Map Simulates Births and Deaths the World Over
Looking for something to put things into perspective? Check out this real-time map to remind you how transient life is, but also, how quickly the world is becoming populated.
Looking for something to put things into perspective? Check out this real-time map to remind you how transient life is, but also, how quickly the world is becoming populated.
The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2050, the world’s population will increase from 7 billion to more than 9 billion inhabitants at the rate at which it’s been growing over the past few decades. The immensity of these numbers piqued mathematician and software developer Brad Lyon’s interest and inspired him to design a visual that reflects this data.
Last year, Lyon joined forces with designer Bill Snebold to create an interactive simulation of births and deaths in the U.S. “Now,” says The Atlantic’s health editor James Hamblin, “Lyon takes on the world.”
Just one look at the map will give you a rough idea of how many babies are coming to life every second, and how big that number is compared with people dying. Whether that’s alarming or heartening, however, is left up to the eyes of the beholder.
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi
Your support is crucial...The Atlantic:
“This one for world births/deaths is certainly more overwhelming than the one for the U.S.,” Lyon told me, “and the rate at which they must be occurring gives another glimpse into how big the world is….
“What got me interested initially,” Lyon said, “was simply curiosity about what the pattern of births and deaths might be like, based on the current rates, coupled with the desire to learn more about some of the newer technologies for the web….
“The visualizations here, while pulling together some numbers,” Lyon said, “are still qualitative because we of course don’t know what the pattern is really like. However, we do know where the numbers end up, so they must get there somehow.”
As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.
Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.
Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.
Immigration restrictions and a perception that the U.S. has fewer economic opportunities than it did a decade ago also adds to the decline.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price (pictured) and other top Trump appointees are outspoken opponents of federal funding for birth control, advocating abstinence rather than contraception.
People like Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon are doomed to disappointment if they think white birthrates can fuel the country’s economic growth.
Two new reports show that pregnancy-related deaths and severe obstetrical complications rose as the state slashed funding for family planning, but researchers and state officials say more information is needed to understand the trend.
A woman giving birth in America is more than twice as likely to die as a woman in Saudi Arabia or China.
Sons can permanently alter their mothers' brain chemistry and may help defend against Alzheimer’s disease, a new study shows.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.