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We are happier -

Despite the recent pandemic and episodes of conflict, self-reported happiness, related to subjective well-being, has increased, notes Human Progress. As many nations enjoy more freedom and wealth so do people become more content with their daily lives. 

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There's more access to safe water -

Between 1980 and today, global access to safe water sources has increased from 58% to 91%. But there are still approximately two billion people around the world without access to safely managed drinking water services, reminds Relief Web.

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More mothers are surviving pregnancy -

According to a joint report issued by the the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), more women and their children are surviving pregnancy than ever before. 

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Women enjoy increased political clout -

The last 50 years or so has witnessed the political empowerment of women. Increasing women's participation in leadership and decision-making has proven to be good for economic and social development around the world. Pictured is the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

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We are becoming more brainy -

The rise in IQ (intelligence quotient) scores suggest an increase in general intelligence. In fact, IQ scores have substantially increased from 1932 through the 20th century. This increase is attributed in part to environmental factors like improved nutrition, education, and reduced exposure to toxins, according to Simple Psychology. 

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The acceptance of LGBTQI+ -

For decades now, the world has seen a steady increase in social acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bi relationships, and a steady increase in the percentage of those who identify as LGBTQI+. 

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Decriminalization of same‐​sex relationships -

Indeed, the decriminalization of same‐​sex relationships has been welcomed in many countries, though persecution of those who identify as LGBTQI+ is still a major cause for concern in more conservative and discriminatory societies.  

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Fighting disease successfully -

There's a continued rise in vaccinations against contagious diseases, the most recent example being the rollout of the fastest vaccine in history—the COVID-19 vaccine, in use in less than 12 months from development.   

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Beating big 'C' -

Almost 10 million people die from cancer annually. To put that figure into perspective, every sixth death in the world is due to the disease. But this grim statistic is far healthier than one might think given the advances made in treating cancers. For example, all cancers combined mortality rates are projected to fall by 6% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.  

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Less work, more leisure time -

The trend of declining working hours is nearly universal. While figures vary across different nations, the average working week in an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country is 36 hours. 

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Power to the people -

Since 2010, more than a billion people have gained access to electricity. In 2021, 91.4% of the world population had access to electricity.

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Traveling the internet highway -

Much of the globe enjoys increasing internet‐​driven access to information. As of July 2023, there were 5.19 billion internet users worldwide. That's 64.6% of the global population! 

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The money in our pockets -

There is a reported decline in global income inequality, though global economic inequality remains vast and is compounded by overlapping inequalities in health, education, and many other dimensions.

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Closing the gap -

The education gap between men and women has closed, or has even reversed in many countries. In fact the gender gap in educational attainment has not merely closed but has reversed in tertiary education in the majority of the European Union's 27 member states. It should be noted however, that closing gender gaps in educational attainment does not bridge the gap in labor force participation, a fact noted by the Center for Global Development (CGDEV).

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We live longer lives -

We are living longer! In the United States for example, the life expectancy for men in 1920 was around 53.6 years. For women, it was 54.6 years. If you compare that number to today's average life expectancy of 78.93 years, it's clear how much longer many of us can expect to live. 

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Renewable energy surge -

Renewable energy, such as hydroelectric, wind, solar, and geothermal, has seen a dramatic increase over the past few decades. In fact, renewable capacity will meet 35% of global power generation by 2025, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). 

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More of us are stubbing out the habit -

According to Tobacco Control, around 1.74 billion people regularly smoke tobacco. The good news is that smoking prevalence has declined by 27.2% for men since 1990, and by 37.9% for women. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 8 million people die prematurely from the habit annually. 

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Abolishing capital punishment -

Since 1976, more than 85 nations have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Over the past three decades the percentage of countries retaining capital punishment has dropped by half, from 56% in 1988 to 28% in 2018, latest statistics show. 

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The growth in electric mobility -

The first mass-produced electric vehicle (EV), the Nissan Leaf, was launched in 2010. Since then accelerating EV sales has witnessed an exponential growth in electric mobility, and especially passenger electric vehicles. EV sales increased by 60% in 2022 from the previous year to a new record of 10.6 million. Over 14% of global car sales were electric in 2022. 

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Fixing the hole -

The discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole was first announced by the British Antarctic Survey in May 1985. Today nearly 99% of banned ozone-depleting chemicals like CFCs have been successfully phased out. The ozone layer is projected to return to its 1980 levels by 2040 as a global average. 

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Women's sport triumphs -

The first recorded women's soccer match took place on May 9, 1881, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It played out to a handful of spectators. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 attracted a record attendance of almost two million, with millions more following the tournament on television.  

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The rise in online support groups -

The world is a smaller and less lonely and isolated place thanks to the rise of online support groups. People with rare medical disorders, those dealing with grief and loss, and anybody else reaching out for answers and reassurance are connected with just a click and a smile. 

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Mapping out the future -

When was the last time you referred to a paper map? Useful in its time of course, but today GPS provides fast and accurate in-car navigation—a perfect example of how a novelty invention became a ubiquitous must-have. 

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Single-use plastic ban -

Way back in 2002 Bangladesh was the first country in the world to implement a ban on thin plastic bags. Twenty years later numerous nations had banned the use of single-use plastic bags, along with single-use plastic cotton buds, drink stirrers, and cutlery. 

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Canine company -

Canine-assisted interventions (CAI) are becoming more popular in hospital settings. In fact, specially trained dogs are overwhelmingly helpful in providing palliative care to terminally ill patients, notes the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. 

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An app for everything -

There's an app for just about everything. According to Business of Apps, TikTok was the most downloaded app globally in 2022, with 672 million downloads. Honestly, you don't even have to pluck up the courage to ask someone out in person anymore. Just download a dating app! 

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Preserving nature -

In 1962, there were 9,214 protected nature reserves worldwide. Today, there are over 200,000. However, warns the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 81% of key biodiversity areas are not completely covered by protected areas. 

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Conservation success story -

The southern white rhino represents a major conservation success story, having been brought back from the very brink of extinction. But the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) still maintains the species as Near Threatened on its Red List. 

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The boom in Scientific research -

The number of scientific journals has grown exponentially from 10 at the end of the 17th century to 100,000 at the end of the 20th century. Today's global scientific output continues to double, on average, every nine years.

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Read all about it -

The global literacy rate currently stands at 87%, up from 12% in 1820. But as the World Economic Forum points out, two thirds of the world's illiterate population are women. 

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Days of democracy -

According to Our World in Data, the world has become much more democratic over the last two centuries. Since 1816, the amount of people living in a democracy has grown from 1% to roughly 50% of the world's population.  

Sources: (Human Progress) (Relief Web) (UNICEF) (WHO) (Simple Psychology) (OECD) (World Bank) (CGDEV) (IEA) (EV Box) (Statista) (United Nations Environmental Program) (Alliance of Therapy Dogs) (IUCN) (National Center for Biotechnology Information) (Our World in Data)

See also: Do you live in one of the world's happiest countries? 

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