Buzz
When you glance at the news, it often feels as if the world is in turmoil: terrorist attacks in Paris, bombings in Lebanon, and Turkey nearly igniting World War III by downing a Russian fighter jet. It's easy to feel like despair is taking over.
However, this isn't the full picture. Beyond the headlines filled with fear, violence, and tragedy, there's a quieter, less covered world of hope, peace, and remarkable acts of human bravery. While the world in winter 2015 may not be all rainbows and butterflies, it's worth considering that good news deserves its moment in the spotlight.
10. Child Mortality Rates Have Been Cut in Half Since 1990
In many ways, 1990 feels surprisingly close to today. For example, the upcoming election might mirror the 1992 Clinton/Bush rivalry. Yet in other respects, 1990 feels like a distant past. That year, statistics revealed that 12.7 million children under five died globally. Fast-forward to 2015, and for the first time in recorded history, that number has dropped to under six million.
That’s a 53 percent decrease over 25 years—an achievement that stands out by any standard. In some nations, the progress has been even more remarkable. In Bangladesh, the infant mortality rate plummeted by an extraordinary 72 percent from 1990 to 2012. In East Timor, it dropped by a still impressive 67 percent. To make this more relatable: thanks to our collective efforts, millions of children are alive today who otherwise would have perished.
Some might argue this isn't enough. The UN set a target of reducing child mortality by 67 percent by 2015, which we far exceeded. But this should not overshadow what is undeniably a monumental victory for humanity, and especially for children in developing nations.
9. Over A Billion People Have Been Lifted From Extreme Poverty
The UN defines 'extreme poverty' in a way that’s truly harsh. To be considered as such, you must survive on less than US$1.25 per day—an amount that’s shockingly insufficient, even in nations with incredibly low living costs. In 1990, nearly two billion people lived in extreme poverty, making up almost half of the global population. Today, that number has dropped to 836 million, or less than 15 percent of the world’s population.
This is critical because life in extreme poverty is incredibly difficult. *Time* recently published a poignant photo essay that followed children living on $1 a day. One eight-year-old girl spent every day scavenging a toxic dump for scrap metal, enduring the excruciating pain of malaria. A two-year-old in India was intentionally starved by her parents to provoke sympathy and earn more money while begging. Their lives were filled with deprivation that even the poorest among us could hardly fathom.
Thanks to remarkable global collaboration, nearly two billion fewer people are facing these daily struggles. The remaining population living in extreme poverty is mostly concentrated in five countries: India, Nigeria, China, Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
8. We're Making Significant Progress Toward Universal Education
To get ahead in life, education is key. It’s that simple. As individuals age, their weekly earnings rise almost directly with their level of educational attainment. This makes the recent advancements in education all the more exciting. By 2015, we're on track to achieve near-universal education across the world.
In 1990, 20 percent of children in developing countries were not receiving any education at all. They couldn’t read, write, or even dream of going to school. Today, that number has dropped to just 10 percent, meaning 9 out of 10 children in developing regions now have the opportunity to significantly improve their futures. In some areas, progress has been extraordinary. Northern Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia now have nearly 99 percent primary school enrollment.
By 2015, we may have the most educated global population in history. As a result, these children are growing up to become innovators in their countries, rejuvenating stagnant economies, generating significant wealth, and helping lift countless others out of poverty.
7. Cuba Recently Achieved a Groundbreaking HIV Medical Breakthrough
Despite the recent lifting of the US economic blockade, Cuba has always boasted world-class healthcare. In the summer of 2015, the island nation showcased the incredible skill of its doctors by becoming the first country in the world to completely eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
This is a monumental achievement. Similar to syphilis, HIV has a troubling tendency to infect children while they are still in the womb. An untreated pregnant woman has a 15–45 percent chance of passing the virus to her unborn child. With 1.4 million HIV-positive women giving birth each year, the severity of the problem becomes clear.
