In Which Areas Has the World Progressed the Most in Recent Decades?

The global population has increased by over two billion since 1991 and we wanted to know how its wellbeing has fared since then. So, we turned to the Social Progress Index Time Series to evaluate the year-on-year change of our Index and its Dimensions, Components, and Indicators.

When we look at the evolution of the Dimensions of the Social Progress Index since 1991, we can see that they did not behave identically. While in the ‘90s, the increase in Basic Human Needs and Opportunity drove the annual increase in the Index, since then, the Foundations of Wellbeing has been responsible for most of the increments in the Index.

In particular, the Component of Access to Information and Communications has contributed significantly to the Index’s improvement in the 2010s, with yearly jumps of over ten score points. However, this has not been spread evenly, as the Opportunity Components of Inclusiveness and Personal Rights have consistently degraded since the second half of the decade. 

Check the Social Progress Index Time Series to explore more insights!