The_Great_Escape_Two_Centuries_of_Progress
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Slide 1
NotebookLM to PPTXTurn NotebookLM Slides into Editable PPTXExport PPTX
Log In
NotebookLM
Two Centuries of Unprecedented Global Progress
The Great Escape
NotebookLM
lived in extreme poverty
~75%
could not read or write
~90%
of children died before the age of five
~43%
In 1820, the world was caught in a zero-sum trap. For millennia, the living conditions of our ancestors barely changed. A life of grinding poverty, widespread disease, and near-universal illiteracy was the norm for almost everyone, everywhere.
200 years ago, life was short, brutal, and dark.
NotebookLM
Today
2000
1950
1900
1850
1800
0%
Global life expectancy rose from 46 years in 1950 to 72.6 years in 2019.
10%
20%
30%
MortalityRate
40%
50%
Global Child Mortality Rate
In 1800, more than 4 in 10 children died before their fifth birthday.
For most of history, the death of a child was a common tragedy. Today, this trend has been dramatically reversed. This revolution in survival has driven an unprecedented increase in life expectancy across the entire globe.
The First Escape: We are living longer, healthier lives than ever before.
NotebookLM
South America, 2019
North America, 2019
Europe,2019
Asia,2019
Africa,2019
Richest parts of the worid, 1950
20
40
60
64
66
76
74
0
79
79
85
Life Expectancy at Birth
Every region in the world today has a higher life expectancy than the very richest region had in 1950. This leap was achieved through a combination of public health measures, medical breakthroughs like vaccines, and rising prosperity.
The health revolution has been universal.
80
NotebookLM
people are literate.
8 out of 10
Today, more than
In 1820,9 out of 10 people could not read or write.
In 1820, the ability to read and write was a privilege for a tiny elite, locking the vast majority of humanity out of the world of codified knowledge. Today, the situation is reversed.
The Second Escape: The world has flipped from illiterate to literate.
NotebookLM
Today, less than 1 in 10 do.
In 1820, three-quarters of the world lived in extreme poverty.
For centuries, almost everyone lived in conditions we now define as extreme poverty—lacking adequate food, shelter, and basic necessities. The economic growth of the last 200 years has fueled a historic decline in this desperate state.
The Third Escape: Humanity is breaking free from the poverty trap.
NotebookLM
Positive-Sum World (Post-1800)
Zero-Sum World (Pre-1800)
Education & Literacy
Better Health
Global Trade
Scientific Innovation
For millennia, the global economy was a fixed pie. One person's gain was almost always another's loss, and growth was negligible. The modern era is defined by productivity growth driven by technology, global trade, and the spread of knowledge. This created a positive-sum world where shared progress became possible for the first time.
The engine of progress: A shift from a zero-sum to a positive-sum world
NotebookLM
Above 60%
Below60%
world lacks access to safe drinking water.
1 in 4 people in the
children under five die every minute.
10
Literacy Rates Today
Challenge 3: Education
Challenge 2: Basic Needs
Challenge 1: Health
The progress has been remarkable, but our work is far from finished. Serious challenges remain, and the data that shows us how far we've come also illuminates the path we still need to travel.
But the escape is not complete.
Source: This presentation is based on data and research from Our World in Data, including Max Roser's essays "The history of global economic inequality" and the "Literacy" and "Child Mortality" entries.
NotebookLM
The evidence of the last 200 years shows that a better world is possible. It proves that humanity can solve its greatest challenges when we create the conditions for a positive-sum world. The future is not pre-written; it is up to us to continue the escape.
The Great Escape is the most important story of our time.
