Statistics That Shape Your Worldview

Ever wonder whether your assumptions about the world are accurate?

Swedish statistician Hans Rosling is a wizard with data. Really. He uses stats about ecomonic power, health, child mortality, life expectancy and more to tell a story. Actually, to tell a number of stories about the world – the world and how it has changed over the last fifty years and how it might change in the future.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be surprised at some of the changes in recent decades and the causes of the those changes. At the very least, your picture of the world will be both more complex and more accurate.

It’s a 19-minute talk that not only shaped my sense of the world but also about statistics! And if you want more, not only does Rosling have a number of Ted Talks, but also a fantastic site called Gap Minder that invites you to reshape your world view through his creative interpretation and display of stats.

Notes: 1) If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click here to watch the video.
2) OECD refers to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which includes mainly, though not exclusively, countries of North America, Europe, and Japan.