This post is basically a tribute to the sometimes undeservedly underrated branch of science known as statistics, which is all about collecting, analyzing, presenting, and interpreting data. From governmental census data to financial data and planning, business, sports and weather forecasting and much more, statistics is used in virtually every aspect of our lives.
It keeps us informed and in touch with current events by giving a unique perspective on facts and their relation with each other.
So in order to show us all how it was not worth it to skip stats class back in high school, we are diving into some of the most interesting threads on Reddit where people shared the most intriguing, random and mind-blowing statistics. Get yourself a cuppa and enjoy this entertaining bunch of random data below!
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20% OR MORE of pregnancies end in miscarriage. 20% is just "known pregnancies" and doesn't take into account all the women who just think "oh, my period was a day late, weird" without realizing they've actually had a very early miscarriage.
That is stunningly high compared to what we've been led to believe. If you think of all the women you know who either have or have tried to have children, there's an excellent chance that several of them have had a miscarriage before.
When you realize exactly how common it is, it makes it that much more sad that it is so stigmatized. If we talked about it more, maybe it wouldn't catch so many people off guard.
One million seconds is less than 11 days.
One billion seconds is more than 31 years.
The percentage of the Chinese population living in extreme poverty (living below 1.90$ a day) went from over 80% in the early 80's to 1.4% in 2014. In fact, it was still 23.1% just 10 years before that, in 2004. It's the most massive lift out of extreme poverty in world history.
Mao utterly, completely failed to lift anyone out of poverty; the success began under Deng Xiaoping.
If the oldest living person is 115 years old, then 116 years ago there was a totally different set of humans on earth.
95% of the ocean and 99% of the oceans floor remains unexplored
Only 2 percent of people truly enjoy their jobs. The rest are in it to eat. So the next time you hear some a*****e on TEDTalk tell you to follow your dreams and your passions, remember that he is probably part of that very small percentage of people who have that luxury to fail.
During the battle of the Somme in WW1, the British Army lost 20,000 men...on the first day.
Whole generations and towns were wiped out in the space of hours
4/3 of americans don't know fractions.
8% of people pronounce Wi-Fi as wiffy...8%. I don't know who you are, but I will find you...
“Wify” or “Weefee” (short “e”) is pronouced in Slovakia as well (just with one F). As many other english words we have taken over where is “i” because we pronounce it here as english pronounce “e” and not “aj” 😁 Tried my best to explain it 😀 I think also Czech and Hungarian do it as well (Poland too?) and i think many other european countries, so i think it will be more than 8%. I just realized that in english pronuciation i heard it only in America, everywhere else i just heard “wify” 😀
The average person in canada has a higher net worth than the average person in the USA. The median income for canadians is about twice the median income for americans.
Astronomer here! One that has blown my mind is statistically it is now believed that every star has extrasolar planets around it. It turns out every one near us does, at least. At the very worst case, Kepler has shown that 70% of all stars have a planet orbiting its parent star at Earth's distance or closer.
Further, per the Kepler mission data it is now believed 17% of all stars have an Earth-sized planet around it.
I mean, we knew there were a lot, but this means there's at least a trillion planets in our own Milky Way galaxy. The thought makes me giddy!
It makes me optimistic that there may be life out there, and possibly intelligent life. On the flip side, it took almost the entire life of the planet for intelligent life to appear. The earth is thought to be 4.543 billion years old. Early on, the planet was an uninhabitable ball of magma and took a while to cool and for liquid water to appear. The first life appeared 3.77 billion years ago, the first multicellular life appeared only 600 million years ago, the first dinosaurs appeared 243 and 233.23 million years ago, and the first Homo sapiens dated back to 300,000 years ago. The first civilization appeared only 4,000 to 3,000 BCE. This is relatively late as Earth can probably only support life for only another 150 mil-1.5 billion years until the sun gradually brighteners and vaporizes our planet's water depending on what models are used. If it is only 150 mil years or much less if we do it first. This means that intelligent life formed kind of at the last minute for our planet.
