I am optimistic about today and our future. Let me briefly share why.
Here are a few things that amaze me about our world right now.
1. Knowledge Has Become Universal
Anyone, anywhere, can learn almost anything for free.
From MIT OpenCourseWare and Khan Academy to YouTube, online courses, podcasts, books, and now AI, access to knowledge has expanded more in the past 40 years than in all previous human history combined.
Artificial Intelligence will accelerate this even further. It will democratize expertise, personalize learning, and help billions of people develop skills that were once completely inaccessible.
2. Our Voices Travel Further Than Ever
With a phone, anyone can speak to the world.
Stories are shared instantly. Injustices are exposed. Ideas spread globally in seconds. This comes with challenges, but it will bring transparency, connection, and a more informed global population.
This level of communication simply didn’t exist 20 years ago.
3. Global Commerce Has Opened the World
Today, a person can order something made 8,000 miles away with a tap.
Trade, logistics, supply chains, and technology have connected us in unprecedented ways. Barriers that once seemed insurmountable, such as language, currency, and distance, have shrunk dramatically.
Despite periodic setbacks, the long-term trend is toward a smaller, more connected world.
4. Medical Progress Is Transforming Lives
Life expectancy has doubled over the past century. Diseases have been eliminated or dramatically reduced. New treatments, vaccines, and technologies are emerging faster than ever.
The next wave of innovation, including AI-driven diagnostics, genetic medicine, advanced imaging, and GLP-1 medications, will meaningfully reduce global suffering and improve health outcomes for billions.
5. Science and Collaboration Are Accelerating
Scientific research is now global. Ideas, data, and breakthroughs spread instantaneously. A discovery in one country can be replicated, improved, and deployed worldwide in record time.
The scale of collaboration today is unprecedented and incredibly hopeful.
Human progress in perspective.
Here are a few examples of how far we have come in the past century and decade:
1. Global Literacy Rates
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Global literacy rates were around 21%.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Global literacy rates were approximately 84%.
• Today (2023): Global literacy rates have risen to about 86%.
• Source: Our World in Data - Literacy
2. Average Lifespan
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): The global average life expectancy was around 34 years.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Global average life expectancy was about 71 years.
• Today (2023): Global average life expectancy is approximately 73 years.
• Source: Our World in Data - Life Expectancy
3. Infant Mortality Rate
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Infant mortality rates were as high as 140 per 1,000 live births globally.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): The global infant mortality rate had decreased to about 34 per 1,000 live births.
• Today (2023): The global infant mortality rate has further decreased to about 28 per 1,000 live births.
• Source: World Bank - Mortality Rate, Infant
4. Access to Clean Water
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Less than 30% of the global population had reliable access to clean drinking water.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Approximately 89% of the world’s population had access to improved water sources.
• Today (2023): About 91% of the global population has access to clean drinking water.
• Source: World Health Organization - Drinking-Water
5. Global Poverty
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Over 70% of the global population lived in extreme poverty (defined as living on less than $1.90 a day in today’s dollars).
• 10 Years Ago (2013): The percentage of the global population living in extreme poverty had decreased to around 11%.
• Today (2023): The global extreme poverty rate has further decreased to about 9%.
• Source: Our World in Data - Extreme Poverty
6. Child Labor
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Child labor was widespread, with estimates suggesting that 28% of children aged 10-14 were working.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Child labor rates had significantly declined, with around 10% of children aged 5-17 working globally.
• Today (2023): The percentage has decreased to approximately 8.4% of children aged 5-17.
• Source: International Labour Organization - Child Labour
7. Global Malnutrition
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Severe malnutrition was prevalent, affecting an estimated 25-30% of the global population.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Global malnutrition affected about 11% of the population.
• Today (2023): Global malnutrition has decreased to approximately 8.9% of the population.
• Source: World Health Organization - Malnutrition
8. Access to Healthcare
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Most of the world’s population had little to no access to professional medical care.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Approximately 58% of the global population had access to essential health services.
• Today (2023): About 68% of the global population has access to essential health services.
• Source: World Health Organization - Universal Health Coverage
9. Educational Enrollment
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Global primary school enrollment rates were low, with less than 50% of children attending school.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Global primary school enrollment rates were around 89%.
• Today (2023): Global primary school enrollment rates are about 91%.
• Source: UNICEF - Education
10. Democracy and Political Freedom
• 100 Years Ago (1920s): Only about 15% of the world’s population lived in democratic countries.
• 10 Years Ago (2013): Approximately 60% of the global population lived in democratic countries or countries with significant political freedoms.
• Today (2023): Roughly 65% of the world’s population lives in countries with democratic governments or significant political freedoms.
• Source: Freedom House - Global Freedom
These are historic achievements.
Each generation is better educated, more connected, more aware, and more capable than the one before it. Gen Y, Gen Z, and the generations after them will surpass us in remarkable ways.
We continue to accomplish amazing things every day.
Progress is real and accelerating.
Our future is incredibly bright.