17%	16.9%	31.38%
Austria	10.42%	19.81%	33.93%
Azerbaijan	6.89%	7.11%	30.5%
Bahamas	4.76%	8.89%	29.58%
Bahrain	2.88%	3.76%	21.89%
Bangladesh	3.9%	6.04%	32.56%
Barbados	5.24%	16.28%	33.19%
Belarus	8.24%	17.18%	30.45%
Belgium	11.03%	19.73%	32.83%
Belize	3.57%	5.09%	29.21%
Benin	7.85%	3.06%	11.03%
Bermuda	5.71%	20.41%	37.73%
Bhutan	2.53%	6.25%	33.35%
Bolivia	6.11%	4.85%	21.75%
Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba	14.22%	13.84%	28.94%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3.95%	18.4%	36.4%
Botswana	4.32%	3.65%	17.96%
Brazil	2.39%	9.88%	33.52%
British Virgin Islands	8.63%	9.95%	32.47%
Brunei	4.85%	6.17%	30.93%
Bulgaria	6.66%	22.38%	37.13%
Burkina Faso	2.01%	2.53%	13.07%
Burundi	3.22%	2.48%	13.23%
Cambodia	2.67%	5.81%	26.43%
Cameroon	3.47%	2.67%	11.89%
Canada	7.7%	19.03%	31.55%
Cape Verde	3.67%	5.55%	32.63%
Cayman Islands	6.05%	8.17%	28.75%
Central African Republic	5.%	2.51%	11.43%
Chad	4.33%	2.01%	9.64%
Chile	3.3%	13.03%	36.61%
China	5.04%	13.72%	40.93%
Colombia	3.22%	9.%	34.49%
Comoros	3.8%	4.28%	17.81%
Congo	3.36%	2.72%	11.99%
Cook Islands	2.94%	11.73%	29.75%
Costa Rica	2.97%	10.83%	36.99%
Cote d'Ivoire	2.21%	2.4%	10.86%
Croatia	7.82%	22.36%	37.03%
Cuba	4.36%	15.81%	36.31%
Curacao	5.82%	14.95%	30.46%
Cyprus	5.95%	14.83%	33.36%
Czechia	8.29%	20.64%	26.94%
Democratic Republic of Congo	3.77%	2.92%	10.62%
Denmark	9.04%	20.49%	30.45%
Djibouti	1.99%	4.54%	19.68%
Dominica	7.67%	9.53%	34.28%
Dominican Republic	2.72%	7.4%	30.47%
Ecuador	5.2%	7.83%	31.97%
Egypt	2.95%	4.83%	21.77%
El Salvador	3.93%	8.22%	36.02%
Equatorial Guinea	5.53%	3.12%	15.13%
Eritrea	3.2%	4.01%	19.86%
Estonia	10.56%	20.58%	34.15%
Eswatini	2.68%	4.%	16.26%
Ethiopia	3.01%	3.14%	18.6%
Faeroe Islands	7.59%	17.92%	26.91%
Falkland Islands	8.27%	11.08%	35.86%
Fiji	5.99%	5.9%	20.6%
Finland	6.63%	23.27%	34.04%
France	11.39%	21.66%	34.23%
French Guiana	7.96%	5.98%	21.13%
French Polynesia	3.%	10.07%	37.85%
Gabon	7.21%	3.89%	16.25%
Gambia	2.5%	2.43%	16.06%
Georgia	9.35%	14.61%	31.19%
Germany	9.46%	22.41%	33.72%
Ghana	4.62%	3.55%	15.91%
Gibraltar	6.94%	20.84%	37.63%
Greece	6.8%	22.82%	37.52%
Greenland	3.06%	10.02%	29.16%
Grenada	5.12%	10.07%	30.54%
Guadeloupe	5.51%	20.04%	34.45%
Guam	1.11%	11.84%	31.19%
Guatemala	2.31%	4.91%	28.05%
Guernsey	11.96%	16.64%	35.4%
Guinea	5.39%	3.32%	14.%
Guinea-Bissau	3.45%	2.82%	14.34%
Guyana	3.89%	6.28%	28.94%
Haiti	3.64%	4.54%	19.07%
Honduras	3.96%	4.27%	26.5%
Hong Kong	2.48%	20.47%	41.64%
Hungary	7.81%	20.01%	31.85%
Iceland	7.52%	15.33%	34.25%
India	3.1%	6.9%	29.81%
Indonesia	1.74%	6.86%	25.28%
Iran	5.22%	7.62%	33.72%
Iraq	2.79%	3.41%	18.44%
Ireland	10.99%	15.14%	32.48%
Isle of Man	13.9%	22.29%	31.8%
Israel	4.%	12.04%	25.97%
Italy	8.09%	24.05%	38.19%
Jamaica	3.83%	7.45%	44.05%
Japan	4.89%	29.92%	38.7%
Jersey	12.34%	16.22%	30.52%
Jordan	5.03%	3.84%	27.3%
Kazakhstan	6.47%	8.04%	19.58%
Kenya	5.28%	2.87%	16.98%
Kiribati	7.13%	3.81%	17.33%
Kosovo	5.33%	10.19%	43.35%
Kuwait	2.88%	4.93%	31.56%
Kyrgyzstan	7.91%	4.54%	21.08%
Laos	2.13%	4.45%	25.24%
Latvia	10.12%	21.86%	32.86%
Lebanon	7.24%	9.89%	32.11%
Lesotho	6.34%	4.2%	13.44%
Liberia	2.97%	3.31%	13.88%
Libya	5.21%	4.86%	27.77%
Liechtenstein	7.89%	19.37%	34.79%
Lithuania	8.65%	20.8%	32.79%
Luxembourg	9.71%	15.03%	31.55%
Macao	3.11%	13.%	32.39%
Madagascar	3.25%	3.35%	16.21%
Malawi	3.06%	2.61%	15.61%
Malaysia	4.91%	7.5%	30.78%
Maldives	3.14%	4.78%	35.61%
Mali	2.78%	2.38%	11.%