Since 2009, a global initiative has been underway to reduce these numbers. With the right antiretroviral treatments, the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child drops to just 1 percent. Thanks to Cuba's remarkable doctors, that number has now been reduced to zero.
Sadly, Cuba’s success is dependent on its universal and high-quality healthcare system, making it difficult to replicate elsewhere immediately. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes Cuba can serve as a model for other developing nations. With a bit of luck and hard work, we could soon live in a world where no child is born with this life-threatening disease.
6. The Carter Center Is Close to Eradicating Guinea Worm Disease
Throughout human history, we've only managed to eradicate one disease: smallpox. That victory came after an expensive 14-year global immunization campaign by the WHO. Now, another disease is about to join the ranks of the eradicated, thanks to the Carter Center. We are on the brink of eliminating guinea worm disease.
Guinea worm disease is mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa, and it’s a horrendous infection. Similar to a tapeworm, the guinea worm grows inside your body into a 1-meter (3 ft) long monster. However, unlike a tapeworm, the guinea worm exits your body by burrowing through your skin. The exit process takes about 30 days, causing extreme swelling and infections in the affected area. The worm can emerge from almost any part of your body: your mouth, nipple, scrotum, or even your butt.
Did we mention the excruciating pain the whole time? If you try to alleviate the suffering by immersing the wound in water, the worm will release a swarm of eggs inside your body.
Back in 1986, million people were infected across 21 countries. By the summer of 2015, that number had fallen to just 126 cases in 30 villages. That’s not a mistake. Fewer than 100 people now suffer from guinea worm disease. The Carter Center is confident that their efforts will completely eradicate the disease in the coming years. Even better, they are already preparing to shift their focus to another disease once guinea worm is eradicated.
5. Boko Haram Is Losing Ground
If ISIS hadn’t stolen the spotlight, Boko Haram would have been the center of attention in 2015 for Islamic extremism. The Nigerian terror group once controlled an area about the size of Costa Rica, using it to carry out mass killings. Today, although they continue setting off deadly bombs in the capital and wreaking havoc, there’s a silver lining: Boko Haram is being decisively defeated.
Since the ineffectual leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan ended and Muhammadu Buhari took office, Nigeria has significantly improved its collaboration with Chad, Cameroon, and the United States. This cooperation has resulted in a series of decisive strikes that have severely weakened Boko Haram and reclaimed large portions of territory previously under their control.
The Nigerian military is now claiming they could defeat Boko Haram entirely within the year. For the first time, both local officials and international observers are in agreement with this assessment. In October 2015, a single raid freed 338 hostages from Boko Haram's northeastern stronghold, a stark contrast to the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped in April 2014.
That said, Boko Haram is not fully defeated yet. The group will likely continue to launch attacks for the foreseeable future. However, their strength is diminishing, and their hope of expanding into something like the Islamic State has all but evaporated.
4. The Islamic State Is Losing Ground
As we pointed out earlier, November 13, 2015—the day of the Paris attacks—was an especially devastating day for ISIS. While the media was focused on the aftermath in France, ISIS lost the key city of Sinjar to Kurdish and Yazidi forces, which disrupted their vital supply line between Syria and Iraq. This was only one of the many challenges the group was facing.
While ISIS remains a significant and deadly threat, their situation isn't as favorable as they would like the world to believe. According to a September 2015 report from Newsweek, the group's economy has been severely impacted by the oil price crash. This financial blow forced ISIS to impose crippling taxes on those under their control, causing a mass exodus of skilled workers and professionals—many of whom are now seeking refuge in Europe.
As a result, ISIS's economy is now in tatters, like an old car on the verge of breaking down. Public anger is increasing in places like Mosul, and the group has drained one of their major sources of income—robbing Iraqi banks.
On the military front, ISIS is also facing significant setbacks. The intelligence chief of Iraqi Kurdistan recently suggested that if Western powers fully engaged, ISIS could be defeated in months, or even weeks. While this may sound overly optimistic, Kurdish forces have reported that the group's strength is weakening on the battlefield. Here's hoping that 2016 marks the end of their reign of terror.