The leading cause of death among pregnant women in the United States is being murdered, and most often by a current or former romantic partner.
https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20010320/number-1-cause-of-death-in-pregnant-women-murder
Around half of all trans people attempt suicide at least once
Also something like 1/3 of women with mental disabilities are sexually assaulted
Edit: so about the trans statistic this does not imply that being trans is a mental illness!! The shocking part is how awful and widespread transphobia is, and it’s consequences.
Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than to the building of the great pyramids.
Someone in the world [passes away] of starvation or malnutrition every three seconds.
If you picked a random Swede and a random Canadian, the Swede would be more likely to speak English than the Canadian.
There is a fence in Australia that stretches the equivalent distance of London to New York.
There are two long fences! One fence cuts off the south-east quarter of the country and is intended to stop dingos. It's about 5,600km, which is slightly longer than the distance from London to New York. The other fence cuts off the western part of the country and is intended to stop rabbits and other pests. It's about 3,300 km, so a fair bit shorter than the distance from London to New York. Obviously the post is referring to the dingo fence.
40% of Americans cannot afford a $400 USD emergency.
I can't deal with the fact ppl have to think about money when ill or hurt. I hate that. All I'm concerned about is getting to the hospital. They might make me wait if it's not as urgent as others but I'm gna get all the scans, meds and surgeries I need.
Imagine being really sick or hurt (or both) and having the extra anxiety - do you or don't you go to hospital and can you afford it. That sucks.
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What really sucks is the number of people that file bankruptcy over medical bills...
I had to file bankruptcy at 24 because of medical bills. A hospital filed a lawsuit against me for $1600, and that was the last straw. I wish I could move out of this country but I can't afford it.
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I'm in that 40%, so am thankful I don't live in the US where having a health emergency of any kind all too often leads to homelessness and/or bankruptcy
It's criminal how simple a health problem can create a "$400 emergency" in the US.
And the $400 is just the cost for a single Tylenol at the hospital!
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I literally have to plan a major (6 week recovery time) surgery during a 2 week vacation because I can't afford FMLA or to miss any more work than that.
I live in South Australia and it costs approx $700+ for an ambulance. So not affordable for many either. Although you can get ambulance cover with your private health cover or pay a fee annually through St John's Ambulance. At least hospital stays and treatments are covered under Medicare. Have a baby, free. Brak a bone, free. Have cancer treatment, free etc.
But ItS mY rIgHt tO nOt be able to afford medical care
AMERICAN Recently I had to go to the hospital due to a chronic health condition. I was visiting my mom and needed to go urgently. The ambulance picked me up and drove me to the hospital. They tried to get an IV started but after three tries just gave up and said they were just going to let hospital staff get one started. The drive from my mom's house to the hospital is approximately two miles. I recently received a copy of the ambulance bill, it was over SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS!! Then got copy of hospital bill for three day stay. It was over FIFTY SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! I am very, very fortunate in that not only do I have insurance but I have double insurance from two sources. I can't imagine what I would do if I didn't have insurance. So sad and scary for those who don't have insurance. I
I live in Australia, and I always wonder how the US health system can justify these costs. In Australia, when I have an appointment with my GP, it costs me $76.50 (approximately $56 US). Medicare refunds me $39.10 [approximately $29 US]. For an American to have to pay the equivalent of $273 AU (insured) or $635 AU (uninsured) for exactly the same service is nothing short of scandalous. I can stay in an Australian public hospital (usually in a 4-6 bed ward) and pay... $0. The government covers the cost of my bed, meals and medical care (by doctors and other staff employed by the hospital). If I want my own doctor, I can choose to be privately insured, and I can then be cared for in a private hospital. [SEE PART 2]
We do have to pay for 51% of the cost of an ambulance, though. But only if we don’t have personal or 3rd party insurance, pension, workers comp or a bunch of other conditions. https://www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/509995/Billing-FAQs-NSW-Ambulance-2021.pdf
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Was just in the hospital. Have a $700 bill even though I also pay for my company funded health insurance. I have another $500 in ER “co-pays” due. I do not have that money.