Malta	7.42%	19.13%	38.26%
Marshall Islands	5.68%	4.56%	17.8%
Martinique	5.85%	22.77%	37.31%
Mauritania	1.44%	3.22%	15.03%
Mauritius	3.18%	12.79%	33.76%
Mayotte	6.61%	2.88%	18.15%
Mexico	2.99%	8.32%	34.88%
Micronesia (country)	4.11%	6.16%	27.59%
Moldova	7.56%	12.98%	26.36%
Monaco	15.64%	35.92%	30.16%
Mongolia	3.87%	4.61%	26.18%
Montenegro	7.85%	16.55%	34.16%
Montserrat	7.92%	17.7%	33.05%
Morocco	2.86%	7.72%	29.97%
Mozambique	3.13%	2.57%	13.43%
Myanmar	3.21%	6.82%	23.69%
Namibia	4.1%	3.97%	15.38%
Nauru	8.98%	2.5%	15.87%
Nepal	2.74%	6.09%	29.51%
Netherlands	7.76%	20.31%	32.89%
New Caledonia	5.%	11.02%	31.61%
New Zealand	9.09%	16.31%	33.2%
Nicaragua	2.71%	5.29%	28.92%
Niger	.92%	2.4%	9.76%
Nigeria	3.%	2.97%	12.31%
Niue	4.79%	15.16%	22.55%
North Korea	2.72%	11.71%	30.49%
North Macedonia	5.87%	14.91%	36.56%
Northern Mariana Islands	2.95%	10.81%	32.09%
Norway	9.52%	18.44%	31.65%
Oman	3.05%	2.76%	23.96%
Pakistan	5.48%	4.27%	17.23%
Palau	8.59%	9.93%	21.48%
Palestine	4.77%	3.53%	23.44%
Panama	3.57%	8.77%	30.03%
Papua New Guinea	1.09%	3.19%	16.81%
Paraguay	3.73%	6.26%	26.51%
Peru	3.43%	8.41%	30.33%
Philippines	3.56%	5.44%	23.38%
Poland	5.22%	18.55%	35.69%
Portugal	7.%	22.9%	36.28%
Puerto Rico	3.63%	22.93%	48.9%
Qatar	3.5%	1.52%	15.01%
Reunion	3.81%	13.28%	32.4%
Romania	7.16%	18.64%	32.22%
Russia	4.8%	15.8%	27.86%
Rwanda	2.76%	3.2%	17.36%
Saint Barthlemy	7.3%	10.61%	43.89%
Saint Helena	8.63%	28.66%	32.61%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	5.36%	10.13%	29.79%
Saint Lucia	3.59%	9.23%	33.39%
Saint Martin (French part)	4.47%	11.14%	30.08%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	6.34%	17.32%	33.4%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	7.71%	10.86%	32.34%
Samoa	2.52%	5.22%	18.75%
San Marino	10.15%	20.47%	35.73%
Sao Tome and Principe	3.92%	3.76%	15.6%
Saudi Arabia	3.32%	2.81%	30.28%
Senegal	3.42%	3.14%	16.54%
Serbia	6.15%	20.56%	37.55%
Seychelles	10.68%	8.16%	28.84%
Sierra Leone	3.02%	3.14%	15.52%
Singapore	2.29%	15.12%	36.51%
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	12.03%	10.57%	34.51%
Slovakia	6.63%	16.98%	33.4%
Slovenia	7.52%	20.96%	33.59%
Solomon Islands	4.03%	3.47%	15.29%
Somalia	2.6%	2.57%	10.75%
South Africa	4.06%	5.89%	20.55%
South Korea	2.74%	17.49%	44.44%
South Sudan	3.48%	2.89%	13.11%
Spain	7.23%	20.27%	38.72%
Sri Lanka	8.76%	11.54%	35.73%
Sudan	3.03%	3.5%	13.28%
Suriname	4.09%	7.39%	25.8%
Sweden	10.19%	20.25%	31.83%
Switzerland	9.49%	19.31%	32.61%
Syria	7.66%	4.68%	24.62%
Taiwan	2.11%	16.71%	37.32%
Tajikistan	4.34%	3.47%	19.43%
Tanzania	2.2%	3.1%	14.97%
Thailand	3.21%	15.21%	39.17%
Timor	3.14%	5.21%	25.42%
Togo	4.29%	3.13%	11.77%
Tokelau	4.7%	8.66%	25.03%
Tonga	4.6%	6.22%	21.65%
Trinidad and Tobago	3.93%	11.52%	32.67%
Tunisia	4.4%	9.02%	31.24%
Turkey	3.77%	8.64%	33.9%
Turkmenistan	5.84%	5.15%	21.55%
Turks and Caicos Islands	5.79%	10.34%	28.25%
Tuvalu	4.98%	6.48%	16.15%
Uganda	2.87%	1.69%	14.33%
Ukraine	7.54%	18.81%	33.2%
United Arab Emirates	3.35%	1.83%	15.77%
United Kingdom	10.84%	19.17%	32.56%
United States	8.18%	17.13%	30.47%
United States Virgin Islands	7.54%	20.42%	39.11%
Uruguay	8.23%	15.58%	35.98%
Uzbekistan	5.87%	5.14%	22.24%
Vanuatu	5.65%	3.74%	16.29%
Venezuela	2.29%	8.61%	27.71%
Vietnam	4.13%	9.12%	30.02%
Wallis and Futuna	1.76%	13.47%	32.98%
Western Sahara	2.82%	5.84%	23.73%
Yemen	3.98%	2.66%	18.25%
Zambia	2.76%	1.75%	12.66%
Zimbabwe	3.18%	3.32%	14.22%
World	5.13%	9.82%	24.03%

