If the world were a village of 100 people….
As of July 2007 the world’s population was 6.6 billion. In 2002, twenty-thr
ee
countries had more than fifty million, t
n countries each had more than one
hundred million and China had nearly one billi
on.
Numbers this big are hard to comprehend and put into context in our everyday
lives, but what if we imagined the whole population of the world as a village of
just 100 people? (100%)
Who are the people of the global village? Where did they come from?
Asia
Africa
Europe
South America/Central America/Caribbean
Canada/US
Oceania (Australia and New Zealand)
In the global village there are almost 6,000 languages. Half of the villagers (50
people) speak the following eight languages.
Chinese
English
Hindi
Spanish
Arabic
Bengali
Portuguese
Russian
There are many children in the village. One-fifth (20) of the villagers are 9 years
of age or under. More than h alf are under 30. On average, 1 person dies and 3
babies are born every year. A baby born in the village today can expect to live to
age 6 3.
How many people in the village go to school? There are 3 8 school-aged villagers
(ages 5-24), but only 3 1 of them attend school. There is 1 teacher for these
students.
Not everybody in the global village is encouraged to learn to read, write and
think. Of the 88 people old enough to read, 7 1 can read a little, but 1 7 cannot
read at all. As well, more males in the village are taught to read than females.
The villagers have many animals, these help to produce food or are a source of
food. These include 31 sheep and goats, 23 cows, bulls and oxen, 15 pigs, 3
camels, 2 horses and 189 chickens.
There is no shortage of food in the global village. If all the food were divided
equally, everyone would have enough to eat. But the food isn’t divided equally.
So although there is enough to feed the villagers, not everyone is well fed.
6 0 People who are always hungry
(2 6 of these people are severely undernourished)
1 6 People who go to bed hungry at least some of the time
2 4 People who always have enough to eat
7 5 out of the 100 villagers have access to a source of safe water either in their
homes or within a short walking distance. 2 5 out of the 100 villagers do not and
must spend a large part of each day simply getting safe water.
6 0 out of the 100 villagers have access to adequate sanitation, while 40 do not.
6 8 out of the 100 villagers breathe clean air, while 3 2 breathe air that is
unhealthy because of pollution.
In one part of the village, someone buys a new car. In another, a man repairs the
family’s bicycle, their most valued possession. How much money do people in the
global village have?
If all the money in the village were divided equally, each person would have
about $62 00 per year. But in the global village, money isn’t divided equally.
The average cost of food, shelter and other necessities in the village is $4000 to
$5000 per year. Many people don’t have enough money to meet these basic
needs.
2 0 have an income more than $9000/year
6 0 have an income between $1.00/day and $9000/year
2 0 have an income under $1.00 day
What will our village be like in the future? How fast will it grow? How many people
will it be home to? Today, the village of 100 is growing at a rate slightly less than 2
people per year. In fact, the growth rate is about 1.6% a year.
In the past, it took 3000 years for the population to double five times. In the future,
the population will double five times in just 250 years! By 2250, there would be
nearly 32 00 people living in the global village.
If the world were a village of 100 people….
As of July 2007 the world’s population was 6.6 billion. In 2002, twenty-three
countries had more than fifty million, ten countries each had more than one
hundred million and China had nearly one billion.
Numbers this big are hard to comprehend and put into context in our everyday
lives, but what if we imagined the whole population of the world as a village of
just 100 people? (100%)
Who are the people of the global village? Where did they come from?
Asia
61
Africa
13
Europe
12
South America/Central America/Caribbean
8
Canada/US
5
Oceania (Australia and New Zealand)
1
In the global village there are almost 6,000 languages. Half of the villagers (50
people) speak the following eight languages.
Chinese
22
English
9
Hindi
8
Spanish
7
Arabic
4
Bengali
4
Portuguese
3
Russian
3
There are many children in the village. One-fifth (20) of the villagers are 9 years of
age or under. More than half are under 30. On average, 1 person dies and 3
babies are born every year. A baby born in the village today can expect to live to
age 63.
How many people in the village go to school? There are 38 school-aged villagers
(ages 5-24), but only 31 of them attend school. There is 1 teacher for these
students.
Not everybody in the global village is encouraged to learn to read, write and
think. Of the 88 people old enough to read, 71 can read a little, but 17 cannot
read at all. As well, more males in the village are taught to read than females.
The villagers have many animals, these help to produce food or are a source of
food. These include 31 sheep and goats, 23 cows, bulls and oxen, 15 pigs, 3
camels, 2 horses and 189 chickens.
There is no shortage of food in the global village. If all the food were divided
equally, everyone would have enough to eat. But the food isn’t divided equally.
So although there is enough to feed the villagers, not everyone is well fed.
60 People who are always hungry
(26 of these people are severely undernourished)
16 People who go to bed hungry at least some of the time
24 People who always have enough to eat
75 out of the 100 villagers have access to a source of safe water either in their
homes or within a short walking distance. 25 out of the 100 villagers do not and
must spend a large part of each day simply getting safe water.
60 out of the 100 villagers have access to adequate sanitation, while 40 do not. 68
out of the 100 villagers breathe clean air, while 32 breathe air that is unhealthy
because of pollution.
In one part of the village, someone buys a new car. In another, a man repairs the
family’s bicycle, their most valued possession. How much money do people in the
global village have?
If all the money in the village were divided equally, each person would have
about $6200 per year. But in the global village, money isn’t divided equally.
The average cost of food, shelter and other necessities in the village is $4000 to
$5000 per year. Many people don’t have enough money to meet these basic
needs.
20 have an income more than $9000/year
60 have an income between $1.00/day and $9000/year
20 have an income under $1.00 day
What will our village be like in the future? How fast will it grow? How many people
will it be home to? Today, the village of 100 is growing at a rate slightly less than 2
people per year. In fact, the growth rate is about 1.6% a year.
In the past, it took 3000 years for the population to double five times. In the future,
the population will double five times in just 250 years! By 2250, there would be
nearly 3200 people living in the global village.