Data InsightsChina is moving much faster on electric cars than the EU or the United States

May 12, 2025

China is moving much faster on electric cars than the EU or the United States

A line graph illustrates the share of new cars sold that are electric in three regions: China, the European Union, and the United States from 2020 to 2023. The vertical axis indicates the percentage of electric cars, ranging from 0% to 40%, with marked points at 2%, 6%, 10%, and 22%.

In 2020, China starts at 2%, showing a steady upward trend, culminating at 38% in 2023. The European Union begins similarly at 6%, increasing to 22% by 2023. The United States, starting at 2%, progresses to 10% over the same period, showing the slowest growth among the three.

The graph highlights China's significant lead over both the EU and the US in the adoption of electric cars.

Data source is the International Energy Agency, specifically from the Global EV Outlook 2024 report. A note indicates that in China and the EU, two-thirds of these cars are fully electric, while in the US, 80% are.

Road transport is responsible for around three-quarters of global carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Switching from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles is an important solution to decarbonize our economies.

This chart shows the change in share of new cars that were electric in China, the European Union (EU), and the United States (US) between 2020 and 2023. This includes fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars, though most are fully electric.

In 2020, electric cars were rare everywhere. But by 2023, over one-third of new vehicles in China were electric, compared to less than a quarter in the EU and under a tenth in the US.

While we only have annual data up to 2023, preliminary figures suggest that in 2024, electric cars outsold conventional ones for the first time in China.

Explore data on electric car sales for more countries →

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The image presents a line graph showing the number of countries where smallpox was endemic from 1920 to 1980. There are five colored lines representing different regions: Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania.

The y-axis indicates the number of countries, ranging from 0 to 50, while the x-axis marks the years from 1920 to 1980. Each region's line trends downward, reflecting a decline in endemic countries over the years. Significant events are marked with dashed vertical lines: in 1959, the WHO resolved to aim for eradication; in 1967, an intensified eradication campaign began; 1977 marks the last recorded case; and in 1980, smallpox was declared eradicated.

A note at the bottom specifies that the precise year of elimination in Oceania is only known for Australia (1917) and New Zealand (1914). Additionally, data sources are cited as Fenner, Henderson, Arita, Jezek, and Ladnyi (1988) and the graph is attributed to Saloni Dattani, licensed under CC-BY. The source of the data is Our World in Data, which focuses on research and measures against global issues.

Yesterday

Smallpox declined gradually, until the WHO coordinated the global effort to eradicate it

In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the world’s first vaccine against smallpox. As it was refined and widely adopted, many countries in Europe and North America, the Soviet Union, and island nations eliminated smallpox through national vaccination programs.

But in the mid-20th century, the disease remained widespread across Africa and Asia, infecting tens of millions every year.

Before the World Health Organization (WHO) committed to eradication in 1959, few believed it was possible, given the failures of other eradication efforts like malaria. But smallpox had no animal reservoir, clear symptoms, and there was an effective, low-cost vaccine.

By 1967, the WHO intensified the eradication campaign with more funding. The strategy focused on “ring vaccination” — containing outbreaks by vaccinating people around each case — and embedding the work within local health programs.

As the chart shows, this approach worked swiftly: within a decade, the number of endemic countries fell to zero. Smallpox was officially declared eradicated in 1980, two centuries after Jenner’s discovery. It’s a lasting triumph of science and cooperation.

Portugal's roads have become much safer over the last thirty years

Thirty years ago, Portugal had some of the most fatal roads in Europe. It was second only to Latvia in terms of death rates from road injuries.

But since then, death rates have fallen by 84%.

The chart shows road deaths per 100,000 people compared to other European countries. This metric is age-standardized, so it keeps the population's age distribution constant over time.

Portugal still has slightly higher death rates than many of its neighbors in Western Europe, but the gap is much smaller than in the 1990s.

Portugal’s roads have become much safer for many reasons, including seatbelt laws, speed limits, stricter drink-driving enforcement, better road design and pedestrian zones, and improvements in the safety and resilience of cars themselves.

