Chart assignment
Charts to read and discuss
Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.
Chart 1 of 1 · World
How long do people around the world live, and how has that changed since 1960?
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.
A baby born in 2024 could expect to live 73.5 years on average across the world, up from 50.9 in 1960. The very low early-1960s figures include the famine in China. Life expectancy fell to 71.2 years in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, then recovered. These are United Nations estimates.
Questions to discuss
- In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
- Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
- Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (CC BY 4.0 (credit the World Bank)) · Data as of Dec 31, 2024
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