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Access dataset files directly from scripts, code, or AI agents.
Dataset Files
Each file has a stable URL (r-link) that you can use directly in scripts, apps, or AI agents. These URLs are permanent and safe to hardcode.
/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/README.md
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/data/child-mortality.csv
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/data/democracy.csv
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/data/education.csv
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/data/life-expectancy.csv
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/data/literacy.csv
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/data/poverty.csv
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/datapackage.json
Key Files
Start with these files — they give you everything you need to understand and access the dataset.
datapackage.json— metadata & schema
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/datapackage.json
README.md— documentation
https://datahub.io/society-and-living-standards/history-global-living-conditions/_r/-/README.md
Typical Usage
- 1. Fetch datapackage.json to inspect schema and resources
- 2. Download data resources listed in datapackage.json
- 3. Read README.md for full context
Data Views
Data Previews
Global Life Expectancy at Birth
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Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year |
| life_expectancy_years | number | Life expectancy at birth (years) |
Global Child Mortality Rate
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Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year |
| child_mortality_rate | number | Share of children dying in first five years of life (%) |
| child_survival_rate | number | Share of children surviving first five years of life (%) |
World Literacy Rate
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Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year |
| literate_pct | number | Share of adults who are literate (%) |
| illiterate_pct | number | Share of adults who are illiterate (%) |
People Living in Democracies vs. Autocracies
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Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year |
| people_in_democracies | integer | Number of people living in democracies |
| people_in_autocracies | integer | Number of people living in autocracies |
| no_regime_data | integer | Population with no regime classification data |
World Population by Income Level
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Schema
| name | type | description |
|---|---|---|
| year | integer | Year |
| above_30_usd | integer | People living on more than $30/day |
| between_10_30_usd | integer | People living on $10–$30/day |
| between_5_10_usd | integer | People living on $5–$10/day |
| between_1_90_5_usd | integer | People living on $1.90–$5/day |
| below_1_90_usd | integer | People living on less than $1.90/day (extreme poverty) |
Data Files
| File | Description | Size | Last modified | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
life-expectancy | Average life expectancy at birth for the world, 1770–2023. | 984 B | about 1 month ago | life-expectancy |
child-mortality | Share of children dying before age 5 globally, 1800–2023. In 1800 roughly 43 in 100 children died before their fifth birthday; by 2023 that had fallen below 4 in 100. | 3.67 kB | about 1 month ago | child-mortality |
literacy | Share of the world adult population that is literate vs. illiterate, 1820–2023. In 1820 only 12% of people could read and write; today roughly 87% can. | 1.08 kB | about 1 month ago | literacy |
democracy | Number of people worldwide living under democratic vs. autocratic political regimes, 1800–2024. Based on the Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy. | 7.47 kB | about 1 month ago | democracy |
poverty | Distribution of the global population across five income thresholds (in 2011 international dollars per day), 1820–2018. Shows the dramatic decline of extreme poverty alongside growth of the middle class. | 3.22 kB | about 1 month ago | poverty |
education | Global adult population (15+) broken down by highest level of educational attainment, 1950–2020. | 1.09 kB | about 1 month ago | education |
| Files | Size | Format | Created | Updated | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 17.5 kB | csv | about 1 month ago | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International | A History of Global Living Conditions in 6 Charts — Our World in Data |
A History of Global Living Conditions
Two centuries of progress in human wellbeing — poverty, life expectancy, child mortality, literacy, political freedom, and education — from 1800 to today. Based on Our World in Data's article "A History of Global Living Conditions in 6 Charts".
Background
The world of 1800 was one of almost universal poverty, short lives, rampant child death, near-total illiteracy, and autocratic rule. Over the past two centuries that picture has been transformed. This dataset tracks six dimensions of that transformation using long-run global estimates compiled by Our World in Data.
Data
Six CSV files in data/:
| File | Description | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
life-expectancy.csv | Global average life expectancy at birth (years) | 1770–2023 |
child-mortality.csv | Share of children dying before age 5, and survival rate (%) | 1800–2023 |
literacy.csv | Share of adults who are literate vs. illiterate (%) | 1820–2023 |
democracy.csv | Population living under democratic vs. autocratic regimes | 1800–2024 |
poverty.csv | World population by income bracket (2011 international dollars per day) | 1820–2018 |
education.csv | Global adult population (15+) by highest education level | 1950–2020 |
Key columns
life-expectancy.csv
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
year | Year |
life_expectancy_years | Life expectancy at birth (years) |
child-mortality.csv
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
year | Year |
child_mortality_rate | Share of children dying before age 5 (%) |
child_survival_rate | Share of children surviving to age 5 (%) |
poverty.csv
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
year | Year |
above_30_usd | People living on more than 30 USD per day |
between_10_30_usd | People living on 10–30 USD per day |
between_5_10_usd | People living on 5–10 USD per day |
between_1_90_5_usd | People living on 1.90–5 USD per day |
below_1_90_usd | People in extreme poverty (under 1.90 USD per day) |
Sources
- Our World in Data. A History of Global Living Conditions in 6 Charts.