While it made dramatic improvements over the 1990s and early 2000s, this progress has slowed in the last five to ten years.

Explore road death rates across other countries →

A line graph illustrating the estimated share of newborns in the Netherlands who die before reaching age five from 1840 to 2023. The y-axis represents the percentage of children dying before age five, ranging from 0% to 40%, while the x-axis shows the years from 1840 to 2023.

The graph has a prominent downward trend, indicating a significant decline in child mortality rates over time.

The data sources listed at the bottom include Gapminder (2015) and UN IGME (2025). The design is attributed with a copyright notice indicating "CC BY."

June 06

Less than 200 years ago, one in three Dutch children died before the age of five

Losing a child is one of the worst things that can happen to a parent.

Imagine living in a world where there was a one-in-three chance your child would die. This wasn't just the reality for your children; it could just as well happen to your siblings, friends, or neighbors.

Such a world seems unimaginable today, but it wasn’t too far from reality two centuries ago, even in some economically advanced countries.

The chart shows the share of newborns who died before age five in the Netherlands since 1840. These historical estimates are more uncertain than recent data, but it's likely that before the 1870s, about one-in-three newborns died. Each birth carried odds no parent today could contemplate facing.

But a huge amount of progress has been made since then. Today, one in 250 Dutch children dies. This progress was driven by many factors, including improvements in nutrition, access to clean water, sanitation, vaccines, and reductions in poverty.

To learn more, read my colleague Hannah’s recent article: “Children in rich countries are much less likely to die than a few decades ago, but we rarely hear about this progress” →

This image is a world map illustrating the share of new cancer cases attributed to the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in 2020. Different regions are shaded in various shades of orange and brown, indicating the percentage of cancers caused by this bacteria. Areas with no data are marked with diagonal lines. The color scale ranges from light yellow for 0% to dark brown for 10%. The regions with a higher prevalence of cases are primarily in East Asia and parts of South America, while many areas in North America and Western Europe show lower percentages. The data source is the International Agency for Research on Cancer from 2020. A note clarifies that non-melanoma skin cancers are excluded from the denominator due to potentially incomplete records and inconsistent registry practices.

June 04

In some regions, around one in ten cancer cases are caused by a common, treatable bacterium

You might be surprised to learn that a common stomach infection can lead to cancer. That infection is caused by Helicobacter pylori — H. pylori for short — a bacterium that can live in the stomach lining for decades.

The infection often begins in childhood and may not cause symptoms right away. But over time, it can damage the stomach’s protective lining, causing inflammation and ulcers. In some people, it eventually leads to cancer.

The map shows that in parts of Asia and South America, H. pylori is responsible for about 10% of all new cancer cases. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that it causes around 800,000 cancer cases globally each year, making it one of the top infectious causes of cancer.

The good news is that the infection can be detected with a simple test and eliminated with antibiotics. If caught early, the risk of stomach cancer can be dramatically reduced. Since the bacterium is often transmitted through contaminated food and water, better sanitation and food safety also make a difference.

Read more about infections that cause cancers, and how they can be prevented or treated →

The image presents a line graph illustrating the shift in Greece's electricity generation sources over time, from 1990 to 2024. There are two main lines: one representing coal and another representing solar and wind energy.

Initially, the coal line begins around 60% in 1990, gradually declining to 50% in 2014. A sharp drop occurs after that, leading to a low of about 6% in 2024. In contrast, the solar and wind line starts very low, around 2% in 1990, and rises steeply after 2015, almost tripling to approximately 43% by 2024.

Key notes are emphasized in the graph: one states that in 2014, about half of Greece's electricity was generated by coal, while another indicates that only 15% came from solar and wind sources at that time.

The data source for the graph is Ember, and it is noted as being from 2025, with a Creative Commons license indicated as CC BY.