3. Global Murder Rates Are Dropping Rapidly
Amidst the chaos of war and the atrocities unfolding across the globe, it might feel like we're heading into a new era of genocide and violence. However, the data tells a different story. Across the world, the likelihood of being murdered is rapidly decreasing.
In a recent article for Slate, Steven Pinker analyzed the statistics for various types of intentional killings. He found that almost all of them are plummeting. You may have heard that the homicide rates in the US and UK have reached near historic lows, but the same trend is happening worldwide. While data is only available from 2000 onwards and some regions require what Pinker describes as 'heroic guesstimates,' the overall trend is downward.
Crucially, this includes countries often seen as 'dangerously violent.' Mexico has experienced a dramatic rise in its murder rate since 2006, but even this is now on the decline. At its peak, the number of murders in Mexico still pales in comparison to its historical levels. If you traveled back to 1955, you'd be far more likely to be murdered than during the height of the drug wars. The same can be said for countries like Colombia, Russia, and Brazil.
Other forms of murder are also on the decline. Mass killings of civilians increased from 1945 to 1992, only to plummet sharply afterward. Although recent spikes, particularly due to ISIS, have caused an uptick, the current rates are still so low that we haven't even reached the levels of 2005. Data on genocides also shows a general decline, as does the rate of battle-related deaths in conflicts. In Pinker's words: 'Civilians today are thousands of times less likely to be targeted than they were 70 years ago.'
However, it's important to include a caveat. We're not suggesting that the world is all safe and without suffering. Life in regions like Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, and parts of Nigeria and Ukraine remains incredibly difficult and often tragically short. We're also not claiming that everything is perfect. But we are asserting that, globally, things are improving significantly. Believe it or not, the world is slowly getting better, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
2. Women’s Lives Are Improving Dramatically
Living in the equality-driven West, it can be easy to forget that gender discrimination is a harsh reality in many places. Approximately one-third of women worldwide continue to face physical or sexual violence, and honor killings still tragically persist. However, these grim realities don’t overshadow a powerful truth: on a global scale, the lives of women are improving at an incredible pace.
From 1990 to 2013, maternal deaths worldwide decreased by 45 percent. During this time, female life expectancy skyrocketed to a global average of 72 years. More women joined the workforce. More girls stayed in school. The age of marriage increased as child brides became rarer. Even in the US, progress was made: between 1994 and 2012, the rate of nonfatal domestic violence dropped by an impressive 63 percent.
Of course, there is still a long road ahead. But the general trend is unmistakably positive. It might not always seem that way when you come across another tragic honor killing, but the world’s outdated views on women are gradually fading. The realization is spreading: treating women as punching bags is simply unacceptable.
1. World Hunger Is Declining
In the 21st century, approximately 600,000 people have lost their lives due to “great famines”—those extreme famines that result in 100,000 or more deaths. While this number is undeniably tragic, it serves as a stark contrast when compared to the early 1900s. Between 1900 and 1909, nearly 27 million people perished in great famines.
This isn’t selective data; it illustrates the significant progress we’ve made in addressing global hunger. Since around 1970, the number of great famines has dropped drastically, to the point that experts now claim they are “almost obsolete.” Famines have not claimed more than five million lives in a single year since the 1960s. Over the first 15 years of the 21st century, the yearly average death toll from famines has been just 40,000.
Of course, 40,000 is still an alarming number, but it marks an incredible improvement. Back in 1990, the International Food Policy Research Institute identified 16 countries as being “extremely alarming” on the Global Hunger Index (GHI). By 2015, no country made that list. Since 2000, only one nation—Kuwait—saw a minor increase in hunger levels. Overall, global hunger in developing nations has dropped by about 27 percent.
We still have a long way to go. For instance, nearly half of the population in the Central African Republic faces hunger. However, we are making steady progress in defeating global hunger, just as we are in eliminating extreme poverty. In the process, we are saving millions of lives around the world.