Some of the places with high elderly shares today include high-income countries like Japan (30%), Italy (24%), and Finland (23%).

The lowest shares are concentrated in the Middle East and Africa. Many countries have just 2% of their population aged 65 years and older, such as Qatar, Uganda, and Afghanistan.

But over time, almost all countries are expected to see their older population segments grow. In just three decades, it is estimated that one-in-four European, North American, and Asian residents will be over 65 years of age.

By 2100, a variety of Asian countries and island nations facing low population growth are expected to see more than one-third of their populations aged 65 years or older, including South Korea and Jamaica at 44%. However, it’s actually Albania that’s the biggest outlier overall, with a projected 49% of its population to be aged 65 and older by 2100.

Passing the Generational Torch

The challenge of an aging population is set to impact all sectors of society, including labor and financial markets, demand for housing and transportation, and especially family structures and intergenerational ties.

One way to help grasp the nature of transition is to note the changing ratio between seniors and young children in the world population, as seen in the below crossover diagram:

Dropping fertility rates, in addition to improved child and infant mortality rates, are known to have played a major role in the plateauing population of children.

However, not all countries have witnessed this crossover yet, as it usually coincides with higher levels of economic development.

As countries such as India, Brazil, and South Africa reach higher levels of per capita income, they will be likely to follow down the paths of more advanced economies, eventually experiencing similar demographic fates and challenges.

The post Charted: The World’s Aging Population from 1950 to 2100 appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Mapping Diabetes Rates by Country in 2021

Despite advancements in healthcare lengthening life expectancy across the world, there are still many diseases that are hard to beat. One of these growing and costly diseases is diabetes, but each country is being hit differently.

One of the leading causes of death and disability globally, over half a billion people are living with diabetes today. The World Bank’s IDF Diabetes Atlas reveals that diabetes was responsible for 6.7 million deaths in 2021 alone.

In this graphic, Alberto Rojo Moro uses this World Bank Atlas to map diabetes rates by country, highlighting the countries with the highest rates of the disease.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitusis) a long-lasting condition that affects how the body turns food into energy.

Normally, our bodies break down the food we consume into glucose (a sugar) and release it into our blood. When our level of blood sugar rises, insulin produced by our pancreas signals the body to use excess glucose as energy or store it for later consumption.

Diabetes restricts the pancreas from producing this life-saving insulin properly, thus causing high blood sugar levels. These high glucose levels can eventually impact the heart, kidney, and vision. There are two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 Diabetes: The immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Causes are believed to be genetic and environmental.
• Type 2 Diabetes: The body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. It is caused by a mix of lifestyle factors (including obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet, and smoking) and genetics.

Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of the disease, making up between 90-95% of global cases.

Diabetes Rates by Country

With close to 33 million (31%) of its adult population suffering from diabetes, Pakistan was the country with the highest prevalence of diabetes.

