What was the death toll from Chernobyl and Fukushima?
When we think of nuclear safety, two accidents often come to mind: Chernobyl and Fukushima. What was the death toll and impact of these disasters?
Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems.
Visit ourworldindata.org → RSS feedOn Hacker News Jun 2016 – Oct 2026
Society, Policy & Culture 107Science & Space 104Tech Industry & Business 2History & Retro Computing 1
When we think of nuclear safety, two accidents often come to mind: Chernobyl and Fukushima. What was the death toll and impact of these disasters?
How is inequality measured, who produces key databases, and what does the data tell us?
Data on the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions
Explore global data on where our energy comes from, and how this is changing.
We could reduce the amount of land used for grazing and croplands used to grow animal feed.
What quantitative data is there about violent deaths in non-state societies?
How much do electricity, transport, and land use contribute to different greenhouse gas emissions?
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world. Explore global data and research to understand its impact, spread, and global response.
The average height of a population can inform us about the nutrition and living conditions of populations in the past for which we have little other data.
Explore changing patterns in fertility worldwide, from birth rates to parental ages, twinning rates, reproductive technologies, and more.
Globally, we emit around 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases yearly. Where do these emissions come from? We take a look, sector-by-sector.
In order to make progress against poverty in the future, we need to understand poverty around the world today and how it has changed.
Explore global and national data on population growth, demography, and how they are changing.
There are large differences in the land of different diets, mostly depending on how much meat people eat.
Aviation accounts for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. But it has contributed around 4% to global warming to date.
Humans and livestock make up 95% of the world’s mammal biomass; wild mammals are just 5%.
How is humanity using the Earth’s land? And how can we decrease our land use so that more land is left for wildlife?
How can individuals reduce their emissions from transport?
Explore data on COVID-19 testing across the world.
Which countries are net importers and exports of emissions? How much CO2 is ‘offshored’?
What are the consequences of undernourishment and how can we make progress against hunger and undernourishment?
What are the environmental impacts of food production? How do we reduce the impacts of agriculture on the environment?
Very few think the world is making progress. In this article, we look at the history of global living conditions and show that the world has made immense progress in important aspects.
“Eat local” is a common recommendation to reduce your diet's carbon footprint. How does the impact of what you eat compare to where it comes from?
Fossil fuels were key to industrialization and rising prosperity, but their impact on health and the climate means that we should transition away from them.
Fossil fuels are the dirtiest and most dangerous energy sources, while nuclear and modern renewable energy sources are vastly safer and cleaner.
Explore data on the mortality risk of COVID-19 across the world.
How common are armed conflict and peace between and within countries? How is this changing over time? Explore research and data on war and peace.
Child mortality remains one of the world’s largest problems and is a painful reminder of work yet to be done. With global data on where, when, and how child deaths occur, we can accelerate efforts to prevent them.
The chances that a newborn survives childhood have increased from 50% to 96% globally. How do we know about the mortality of children in the past? And what can we learn from it for our future?