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The Magnitude of Things: Noteworthy Facts and Figures About the World · Yiqin Fu

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This page documents facts and figures I find noteworthy about the world. It will be continuously updated. I include what I find surprising. My academic training is in economics, politics, and statistics, and I spent my formative years in China, the U.S., and the U.K. I believe that remembering facts and statistics allows us to draw unexpected connections and better calibrate new information. I also hope that this exercise will help me build better intuitions about large numbers (e.g. “100 million people,” “10 billion dollars”). Since this document is a high-level summary, I’m not able to provide detailed explanation on definitions. I’ve tried to make the numbers comparable where possible. Please refer to the linked sources for precise definitions. World total: 8b Most populous: Sweden: 10m, 2x that of Denmark, Norway, and Finland South Korea: 50m, 1/2 that of Japan, 2x that of Taiwan Hong Kong: 8m Singapore: 6m Most populous cities (metropolitan area): East Asia: Seoul 10m, HK 8m, Sing

This page documents facts and figures I find noteworthy about the world. It will be continuously updated. Contents Arithmetic Demography Macroeconomics Infrastructure Business Public Health Politics Language Climate Energy and Materials Philanthropy FAQ How do you decide what to include? I include what I find surprising. My academic training is in economics, politics, and statistics, and I spent my formative years in China, the U.S., and the U.K. What is the point of remembering the facts if we can easily find the answers on the Internet? I believe that remembering facts and statistics allows

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