By 2008, half a billion people in the world were obese
World Health Organization (WHO) published the World Health Statistics 2012 – it’s annual report on health – related issues. The report also includes a summary of the progress made towards achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and associated targets.
There are good and bad information. But just to point out few things, WHO informs:
- by 2010, child death had been reduced to 7.6 mln. It is rather big improvement comparing to 9.6 mln children under age 5 who died in 2010
- ‘in 2010, an estimated total of 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV – 15% less than the 3.1 million people newly infected in 2001.’ Unfortunately, WHO estimates that app. 70% of them accounts for sub-Saharan Africa
- ‘about half the world’s population is at risk of malaria, and an estimated 216 million cases in 2010 led to approximately 655 000 deaths – 86% of these in children under the age of five.’
- certainly worrying is increase of overweight people. By 2008, 10% of man and 14% of women in the world were obese. The amount has doubled comparing to data from 1980. Terrifying data comes from WHO’s Region of the Americas where 62% of people is overweight and 26% obese.
More statistics available here.
Mobile-money; mobile-Africa
Few days ago, the Economist published an interesting map. The chart presents how many people in each African country use mobile services to pay bills or send/receive money. The data are not very surprising, but still worth attention.
As The Economist writes: ‘According to a new survey of financial habits by the Gates Foundation, the World Bank and Gallup, in 20 countries more than 10% of adults said that they had used mobile money at some point in the previous 12 months; 15 of those countries were in Africa. For the most part, mobile phones are a substitute for traditional banks, enabling people who live miles from a branch or ATM to use financial services. This is especially important in a country like Somalia (…) where 34% of adults use mobile money.’