Rank	Country	% of Diabetic Population Aged 20-79
1	Pakistan	30.8
2	French Polynesia	25.2
3	Kuwait	24.9
4	Nauru	23.4
5	New Caledonia	23.4
6	Marshall Islands	23.0
7	Mauritius	22.6
8	Kiribati	22.1
9	Egypt	20.9
10	American Samoa	20.3
11	Tuvalu	20.3
12	Solomon Islands	19.8
13	Qatar	19.5
14	Guam	19.1
15	Malaysia	19.0
16	Sudan	18.9
17	Saudi Arabia	18.7
18	Fiji	17.7
19	Palau	17.0
20	Mexico	16.9
21	Papua New Guinea	16.7
22	United Arab Emirates	16.4
23	Saint Kitts and Nevis	16.1
24	Micronesia	15.6
25	Vanuatu	15.6
26	Jordan	15.4
27	Tonga	15.0
28	Syria	14.9
29	Belize	14.5
30	Turkey	14.5
31	Bangladesh	14.2
32	Barbados	14.0
33	Oman	13.8
34	Puerto Rico	13.3
35	Guatemala	13.1
36	Bermuda	13.0
37	Cayman Islands	13.0
38	Suriname	12.7
39	Trinidad and Tobago	12.7
40	Grenada	12.6
41	United States Virgin Islands	12.4
42	Tanzania	12.3
43	Zambia	11.9
44	Antigua and Barbuda	11.7
45	Comoros	11.7
46	Curacao	11.7
47	Dominica	11.7
48	Guyana	11.7
49	Saint Lucia	11.7
50	Singapore	11.6
51	Bahrain	11.3
52	Sri Lanka	11.3
53	Brunei	11.1
54	Jamaica	11.1
55	Afghanistan	10.9
56	Chile	10.8
57	South Africa	10.8
58	Iraq	10.7
59	United States	10.7
60	China	10.6
61	Indonesia	10.6
62	Dominican Republic	10.5
63	Bhutan	10.4
64	Spain	10.3
65	Albania	10.2
66	Andorra	9.7
67	Thailand	9.7
68	Tunisia	9.6
69	Venezuela	9.6
70	Nicaragua	9.3
71	Maldives	9.2
72	Palestine	9.2
73	Samoa	9.2
74	Bosnia and Herzegovina	9.1
75	Iran	9.1
76	Montenegro	9.1
77	Morocco	9.1
78	Portugal	9.1
79	Serbia	9.1
80	Uruguay	9.0
81	Haiti	8.9
82	Bahamas	8.8
83	Brazil	8.8
84	Costa Rica	8.8
85	British Virgin Islands	8.7
86	Libya	8.7
87	Nepal	8.7
88	Cyprus	8.6
89	North Korea	8.6
90	Timor	8.6
91	Israel	8.5
92	Seychelles	8.5
93	Colombia	8.3
94	Panama	8.2
95	Lebanon	8.0
96	Malta	8.0
97	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	8.0
98	Hong Kong	7.8
99	Macao	7.8
100	Canada	7.7
101	Cuba	7.6
102	Paraguay	7.5
103	Bulgaria	7.4
104	Djibouti	7.4
105	San Marino	7.4
106	Cambodia	7.3
107	Malawi	7.3
108	Algeria	7.1
109	Czechia	7.1
110	Myanmar	7.1
111	Philippines	7.1
112	Hungary	7.0
113	Uzbekistan	7.0
114	Germany	6.9
115	Mongolia	6.9
116	Poland	6.8
117	South Korea	6.8
118	Namibia	6.7
119	Turkmenistan	6.7
120	Japan	6.6
121	Kazakhstan	6.6
122	Kyrgyzstan	6.6
123	Tajikistan	6.6
124	Burundi	6.5
125	Eritrea	6.5
126	Estonia	6.5
127	Romania	6.5
128	Rwanda	6.5
129	Somalia	6.5
130	South Sudan	6.5
131	Australia	6.4
132	Greece	6.4
133	Italy	6.4
134	El Salvador	6.3
135	Isle of Man	6.3
136	United Kingdom	6.3
137	Laos	6.2
138	Monaco	6.2
139	New Zealand	6.2
140	Finland	6.1
141	Liechtenstein	6.1
142	North Macedonia	6.1
143	Vietnam	6.1
144	Latvia	5.9
145	Luxembourg	5.9
146	Central African Republic	5.8
147	Chad	5.8
148	Democratic Republic of Congo	5.8
149	Lithuania	5.8
150	Slovakia	5.8
151	Georgia	5.7
152	Armenia	5.6
153	Azerbaijan	5.6
154	Belarus	5.6
155	Moldova	5.6
156	Russia	5.6
157	Ukraine	5.6
158	Bolivia	5.5
159	Cameroon	5.5
160	Congo	5.5
161	Equatorial Guinea	5.5
162	Gabon	5.5
163	Iceland	5.5
164	Sao Tome and Principe	5.5
165	Argentina	5.4
166	Yemen	5.4
167	Denmark	5.3
168	France	5.3
169	Botswana	5.3
170	Niger	5.2
171	Honduras	5.1
172	Ethiopia	5.0
173	Sweden	5.0
174	Croatia	4.8
175	Peru	4.8
176	Angola	4.6
177	Austria	4.6
178	Eswatini	4.6
179	Lesotho	4.6
180	Madagascar	4.6
181	Switzerland	4.6
182	Uganda	4.6
183	Netherlands	4.5
184	Ecuador	4.4
185	Aruba	4.3
186	Kenya	4.0
187	Faroe Islands	3.8
188	Belgium	3.6
189	Nigeria	3.6
190	Norway	3.6
191	Greenland	3.3
192	Mozambique	3.3
193	Senegal	3.1
194	Ireland	3.0
195	Ghana	2.6
196	Burkina Faso	2.1
197	Cape Verde	2.1
198	Cote d'Ivoire	2.1
199	Guinea	2.1
200	Guinea-Bissau	2.1
201	Liberia	2.1
202	Mali	2.1
203	Mauritania	2.1
204	Sierra Leone	2.1
205	Togo	2.1
206	Zimbabwe	2.1
207	Gambia	1.9
208	Benin	1.1

The situation in Pakistan is currently not expected to improve in the near future. By 2045, the country is estimated to have 62 million people suffering from diabetes due to numerous reasons including malnutrition.

This chronic disease has also reached alarming levels in many Oceanic island countries and territories, including French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and American Samoa. Each has a diabetic prevalence above 20%, with reasons ranging from malnutrition to obesity.

Meanwhile, African nations like Benin and The Gambia recorded the lowest prevalence of diabetes in the world. In 2021, African countries had a combined total of 23.6 million adults with diabetes, less than 2% of the continent’s population. However, this number is predicted to double to 55 million by 2045.

Most Diabetic Countries in Absolute Terms

In China, diabetes was prevalent in 10.6% of the nation’s adult population in 2021. While this only puts the country in 60th place in terms of prevalence rate, this is equivalent to roughly 140 million adults with diabetes because of the country’s large population.

Similarly, India’s 9.6% prevalence of diabetes equaled 77 million adults suffering from the disease in the country, more than double the number of Pakistan’s diabetic citizens.

A similar story follows in the Americas, where Mexico has the highest adult prevalence of diabetes at 16.9% or 14.1 million people. Though the U.S. has a lower rate at 10.7%, its higher population gives it an estimated 32.2 million adults with diabetes.

Breaking down diabetes rates by country highlights that this a global health challenge. To address the growing burden of diabetes, we need to focus on prevention, early detection, and management of diabetes.

The post Mapped: Diabetes Rates by Country in 2021 appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

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Ranked: The Best U.S. States for Retirement

What is the most important aspect of retirement planning?

If you said finances, you’re probably right. But have you ever thought about where the best place is to retire? Being strategic about location can make a big impact on your quality of life, and perhaps help your savings go just a bit further.

To help break it down, we’ve visualized data from personal finance platform, WalletHub, which ranked the best U.S. states for retirement as of 2023.

Data and Methodology

WalletHub ranked each state using 47 metrics across three dimensions.

• Affordability (7 metrics worth 40 points)
• Quality of Life (22 metrics worth 30 points)
• Health Care (18 metrics worth 30 points)

Here are some examples of what each dimension measures:

• Affordability: Cost of living and taxation
• Quality of Life: Quality of elder-abuse protections and crime rates
• Health Care: Number of health professionals per capita and life expectancy

Visit the source for the full list of metrics.

The final scores (visualized as the bars in the infographic above) represent each state’s weighted average across all metrics. See below for more comprehensive results.

According to this methodology, Virginia is currently the best state for retirement. Although the Southeastern state does not excel in any one dimension, it scores consistently well across all three to create a very balanced retirement profile.

