Progress summary

But it’s not just more efficient food production that has improved human health.

One of the most effective ways of preventing disease and boosting life expectancy is proper waste disposal.

Poverty has been the natural lot of humans for most of our history. That means we shouldn’t ask what causes poverty. The better question is, “What drives prosperity?”

Over the last 200 years, humanity has witnessed an extraordinary transformation. Since the industrial age, we’ve experienced history’s largest increase in global wealth.

We live in the information age. Our societies are saturated in media. That means we’re more aware than ever before of the violence that affects countries around the world. But just because we’re more attuned to it doesn’t mean violence is also on the rise.

In fact, violence is declining.

Rapid economic growth hasn’t been all good news. The environmental costs have been high, and the damage we’ve inflicted on our planet is a hot-button topic today.

But growth and environmental conservation aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, the progress we’ve made in protecting the planet is in large part the result of our increasing wealth.

It’s hard to overstate just how important literacy is. Reading and writing expand people’s horizons and open new doors.

Once you’ve learned to read, it’s easier to stay informed and pick up new ideas. Literacy is also vital when it comes to finding a decent job. Without it, it’s impossible to acquire new skills that are in demand on the labor market.

Discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation has been ubiquitous for most of human history. And although it still scars many of today’s societies, it is declining. In fact, we’ve made great progress toward achieving equality – a positive step driven by the rise of tolerance and egalitarian ideas.

Two developments have done more than any others to expand our personal and political freedoms: democratization and the global ban on slavery.

So there’s been a great deal of progress in recent decades. This means that younger generations will grow up in a world that’s richer, healthier and more tolerant than at any other time in history.

But there’s no reason why things can’t get even better!