I'm sorry for the stress that must add to you. I find it extremely unfair. I hope the American people can topple this greedy little weird billing system, and get your treatment for proper price if you choose private, or paid with say 1-2% of your annual tax for public care. We all deserve proper unfettered access.
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Not for long, if you keep in mind what the govt is doing to the NHS...
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I live in Japan. We have National Health Insurance. The last time I went to a doctor (an ophthalmologist) it cost about ¥1000 ($10) and the National Health paid about another ¥3000 ($30). I pay about $3500 a year into the National Health for my wife and me.
Where in America can you have an emergency that can be dealt with only $400? Because I’d like to move there. It’s probably closer to $4,000 here in California and the $300 sitting in bank account is needed for food…..
I owe over 3 grand for 3 ambulance rides but my state provided insurance paid the actual hospital bills. I love Illinois!
It might not even be a medical emergency. My husband was just told Social Security overpaid him by $20-something per month for almost 18 months, and they are taking the overpayment out as a lump $300-something sum from September's check. We're barely making ends meet as it is; we don't have any extra to save up toward the "short" month and he can't work additional hours or it will affect the amount he gets as well. We'll figure out something; we always do.
Oh, we have medicare in US too , just make sure you pick the right hmo or you will be traveling very far for any kind of specialist and if you go out of network woe is you. My child has severe allergies, she has 1 choice of allergist 1...thank goodness it's close by...and if you go to the hospital you will have to fight like heck to get all the tests and scans. You get 3 maybe 4 diagnoses and they push you to get out of there...migraine, panick attack,pulled muscle or uti unless the answer is obvious...
My wife hurt her foot and she was handed a rolled up Ace bandage and a bottle of tylenol. $400
....and yet again another dream comin' true for them white christian male republicans........one step to ruin, they love that !!...........
Most people can't. In Canada with our 'free healthcar, unless you have employer benefits you are on the hook for many things including ambulances
I live in Quebec, Canada. A month ago I had what seemed to be a mini-stroke, which only lasted a minute. Like a lot of people, I hesitated going in because I wasn’t sure that’s what it was. But a friend convinced me to go. There were a lot of people waiting at the ER, but when I told Triage my symptoms, I found myself on a gurney in Observation inside of 20 minutes. A brain scan, blood test and electrocardiograph later, they didn’t see anything, so they kept me overnight to conduct more tests in the morning. Another ECG, blood test, echocardiogram and carotid artery scan were all done before midday. I was told it was likely that I had a ministroke, and that I was right to come in. Also not to hesitate if it should happen again. They adjusted my meds and I’ll do a follow-up in a couple of months. Out-of-pocket cost to me - ZERO. I’m in my 60’s and I have no employer benefits.
Load More Replies... These ridiculous costs are due to government overregulation. Deregulate it, see the costs become very affordable. Universal Healthcare wouldn't work because of diseconomies of scale, and how the government is so hilariously incompetent at running many programs.
hajhajahajahj the level of ignorance you demonstrate is truly staggering.
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In the Netherlands I pay 140 euro health insurance per month, the maximum cost above that is about 400 euro per year. For anything. A visit to the GP is free.
Yes, it's appalling to have to pay for medical care, but our system is in absolute crisis at present! People having 6-7 hour wait for an ambulance. Then, no beds if you survive to get to a hospital. Vastly underfunded, staff undervalued and underpaid. Staff leaving because they can't take any more. 30 years of professional health care, now thankfully part time..
