Health Vs. Wealth

   Today in class, we watched the video, "Hans Rosling: 200 Years in 4 Minutes".  Hans Rosling is a Swedish man and he "animated data in real space" in this video. He showed a graph, with lifespan on the y axis and income on the x axis. There were then different colored bubbles, which represented different countries. For example, the red bubbles were asian countries, the orange/brown ones were European countries, the purple ones were Africa, etc. The larger the population of the country, the bigger the bubble was. If a country was in the bottom-left corner of the graph, it meant that the country was poor and sick. This means that countries in the top-right corner of the graph were rich and healthy. The graph started at the year 1810. Then, the points changed location to show data all the way up to the year 2009. Here are the notes that I took as I watched the video:

  • Life expectancy back in 1810 was 40 years old
  • In 1819, the UK and Netherlands did better off (in life expectancy)
  • Countries start to move away from the poor/sick part of the graph because of the industrial revolution. Asian countries like China were stuck there because they didn't participate in the Industrial Revolution. (China being pre-industrialized country)
  • Countries got healthier and healthier, but then there were World Wars and epidemics which lowered lifespan
  • Most African and Asian countries stayed in the poor/sick part of the graph.
  • 1948- Sweden is at the top of the chart
  • There is such a big difference from all the colored countries clumped together in the bottom-left corner of the graph in 1810, to being all spread out and developed in 2009
  • After 1948, all these countries develop, and mostly improve their lifespan. Asia and Africa get out of the sick/poor corner, and Asia starts getting very high ranks on the charts
  • Over 200 years, there is a tremendous change in the world's life expectancy and income
  • Hans is very optimistic. He says that over time, we all can get to the top right corner of the chart. He hopes for peace, booming economies, advanced technology, etc.

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