200 years that changed the world

Here is something to think about during the weekend: A stunning video from Dr HansRosling that looks at how the last 200 years changed the world.

Have a look…(it is about 5 mins long)

[ link ]

The interactive animations and corresponding documentation are freely available at GapMinder.

Two interesting (and important, I think) points:

1] Almost all of India’s growth has happened post independence (post 1940 – as you will notice from this chart – that also offers a fascinating perspective to compare different countries).

2] Although there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that people in India did live well beyond 30-35 years of age prior to the British colonial period, the average life expectancy at birth that is shown on the chart is more a reflection of  high infant mortality than a measure of how old people can get. As a comment by Clara on the website mentions: “When life expectancy is below 40, this is always related to a very high mortality of children under five, which has a strong effect on the average expected life span.”

Enjoy the weekend.

(Somewhat) Related post from my other blog.