Birth year
Born in 2008? Here's your year in charts
In 2008, the top baby names were Emma and Jacob, a dozen eggs cost $1.99, a gallon of gas cost $3.25, unemployment averaged 5.8%, a newborn could expect to live 78.2 years, and the world had 6.83 billion people.
Top baby names of 2008
Girls
From Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S.; names given to fewer than 5 babies are left out. Pick a name to see how many babies got it every year since 1880.
2008 then vs. now
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A dozen eggs
See the chart$1.99 in 2008, compared with $2.27 in September 2026
Average price of grade A large eggs in U.S. cities.
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A gallon of regular gas
See the chart$3.25 in 2008, compared with $4.36 in September 2026
Average U.S. retail price.
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Unemployment rate
See the chart5.8% in 2008, compared with 4.2% in September 2026
Share of the labor force out of work, the year's average.
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Life expectancy at birth
See the chart78.2 years in 2008, compared with 78.7 years in 2018
How long a baby born that year could expect to live, at that year's death rates.
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People in the world
See the chart6.83 billion in 2008, compared with 8.22 billion in 2025
World population at mid-year.
Prices are in dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation. A figure is left out when its chart doesn't cover 2008.
$100 in 2008 buys about as much as $156.50 in September 2026. Try the inflation calculator
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Sources and dates
- Baby names: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications (national data) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of December 31, 2025
- A dozen eggs: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Average Price Data (eggs, grade A, large) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026
- A gallon of regular gas: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026
- Unemployment rate: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026
- Life expectancy at birth: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Death rates and life expectancy at birth (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of December 31, 2018
- People in the world: World Bank, World Development Indicators: Population, total (CC BY 4.0 (credit the World Bank)), data as of December 31, 2025