June 02

Greece is turning its back on coal and replacing it with solar and wind

To tackle climate change, the world must transition away from fossil fuels and towards low-carbon power sources.

Greece is almost there when it comes to coal. Coal became the dominant source of electricity in the second half of the 20th century, but it has fallen out of favor in the 21st.

The chart shows that just over a decade ago, almost half of the country’s power came from coal. This has now fallen to 6%.

Solar and wind have replaced it; their share has tripled in the last decade; when combined, they’ve become the largest source.

As a result, the country’s CO₂ emissions from coal have fallen by nearly 90% from their peak, and national emissions as a whole have halved.

Solar and wind are growing rapidly in many countries; explore this data in our energy data explorer →

A line graph titled "Young Americans are spending much more time alone" shows the relative change in time spent alone by different age groups compared to 2010. The vertical axis represents the percentage change, ranging from -10% to +50%, while the horizontal axis covers the years from 2010 to 2023.

The red line indicates the trend for people aged 15-29. An annotation notes that in 2019, this age group spent 18% more time alone compared to 2010, which further increased with the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, time spent alone by those aged 15-29 was 45% higher than in 2010.

Three other lines, representing the age groups 30-44 years, 45-59 years, and 60+ years, are shown in shades of gray. These lines remain flatter over the same period, but also show increases of 10-20%.

At the bottom, there is a data source reference: "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023)" and a note indicating that activities like sleeping, grooming, and personal care are excluded from the data, with a specific mention that the data for 2020 excludes the period from March 18 to May 9 due to the lockdown.

May 30

Young Americans spend much more time alone than they did fifteen years ago

Young Americans spend much more time alone than they did in the past. According to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, people aged 15–29 spent about 45% more time alone in 2023 than in 2010.

The survey classifies all time spent without anybody physically present as “time spent alone”. This can include time spent talking on the phone or video calls.

Time spent alone among young people increased slowly in the second half of the 2010s and then rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. It hasn’t fallen back to earlier levels since then.

In absolute terms, young people spent around four hours alone per day in 2010. By 2023, that number had grown to six hours per day.

Although all Americans spend more time alone, the increase is much smaller for older age groups. Those aged 30 to 44 spend about 20% more time alone now than in 2010, while for people 45 and older, the increase is about 10%.

While time alone can help with rest and personal reflection, it can also lead to loneliness and declining well-being. As time spent alone has increased, young people’s time with family, and even more so with friends, has decreased.

Explore more research and data on how people spend their time →

The image shows a line graph comparing Poland's GDP per capita to the average GDP per capita of the European Union (EU 27) from 2000 to 2023. The vertical axis ranges from $0 to $60,000, while the horizontal axis represents the years, marked from 2000 to 2023.

A red line represents Poland's GDP per capita, starting at around $21,200 in 2004, the year Poland joined the EU, and increasing to approximately $44,400 by 2023. A blue line depicts the EU average GDP per capita, which trends higher than Poland's throughout the graph.

A note emphasizes that between 2004 and 2023, Poland's GDP per capita more than doubled, reducing the gap with the EU average. The source of the data is the World Bank, projected for 2025, and the data is expressed in international dollars adjusted to 2021 prices.

May 28

Poland’s GDP per capita has more than doubled since it joined the European Union in 2004

In May 2004, ten countries joined the European Union in its largest expansion. These new members entered the EU’s internal market, allowing the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people.

Poland was one of these countries. At the time, its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita stood at $21,200 per year, around half the EU average.

Since then, this gap has narrowed. As the chart shows, Poland’s GDP per capita has more than doubled.

While many factors contributed to this growth, integration into the EU played a role. Since 2004, Poland’s inflation-adjusted exports have more than tripled, with around three-quarters going to other EU countries. This boost to growth is sometimes described as an “EU accession bonus”.

Poland has also been a major beneficiary of EU funding, receiving over €163 billion (net of its own contributions). Most of this money has supported areas such as transport infrastructure, research and development, and energy.

Compare levels of GDP per capita across other countries →