This gives it a slight advantage over second place Florida, which excels in quality of life and affordability, but falls further behind in terms of health care. Third-placed Colorado is a mirror of Florida, offering excellent health care but a lower quality of life in comparison.

How to Interpret These Results

It’s important to remember that this ranking is purely based on data and the methodology above, and may not be tailored to your individual preferences.

For example, if you believe that health services will be very important during retirement, you may rank Minnesota (#1 in terms of health care) much higher than eighth place.

You may notice that prioritizing one dimension will often come at a trade-off in others. Looking at Minnesota once more, we can see that the state is also one of America’s most expensive.

Looking to retire outside of the U.S.? Check out this graphic on the top 25 countries to retire in.

The post Ranked: The Best U.S. States for Retirement appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Timeline: Cannabis Legislation in the U.S.

At the federal level, cannabis is still considered an illegal substance. That said, individual states do have the right to determine their own laws around cannabis sales and usage.

This visual from New Frontier Data looks at the status of cannabis in every state and the timeline of when medical and/or recreational use became legal.

Cannabis Through the Years

In the U.S., the oldest legalese concerning cannabis dates back to the 1600s—the colony of Virginia required every farm to grow and produce hemp. Since then, cannabis use was fairly wide open until the 1930s when the Marihuana Tax Act was enforced, prohibiting marijuana federally but still technically allowing medical use.

Jumping ahead, the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970, classifying cannabis as Schedule I drug—the same category as heroin. This prohibited any use of the substance.

However, the 1970s also saw a counter movement, wherein many states made the move towards decriminalization. Decriminalization means that although possessing cannabis remained illegal, a person would not be subject to jail time or prosecution for possessing certain amounts.

By the 1990s, some of the first states passed laws to allow the medical usage of cannabis, and by 2012 two states in the U.S.—Washington and Colorado—legalized the recreational use of cannabis.

Cannabis Legislation Today and Beyond

The MORE Act (the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act) was passed in the House early 2022, and if made law, it would decriminalize marijuana federally.

“This bill decriminalizes marijuana. Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana.”– U.S. Congress

Cannabis still remains illegal at the federal level, but at the state levels, cannabis is now fully legal (both for medicinal and recreational purposes) in a total of 22 states.

Over 246 million Americans have legal access to some form of marijuana products with high THC levels. Looking to the future, many new cannabis markets are expected to open up in the next few years:

The earliest states expected to open up next for recreational cannabis sales are Minnesota and Oklahoma. There is always a lag between legalization and actual sales, wherein local regulatory bodies and governments set standards. States like Kentucky, on the other hand, aren’t likely to even legalize medicinal cannabis until 2028.

It’s estimated that by 2030, there will be 69 million cannabis consumers in the country, up 33% from 2022.

Overall, the U.S. cannabis market is likely an important one to watch as legal sales hit $30 billion in 2022. By the end of the decade, that number is expected to be anywhere from $58 billion to as much as $72 billion.

The post Timeline: Cannabis Legislation in the U.S. appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Published

7 months ago

on

December 13, 2022

By

Katie Jones

The Global Syringe Shortage Threatening Vaccine Efforts

Routine vaccination saves millions of lives every single year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

But even though global vaccination coverage is improving, closing the gap in immunization has led to skyrocketing demand for syringes—which is forecast to result in a major shortage that could make matters worse.

In the above infographic from NuGen Medical Devices, we explore the factors leading to the syringe shortage and take a look at the company’s innovative needle-free solution that could play an important role in closing the immunization gap.

The Immunization Gap

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people around the world struggled to get access to routine vaccinations.

In fact, as of 2019 more than 19 million children around the world were considered to be “zero-dose” which means that they did not receive any routine vaccinations.

Moreover, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, global immunization dropped even further with 25 million children missing out on routine vaccines in 2021 alone.

Why is Immunization So Important?

Vaccinations prevent against over 20 life-threatening diseases and save between 2-3 million deaths per year, making them—as the WHO describes—the foundation of healthcare systems and an indisputable human right.

As countries work through a backlog of vaccinations to close the immunization gap that has worsened since the pandemic, demand for syringes has significantly increased.

The Result: A Global Syringe Deficit

In 2022, the WHO warned that we could see a shortage of up to 2 billion syringes if manufacturing can’t keep up. This could result in the severe disruption to routine vaccinations and promote unsafe recycling of syringes in order to administer vaccines.

But the issue goes far beyond a supply shortage of syringes. COVID-19 has brought conventional syringe vaccines into sharp focus, with many criticizing the challenges associated with them.

The Challenge
Vaccine Hesitancy: 1 in 10 Americans have an extreme fear of needles and therefore will avoid vaccination.	Affordability: The cost of essential syringe vaccination makes them inaccessible for people living in low and middle income countries.	Cost of Logistics: Geographical constrains, a lack of infrastructure, and the need to keep vaccines at sub-zero temperatures prevent them from reaching those who need it the most.	Biohazardous Waste: 7.8 billion needles are discarded in the U.S. every year.
The Solution
Reduce Fear: Needle-free devices remove the fear of syringes.	Reduce Costs: Needle-free devices are lower in cost per injection compared to conventional needles.	Minimizes Cold Chain: NuGen MD’s next generation powder injectables minimize the need for a cold chain (keeping vaccines at sub-zero temperatures) entirely.	Sustainable Needles: Needle-free technology reduces environmental waste significantly.

With conventional needles facing so many challenges, it’s no surprise that investors are taking interest in viable alternatives. What’s more, these alternatives don’t just apply to vaccinations, they can also work for people with diabetes, dentists, and pet care.

Enter Needle-free Devices from NuGen MD

Needle-free devices have the potential to bridge the gap in immunization amid the global syringe shortage, solve some of the key challenges limiting vaccine uptake, and more importantly, benefit the lives of millions of people.

How Do They Work?

