Google Gapminder

Will Google own the world? They will if they keep producing free toys like this one: Gapminder World. For (apparently) any nation on the globe, it allows you to see the change in per capita GDP and life expectancy since 1980, on an annual basis. Put a check mark next to one of the countries on the right, and click play to see how it works.

For example, I plotted Ireland, Jordan, and Sierra Leone (the latter because it ranks near the bottom in both categories). Each of the three nations shows one year when trends shifted dramatically. It makes you want to look at a history book and see what happened in the year in question.

Hat Tip: Greg Mankiw

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