I am always amazed when I see the cost of housing. I make pretty decent money, well above the national average, and I wouldn't say I could afford the majority of the houses for rent in my area. I got lucky and bought a foreclosure years ago and pay less for housing than all of my co-workers even though I have the second highest salary in the office. I don't have kids and it blows my mind that people I work with can pay rent and have kids who are in daycare. But then a few use payday loans. I work for a top 5 University that brags about us making over a billion a year in grants for research and only one person in my office doesn't have a college degree.
WTF does the cost of housing and your boasting about how much better than others you do with the cost og healthcare? xD
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Sorry but even some 3rd. world countries have public health ;)
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I'm not American 😂😂😂 Edit: If you think that's why it's expensive, you have been lied to. How come most other countries pay a fraction of what the USA does? Because you are being scammed and manipulated at the cost of your lives :(
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If the earth was the size of a basketball then the atmosphere would be about as thick as a coat of paint. The only thing that separates us from the cold, harsh, vacuum of space is this comparably tiny layer of gasses that are held in place by gravity.
Another interesting one is that the only thing preventing the Earth from becoming a barren rock not unlike Mars is the fact we still have a molten core that generates a magnetic field that shields the atmosphere from being swept away by the solar wind. When the core eventually stops spinning it's game over.
Late to the party, but:
Feral cats in Australia [take out] around 377 million birds per year.
That's more than one million birds per day.
One million. Per day.
That's why neutering and/or culling feral populations are extremely important. Lots of people don't know how destructive to the environment cats really are.
The first cities started around 12,000 years ago. The first evidence of writing started 6,000 years ago. Humanity appeared 200,000 years ago in its current form. So 94% of the time we've been on the planet happened before we had cities, and 97% before we had writing.
That sharks have been on this earth for some 450 million years. 450 Million Fucking Years!
"The wars in [the Democratic Republic of Congo] have claimed nearly the same number of lives as having a 9/11 every single day for 360 days, the genocide that struck Rwanda in 1994, the ethnic cleansing that overwhelmed Bosnia in the mid-1990s, the genocide that took place in Darfur, the number of people killed in the great tsunami that struck Asia in 2004, and the number of people who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- all combined and then doubled."
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/27/opinion/congo-war-ignored-vava-tampa/
I've posted this before on a similar thread, but..
Had an Economics Professor blow my mind with this. Most people think of millions, billions and trillions relatively similarly. They are huge numbers and when talking about money not very many people really ever have to account with numbers that high to see the incredible difference between each. I think this does a great job of breaking it down.
If you made **$1/second**, you'd be really really rich. At that rate, you would make:
**$60** in 1 minute
**$3600** in 1 hour
**$86,400** in 1 day
**$1 Million ($1,000,000)** in 11.574 days
**$1 Billion ($1,000,000,000)** in 31.7 years
**$1 Trillion ($1,000,000,000,000)** in 31,709 years
For one person who makes a Million dollars every 12 days to pay off the US National Debt (21.461 Trillion according to www.usdebtclock.org), it would take over **680,506 years.**
There are more possible combinations to shuffle a deck of cards than there are atoms on earth... and if you started shuffling a new combination every second starting at the big bang, you'd still be shuffling right now...
90% of people live in the northern hemisphere
Likely due to the estimation that 68% of the Earth’s land exists in the Northern Hemisphere, while 32% is located in the Southern Hemisphere.
It takes an individual photon several millenia to go from the center to the surface of the sun.
Then it takes only 8 minutes to reach Earth, and a couple days at most to leave the solar system.
So far, 46 people have [passed away] by lawn mowers in the U.S. this year. 46.
More [lives are taken away] by vending machines than by sharks.
More infuriating than mind-blowing, but a commonly shared “statistic” is that 80% of women who make at least 6 figures do so through direct sales marketing, aka, MLMs or pyramid schemes, like Mary Kay, Amway, and Herbalife.
The *actual* statistic is that 80% of *people* who make at least 6 figures *through MLMs* are women. There’s only about 200 of them, and they’re all at the top of their respective pyramids, but the first statistic is commonly used to try and entice new people into the company.