NuGen’s needle-free devices use a simple spring-loaded mechanism which uses pressure to release the liquid drug and penetrate the skin. In less than one-tenth of a second, the drug is dispensed more safely and evenly compared to needle syringes. It’s also virtually painless and leaves no mark on the skin.

>>>Interested in investing in NuGen Medical Devices? To learn more about their plans to pioneer the future of needle-free drug delivery, click this link now.

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Related Topics: #logistics #covid-19 #immunization #vaccines #vaccine concerns #nugen md #syringe shortage

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The post Visualized: The Global Syringe Shortage Threatening Vaccine Efforts appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Charted: Healthcare Spending and Life Expectancy, by Country

Over the last century, life expectancy at birth has more than doubled across the globe, largely thanks to innovations and discoveries in various medical fields around sanitation, vaccines, and preventative healthcare.

Yet, while the average life expectancy for humans has increased significantly on a global scale, there’s still a noticeable gap in average life expectancies between different countries.

What’s the explanation for this divide? According to World Bank data compiled by Truman Du, it may be partially related to the amount of money a country spends on its healthcare.

More Spending Generally Means More Years

The latest available data from the World Bank includes both the healthcare spending per capita of 178 different countries and their average life expectancy.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the analysis found that countries that spent more on healthcare tended to have higher average life expectancies up until reaching the 80-year mark.

Country	Health expenditure per capita (USD, 2019)	Life expectancy at birth, total (years, 2020)
Japan	$4,360	85
Singapore	$2,633	84
Korea, Rep.	$2,625	83
Norway	$8,007	83
Australia	$5,427	83
Switzerland	$9,666	83
Iceland	$6,275	83
Israel	$3,456	83
Malta	$2,532	83
Sweden	$5,671	82
Italy	$2,906	82
Spain	$2,711	82
Ireland	$5,429	82
France	$4,492	82
Finland	$4,450	82
New Zealand	$4,211	82
Canada	$5,048	82
Luxembourg	$6,221	82
Denmark	$6,003	82
Netherlands	$5,335	81
Austria	$5,242	81
Cyprus	$1,996	81
Greece	$1,501	81
Portugal	$2,221	81
Germany	$5,440	81
United Kingdom	$4,313	81
Belgium	$4,960	81
Slovenia	$2,219	81
Costa Rica	$922	80
Qatar	$1,807	80
Chile	$1,376	80
Barbados	$1,143	79
Maldives	$854	79
Lebanon	$663	79
Cuba	$1,032	79
Panama	$1,193	79
Estonia	$1,599	78
Czech Republic	$1,844	78
United Arab Emirates	$1,843	78
Oman	$625	78
Uruguay	$1,661	78
Turkiye	$396	78
Croatia	$1,040	78
Bosnia and Herzegovina	$554	78
Colombia	$495	77
Bahrain	$940	77
Thailand	$296	77
United States	$10,921	77
Seychelles	$840	77
Ecuador	$486	77
Antigua and Barbuda	$760	77
Sri Lanka	$161	77
China	$535	77
Algeria	$248	77
Peru	$370	77
Morocco	$174	77
Tunisia	$233	77
Iran, Islamic Rep.	$470	77
Slovak Republic	$1,342	77
Argentina	$946	77
Poland	$1,014	77
St. Lucia	$502	76
Malaysia	$437	76
Brazil	$853	76
Brunei Darussalam	$672	76
Montenegro	$735	76
North Macedonia	$437	76
Hungary	$1,062	76
Kuwait	$1,759	76
Vietnam	$181	75
Honduras	$188	75
Latvia	$1,167	75
Saudi Arabia	$1,316	75
Armenia	$524	75
Mexico	$540	75
Lithuania	$1,370	75
Belize	$293	75
Nicaragua	$161	75
Jordan	$334	75
Jamaica	$327	75
Guatemala	$271	75
Paraguay	$388	74
Romania	$739	74
Dominican Republic	$491	74
Serbia	$641	74
Belarus	$399	74
Mauritius	$686	74
Bahamas	$2,005	74
Georgia	$291	74
Trinidad and Tobago	$1,168	74
Bulgaria	$698	74
El Salvador	$300	74
Samoa	$272	73
Cabo Verde	$178	73
Solomon Islands	$112	73
Azerbaijan	$193	73
Bangladesh	$46	73
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	$355	73
Grenada	$534	72
Egypt, Arab Rep.	$150	72
Bhutan	$116	72
Venezuela, RB	$339	72
Moldova	$284	72
Indonesia	$120	72
Uzbekistan	$99	72
Suriname	$619	72
Kyrgyz Republic	$62	72
Bolivia	$246	72
Kazakhstan	$273	71
Philippines	$142	71
Russian Federation	$653	71
Tajikistan	$62	71
Ukraine	$248	71
Nepal	$53	71
Tonga	$242	71
Iraq	$253	71
Vanuatu	$104	71
Sao Tome and Principe	$108	71
Mongolia	$163	70
Cambodia	$113	70
Guyana	$326	70
India	$64	70
Botswana	$482	70
Timor-Leste	$93	70
Rwanda	$51	69
Kiribati	$172	69
Turkmenistan	$500	68
Lao PDR	$68	68
Senegal	$59	68
Fiji	$236	68
Djibouti	$62	67
Pakistan	$39	67
Madagascar	$20	67
Myanmar	$60	67
Kenya	$83	67
Ethiopia	$27	67
Gabon	$215	67
Eritrea	$25	67
Tanzania	$40	66
Sudan	$47	66
Afghanistan	$66	65
Mauritania	$58	65
Congo, Rep.	$49	65
Papua New Guinea	$65	65
Malawi	$30	65
Comoros	$72	65
Liberia	$53	64
South Africa	$547	64
Ghana	$75	64
Haiti	$57	64
Zambia	$69	64
Namibia	$427	64
Uganda	$32	64
Niger	$31	63
Gambia, The	$30	62
Benin	$29	62
Burkina Faso	$42	62
Guinea	$43	62
Burundi	$21	62
Zimbabwe	$103	62
Angola	$71	61
Mozambique	$39	61
Togo	$51	61
Congo, Dem. Rep.	$21	61
Eswatini	$264	61
Mali	$34	60
Cameroon	$54	60
Equatorial Guinea	$255	59
Guinea-Bissau	$63	59
Cote d'Ivoire	$75	58
South Sudan	$23	58
Sierra Leone	$46	55
Nigeria	$71	55
Lesotho	$124	55
Chad	$30	55

However, there were a few slight exceptions. For instance, while the United States has the largest spending of any country included in the dataset, its average life expectancy of 77 years is lower than many other countries that spend far less per capita.

