Our world in data

Researchers: Professor Sir David Hendry

Project overview


The aim of this project is to develop data visualisations describing long-term social, economic and ecological trends. These visualisations are made publically available via a free access website.

The site is aimed at the general public, journalists and academics. Its central objective is to bring together the best available quantitative evidence on a wide range of topics and present it in an accessible, user-friendly way.

The site is helping to inform citizens about how the world is changing and to dispel unwarranted cynicism about many aspects of humanity’s development. It is also being used for teaching, and inspiring students and the general public to become more interested in the quantitative social sciences.

The website is made up of a series of overview articles on different topics (examples include homicides and fertility rates) classified under 16 broad headings (‘health’, ‘food and agriculture’, and so on). Each article contains four sections:

  • Key data on the topic from an interdisciplinary, long-term, global perspective.
  • A section called: ‘Correlates, Determinants & Consequences’, which helps the user understand what drives the changes and what they mean for humanity.
  • A discussion of data quality with definitions of key measures.
  • Links to the most important original data sources.

The site receives around 1,500 visitors daily. Users are able to download the data visualisations or embed them in their own websites under a Creative Commons licence, which only requires them to reference the source. 

Team


  • Professor Sir David Hendry
    Primary researcher
    University of Oxford

  • Director, Welfare
    Nuffield Foundation

Explore our projects

New

Welfare | 2024 - 2027

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Youth: mitigating exclusions using the digital?

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Justice | Welfare | 2024 - 2026

Challenging justice inequalities with children in conflict with the law 

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Welfare | 2024 - 2027

Performance Tracker 

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Welfare | 2024 - 2025

Afghan resettlement in England: outcomes and experiences 

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Virtual parent support portals: a new research and practice agenda

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Collective defined contribution pensions with investment choice

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Universal Credit, good work and progression

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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Arthritis, work and wellbeing: a mixed methods study with policy recommendations

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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Just neighbourhoods? Under-representation in UK community-led planning

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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Connecting pensions, health and care

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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

The long-term effects of being a young carer

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A front view of a father and his two children. He is carrying his young son in his arms and his daughter is riding her scooter along the footpath as he pushes his son's scooter along the way.
New

Justice | Welfare | 2024 - 2026

Challenging justice inequalities with children in conflict with the law 

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New

Welfare | 2024 - 2027

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Youth: mitigating exclusions using the digital?

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New

Welfare | 2024 - 2027

Performance Tracker 

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Mother wearing hijab holding her toddler son on her knee, smiling at each other
New

Welfare | 2024 - 2025

Afghan resettlement in England: outcomes and experiences 

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three women walking along street laughing and smiling
New

Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Revealing social capital

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A middle-aged man sat at home is looking at this phone while sorting pension paperwork.
New

Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Collective defined contribution pensions with investment choice

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New

Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Universal Credit, good work and progression

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A woman is sat on the edge of a bed staring at her phone while her daughter is in the background.
In progress

Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Virtual parent support portals: a new research and practice agenda

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A group of neighbours walking outside in a green space

Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Just neighbourhoods? Under-representation in UK community-led planning

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Education | 2023 - 2025

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Welfare | 2023 - 2024

Reliability and validity of crowdsourced workplace wellbeing data

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Teenager hugging their mother
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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

The long-term effects of being a young carer

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A woman is sat on the edge of a bed staring at her phone while her daughter is in the background.
In progress

Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Virtual parent support portals: a new research and practice agenda

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Two little boys and a little girl, all wearing primary school uniform, work together to solve a puzzle in their classroom.
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Education | 2023 - 2025

What has ‘Free School Meals’ measured and what are the implications?

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Teenager hugging their mother
In progress

Welfare | 2023 - 2026

The long-term effects of being a young carer

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Elderly woman and adult daughter out shopping
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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Connecting pensions, health and care

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

A regional regeneration index to track socioeconomic ‘Levelling Up’

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Welfare | 2023 - 2024

Designing inclusive remote and hybrid working to support disabled workers

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Welfare | 2022 - 2024

Children’s lives in changing places

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Justice | 2022 - 2024

Administrative fairness in the digital welfare state

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Welfare | 2022 - 2023

The impact of pension auto-enrolment and COVID-19 on saving behaviours

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Welfare | 2022 - 2024

Links between cognitive impairment and exploitation in England

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Welfare | 2022 - 2023

Redesigning labour market policies for the future of work

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In progress

Welfare | 2022 - 2024

Using administrative data to understand community well-being

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New

Welfare | 2024 - 2027

Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Youth: mitigating exclusions using the digital?

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New

Welfare | 2024 - 2027

Performance Tracker 

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Mother wearing hijab holding her toddler son on her knee, smiling at each other
New

Welfare | 2024 - 2025

Afghan resettlement in England: outcomes and experiences 

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three women walking along street laughing and smiling
New

Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Revealing social capital

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A middle-aged man sat at home is looking at this phone while sorting pension paperwork.
New

Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Collective defined contribution pensions with investment choice

View project
New

Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Universal Credit, good work and progression

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Three colleagues smiling and talking at work
New

Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Arthritis, work and wellbeing: a mixed methods study with policy recommendations

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A man driving a van at work
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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

The PAW Trial: feasibility and acceptability of the Pain-at-Work Toolkit

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

The psychological, social and economic impact of musculoskeletal conditions

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

Remote osteoarthritis peer-mentorship for socioeconomically underserved people

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Welfare | 2023 - 2025

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Welfare | 2023 - 2026

Extending working lives for people with musculoskeletal conditions

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Grandparents having fun outdoors with their granddaughter, who is eating an apple and laughing: Understanding family and community vulnerabilities in transition to net zero
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Welfare | 2021 - 2023

Understanding family and community vulnerabilities in transition to net zero

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Welfare | 2021 - 2024

Developing a minimum digital living standard for households with children

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Justice | 2020 - 2021

Guidance to judges on the anonymisation of children judgements

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Welfare | 2021 - 2023

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Education | 2020 - 2022

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Welfare | 2020 - 2021

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Welfare | 2020 - 2022

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Welfare | 2020 - 2020

How the UK public gets information about COVID-19

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Welfare | 2020 - 2022

The impact of musculoskeletal conditions on outcomes of other illnesses

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Reported

Education | Welfare | 2020 - 2020

Measuring the disadvantage attainment gap in 16-19 education

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