I go to one of the top universities in the US, and I recently found out that 45% of our student population is in the top 5%, wealth-wise. I most definitely am not, and it made a lot of sense but was incredibly disheartening at the same time.
The average number of legs, for humans, is less than 2.
But consider this - since there are always pregnant people, the average number of skeletons in a person's body is always above 2.
99% of the wild African grey parrot population had disappeared since 1992. Solely due to the illegal trapping for the pet trade.
Indian and nepalese vulture populations have declined by 99% since 2000 due to diclofenac poisoning.
Who is giving them diclofenac? Or is it some naturally occurring thing?
In the year 8000 B.C. there were 5 million humans on Earth.
Why is there a photo of a contemporary indigenous gathering to illustrate a post about "8000 bc"?
Greater Tokyo has a larger population than Canada.
And every other sane country with gun control had less mass shootings than America
The existence of the T-Rex is closer in time to today than it is to the existence of the Stegosaurus.
92% of Downs Syndrome foetus' are aborted once detected by screening (in Europe).
The population of the world has doubled since the mid 70's.
In the US if you do the following 3 things:
1. Graduate High School
2. Get and keep *any* job
3. Don't have a child out of wedlock
You have a 75% chance of being in the middle class and a *98%* chance of living above the poverty line.
https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/three-simple-rules-poor-teens-should-follow-to-join-the-middle-class/
The battle of Stalingrad alone claimed significantly more lives than all the US servicemen killed in our nation's entire history.
The Vatican has 2.3 popes per square mile.
if jenny is walking in the vatican, and has walked 5 square miles, and there are approximately 2.3 popes per square mile, approximately how many popes has jenny trod upon?
1 in 4 people in the UK suffer from a mental health issue.
Among a random group of 23 people, theres a 50% chance two of them share the same birthday
Ants have a larger biomass than humans.
Note: this post originally had 81 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Had to stop reading the list because most of these stats don’t have sources cited and that’s frustrating. Am hoping some helpful Pandas will fill in the gaps with proper sources and more info (and thanks to all who do!)
I have to agree with you Emiloy. A lot of the joy and interest in reading this kind of post is diminished due to lack of sources cited!
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Agree and of these fact-checked? Bored Panda definitely has a history of unchecked, inaccurate “facts”...
BP never fact checks, or edits. They only protect us from the words meaning unalive. Because THAT is the true issue in life!!!
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The one single point in this list that should be the "moral of the story" is the one that 4/3 Americans don't know fractions. Or, in general, math. Because the number of top commenters who completely screwed up their math with their arguments against each point is astounding. #facepalm
Honestly, this post made me realise the world sucks. And it all goes back to men making decisions for women. Banning abortions, saying the so called "baby" is an actual human(mind you, it is not, even scientifically, it doesn't think or have feelings). I genuinely want to scream. Like, come on people.
Genuinely curious, at what point does it become a human to you?
Load More Replies... Had to stop reading the list because most of these stats don’t have sources cited and that’s frustrating. Am hoping some helpful Pandas will fill in the gaps with proper sources and more info (and thanks to all who do!)
I have to agree with you Emiloy. A lot of the joy and interest in reading this kind of post is diminished due to lack of sources cited!
Load More Replies... Agree and of these fact-checked? Bored Panda definitely has a history of unchecked, inaccurate “facts”...
BP never fact checks, or edits. They only protect us from the words meaning unalive. Because THAT is the true issue in life!!!
Load More Replies... The one single point in this list that should be the "moral of the story" is the one that 4/3 Americans don't know fractions. Or, in general, math. Because the number of top commenters who completely screwed up their math with their arguments against each point is astounding. #facepalm
Honestly, this post made me realise the world sucks. And it all goes back to men making decisions for women. Banning abortions, saying the so called "baby" is an actual human(mind you, it is not, even scientifically, it doesn't think or have feelings). I genuinely want to scream. Like, come on people.
Genuinely curious, at what point does it become a human to you?
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