What’s going on in the United States? While there are several intermingling factors at play, some researchers believe a big contributor is the country’s higher infant mortality rate, along with its higher relative rate of violence among young adults.

On the other end of the spectrum, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea have the highest life expectancies on the list despite their relatively low spending per capita.

It’s worth mentioning that this wasn’t always the case—in the 1960s, Japan’s life expectancy was actually the lowest among the G7 countries, and South Korea’s was below 60 years, making it one of the top 30 countries by improved life expectancy:

View the full-size infographic

In fact, the last 60 years have seen many countries substantially increase their average life expectancies from the 30-40 year range to 70+ years. But as the header chart shows, there are still many countries lagging behind in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

How High Can Average Life Expectancy Go?

Since people are living longer than they’ve ever lived before, how much higher will average life expectancies be in another 100 years?

Recent research published in Nature Communications suggests that, under the right circumstances, human beings have the potential to live up to 150 years.

Projections from the UN predict that growth will be divided, with developed countries seeing higher life expectancies than developing regions.

However, as seen in the above chart from the World Economic Forum and using UN data, it’s likely the gap between developed and developing countries will narrow over time.

The post Charted: Healthcare Spending and Life Expectancy, by Country appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

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The Composition of Blood

Have you ever wondered what blood is made up of?

With the average adult possessing five to six liters of blood in the body, this fluid is vital to our lives, circulating oxygen through the body and serving many different functions.

Despite its simple, deep-red appearance, blood is comprised of many tiny chemical components. This infographic visualizes the composition of blood and the microscopic contents in it.

What is Blood Made Up Of?

There are two main components that comprise blood:

• Plasma – 55%
  Plasma is the fluid or aqueous part of blood, making up more than half of blood content.
• Formed elements – 45%
  Formed elements refer to the cells, platelets, and cell fragments that are suspended in the plasma.

Plasma

Plasma is primarily made up of water (91%), salts, and enzymes, but it also carries important proteins and components that serve many bodily functions.

Plasma proteins make up 7% of plasma contents and are created in the liver. These include:

• Albumins
  These proteins keep fluids from leaking out of blood vessels into other parts of the body. They also transport important molecules like calcium and help neutralize toxins.
• Globulins
  These play an important role in clotting blood and fighting infections and are also transporters of hormones, minerals, and fats.
• Fibrinogen and Prothrombin
  Both of these proteins help stop bleeding by facilitating the creation of blood clots during wound-healing.

Water and proteins make up 98% of plasma in blood. The other 2% is made up of small traces of chemical byproducts and cellular waste, including electrolytes, glucose, and other nutrients.

Formed Elements

There are three categories of formed elements in blood: platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells. Red blood cells make up 99% of formed elements, with the other 1% comprised of platelets and white blood cells.

• Platelets (Thrombocytes)
  Platelets are cells from the immune system with the primary function of forming clots to reduce bleeding from wounds. This makes them critical not only for small wounds like cuts but also for surgeries and traumatic injuries.
• White blood cells (Leukocytes)
  White blood cells protect our bodies from infection. There are five types of white blood cells with different roles in fighting infections: some attack foreign cells and viruses, some produce antibodies, some clean up dead cells, and some respond to allergens.
• Red blood cells (Erythrocytes)
  Red blood cells deliver fresh oxygen and nutrients all over the body. They contain a special protein called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen and gives blood its bright red color.

The lifespan of a typical red blood cell is around 120 days, after which it dies and is replaced by a new cell. Our bodies are constantly producing red blood cells in the bone marrow, at a rate of millions of cells per second.

Abnormal Red Blood Cells

Normal red blood cells are round, flattened disks that are thinner in the middle. However, certain diseases and medical therapies can change the shape of red blood cells in different ways.

Here are the types of abnormal red blood cells and their associated diseases:

Sickle cell anemia is a well-known disease that affects the shape of red blood cells. Unlike normal, round red blood cells, cells associated with sickle cell disease are crescent- or sickle-shaped, which can slow and block blood flow.

Other common causes of abnormally shaped red blood cells are thalassemia, hereditary blood disorders, iron deficiency anemia, and liver disease. Identifying abnormal blood cells plays an important role in diagnosing the underlying causes and in finding treatments.

The Functions of Blood

We know that blood is vital, but what does it actually do in the body?

For starters, here are some of the functions of blood:

• Blood transports oxygen to different parts of the body, providing an energy source. It also delivers carbon dioxide to the lungs for exhalation.
• The platelets, white blood cells, and plasma proteins in blood play an important role in fighting infections and clotting.
• Blood transports the body’s waste products to the kidneys and liver, which filter it and recirculate clean blood.
• Blood helps regulate the body’s internal temperature by absorbing and distributing heat throughout the body.

While we all know that we can’t live without blood, it serves many different functions in the body that we often don’t notice. For humans and many other organisms alike, blood is an integral component that keeps us alive and going.

The post Visualizing the Composition of Blood appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

Animated Chart: Global Life Expectancy (1950-2021)

At a glance, life expectancy has been increasing worldwide over the last 70 years. But when you break it down by region and by sex, a clear yet variable gap in life expectancy emerges.

