You’ve never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called «developing world.»
The world is in better shape than you think. This was the message that data enthusiast Hans Rosling spent much of his life promoting.
The unassuming Swedish health professor became an unlikely icon for the world’s statisticians, economists and an emerging array of data journalists by developing an innovative fusion of numbers and visuals that enabled him to present global megatrends in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
The result, when combined with his informal style and frequent flashes of self-deprecating humour, captivated audiences including world leaders, international corporate executives and organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, as well as mainstream television viewers.
Rosling, who has died aged 68, was the closest thing statisticians had to a rock star. His most famous talk, 2006’s “The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen”, has been watched online more than 11m times.
Its ambitious scope and sweeping narrative epitomised Rosling’s ability to rise above the ebb and flow of current affairs and see generational trends.
It led him to conclude that on most measures of human progress — the impact of climate change being a notable exception — most countries were improving rapidly.