While certainly not as wondrous as dolphins and nowhere near as cute and cuddly as sloths, humans are among planet Earth’s most charming and terrifying inhabitants. Below you’ll find a hodgepodge of facts — good, bad, and some downright scary — that may give you a totally new perspective on your species.
(Note: Please excuse the bias towards American statistics. The list is slightly skewed in that direction mainly because U.S. data are more abundant and generally easier to verify.)
- Divorce is the 2nd Most Stressful Life Event. The Death of a Spouse is #1. (source)
- 40% of U.S. Adults Are Obese. Nearly 75% of U.S. Men and 60% of U.S. Women Are Overweight or Obese. (source)
- Finland is the Happiest Country in the World, Followed By Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Switzerland. (source)
- About 70-80% of Workers Either Hate or Don’t Like Their Jobs. (source)
- Out of 47 of the Most Unhealthy Jobs in the U.S., Dentistry is #1. (source)
- Ischaemic Heart Disease is the #1 Cause of Death. (source)
- The Top Five Phobias Are: Heights, Snakes, Public Speaking, Spiders, and Being Enclosed in a Small Space. (source)
- Since 1990, Humans Have Caused the Extinction of Around 477 Different Species. (158 fish, 146 amphibians, 80 birds, 69 mammals, 24 reptiles.) (source)
- In the 14th Century, Around 25% of the World’s Population Was Wiped Out by The Black Death. (source)
- Around 25% of Babies in Ancient Rome Died Before Their 1st Birthday. Up to 50% of Children Died Before Their 10th Birthday. (source)
- In 1800 No Country in the World Had an Average Life Expectancy Above 40. (source)
- The OECD Average Life Expectancy is 80.3 Years. (source)
- Since Medieval Europe, Rates of Homicide Have Dropped 30 Fold. (source)
- Only 12% of the People in the World Could Read and Write in 1820. (source)
- Around 775 Million People in the World Are Illiterate. (source)
- Approximately 3 Billion People (50% of the World’s Population) Live on Less Than $2.50 a Day. (source)
- 22,000 Children Die Every Day Due to Poverty. (source)
- Over the Last 30 Years Extreme Poverty Has Been Cut In Half. (source)
- The U.S. Started Allowing Women The Right to Vote in 1920. (source)
- Interracial Marriage in All U.S. States Has Only Been Legal Since 1967. (source)
- Prior to 2003, Same-Sex Sexual Activity Was Illegal in 14 U.S. States. (source)
- Estimated to Have Saved Around 200 Million Lives, Penicillin is Often Regarded As the Single Greatest Development in the History of Medicine. (source)
- Around 23 million or 9% of the American Population Are Addicted to Drugs or Alcohol. (source)
- Around 50 Million Americans (20% of the Population) Suffer From Chronic Pain. (source)
- The Average U.S. Student Loan Debt in 2016 was $37,172. (source)
- Mandarin is the Most Common Native Language Spoken in the World. (source)
- Muhammad is (Probably) the Most Common Name in the World. (source)
- The World’s Largest Family Lives in India Where One Man Has 94 Children By 39 Different Wives. (source)
- 11 Days, 25 Minutes is the Longest Recorded Time a Human Being Has Gone Without Sleep. (source)
- The Wealthiest 1% of the World's Population Owns More than 50% of the World's Wealth. (source)
- One of the World's First Computers Was Developed in the 1940s and Weighed Around 30,000 kg. (source)
- The World Wide Web Was Only Invented in 1989. (source)
- It Took Radio 38 Years and TV 13 Years to Reach 50 Million People. It Took the iPod 3 Years, and Angry Birds Space 35 days. (source)
- Your Smartphone is Millions of Times More Powerful Than All of NASA’s Combined Computing in 1969. (source)
- The Top 2 Highest Grossing Films of All Time (Avatar and Titanic) Were Written & Directed By James Cameron. (source)
- Harry Potter is the Best-Selling Book Series in History, Having Sold Over 500 Million Copies. (source)
- “Despacito" is the Most Watched YouTube Video of All Time, With 5.7 Billion Views. (source)