Using data from Our World in Data, these graphics by Pablo Alvarez provide both a breakdown of average life expectancies worldwide, as well as a more granular view that looks at the life expectancy of men and women across different continents.

Life Expectancy, by Continent and Sex

In the 1800s, the average life expectancy at birth was just 40 years.

Over the last 200 years, average life expectancies have nearly doubled, largely thanks to improvements in healthcare, sanitation, and global medical practices.

However, increases in life spans have not been consistent across the sexes—around the world, women now live 5.4 years longer than men do on average. And in certain parts of the world, this gap is even wider.

For instance, in South America, the average life expectancy for women is seven years longer than it is for men.

Here is the continental breakdown, with data by continent for both male and females:

Life Expectancy by Region (2021)	Life expectancy at birth, females (years)	Life expectancy at birth, males (years)
Africa	64	60
Asia	75	70
Europe	81	74
North America	81	75
Oceania	82	77
South America	76	70
Global Average	74	68

What’s causing this discrepancy in life expectancy between men and women?

Theories to Explain the Gap

While scientists don’t know the exact reason for the gap in average life expectancy between sexes, research has put forward a few leading theories. They indicate that the gap is caused by a mix of biological and societal influences:

Biological Factors

According to Our World in Data, there are several genetic and hormonal differences between men and women that may impact longevity.

Because of higher estrogen levels and chromosomal differences, women tend to have more “subcutaneous fat” in their bodies, which is fat that’s carried directly under their skin.

In contrast, men tend to have more “visceral fat,” or fat that surrounds internal organs—which is linked to cardiovascular disease, making men more prone to health risks like heart attacks.

Societal Factors

There are also a number of societal factors that could be contributing to lower life expectancy levels for men.

According to Dr. Perminder Sachdev, a professor of neuropsychiatry who studied human longevity, men are “more likely to smoke, drink excessively, and be overweight.” Dr. Sachdev adds that men are also “less likely to seek medical help early, and, if diagnosed with a disease, they are more likely to be non-adherent to treatment.”

In addition to these aggravated health risks, research also indicates that men are more likely to die in car crashes and fights than women. Further, they tend to disproportionately work in dangerous professions, with men being 10 times more likely to be killed on the job than women.

What’s the biggest contributor of all these factors? It’s worth noting that none of these theories are mutually exclusive, meaning it’s likely a mixture of all of the above—however, the weighting of each factor is currently unknown.

The post Animation: Global Life Expectancy (1950-2021) appeared first on Visual Capitalist.

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A Newfound Link Between Cancer and Aging?

A new study in 2022 reveals a thought-provoking relationship between how long animals live and how quickly their genetic codes mutate.

Cancer is a product of time and mutations, and so researchers investigated its onset and impact within 16 unique mammals. A new perspective on DNA mutation broadens our understanding of aging and cancer development—and how we might be able to control it.

Mutations, Aging, and Cancer: A Primer

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. It is not a pathogen that infects the body, but a normal body process gone wrong.

Cells divide and multiply in our bodies all the time. Sometimes, during DNA replication, tiny mistakes (called mutations) appear randomly within the genetic code. Our bodies have mechanisms to correct these errors, and for much of our youth we remain strong and healthy as a result of these corrective measures.

However, these protections weaken as we age. Developing cancer becomes more likely as mutations slip past our defenses and continue to multiply. The longer we live, the more mutations we carry, and the likelihood of them manifesting into cancer increases.

A Biological Conundrum

Since mutations can occur randomly, biologists expect larger lifeforms (those with more cells) to have greater chances of developing cancer than smaller lifeforms.

Strangely, no association exists.

It is one of biology’s biggest mysteries as to why massive creatures like whales or elephants rarely seem to experience cancer. This is called Peto’s Paradox. Even stranger: some smaller creatures, like the naked mole rat, are completely resistant to cancer.

This phenomenon motivates researchers to look into the genetics of naked mole rats and whales. And while we’ve discovered that special genetic bonuses (like extra tumor-suppressing genes) benefit these creatures, a pattern for cancer rates across all other species is still poorly understood.

Cancer May Be Closely Associated with Lifespan

Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute report the first study to look at how mutation rates compare with animal lifespans.

Mutation rates are simply the speed at which species beget mutations. Mammals with shorter lifespans have average mutation rates that are very fast. A mouse undergoes nearly 800 mutations in each of its four short years on Earth. Mammals with longer lifespans have average mutation rates that are much slower. In humans (average lifespan of roughly 84 years), it comes to fewer than 50 mutations per year.

The study also compares the number of mutations at time of death with other traits, like body mass and lifespan. For example, a giraffe has roughly 40,000 times more cells than a mouse. Or a human lives 90 times longer than a mouse. What surprised researchers was that the number of mutations at time of death differed only by a factor of three.

Such small differentiation suggests there may be a total number of mutations a species can collect before it dies. Since the mammals reached this number at different speeds, finding ways to control the rate of mutations may help stall cancer development, set back aging, and prolong life.

The Future of Cancer Research

The findings in this study ignite new questions for understanding cancer.

Confirming that mutation rate and lifespan are strongly correlated needs comparison to lifeforms beyond mammals, like fishes, birds, and even plants.

It will also be necessary to understand what factors control mutation rates. The answer to this likely lies within the complexities of DNA. Geneticists and oncologists are continuing to investigate genetic curiosities like tumor-suppressing genes and how they might impact mutation rates.

Aging is likely to be a confluence of many issues, like epigenetic changes or telomere shortening, but if mutations are involved then there may be hopes of slowing genetic damage—or even reversing it.

While just a first step, linking mutation rates to lifespan is a reframing of our understanding of cancer development, and it may open doors to new strategies and therapies for treating cancer or taming the number of health-related concerns that come with aging.

The post Visualizing the Relationship Between Cancer and Lifespan appeared first on Visual Capitalist.