Hans was the ‘frontman’ of the Gapminder Foundation with its purpose to provide facts about health, development and income (amongst many others) based on real and up-to-date data. This book is about the world and how to make sense of it. It has its roots in contemporary statistical data and is particularly good for charting progress and development in a range of scales and timescales. The Introduction is a good starting point with the ‘Test Yourself’ section. Chapter 1 addresses the ’gap’ (between different parts of the world and its people) – often misunderstood by geography students and others. 

You can use this book in conjunction with the Gapminder YouTube channel, as well as several of Rosling's TED Talks.

Gapminder YouTube channel.
Although a few years old now, this talk is excellent, charting population growth with boxes: Rosling's TED Talks.

This thoughtful and accessible book is an excellent primer in spotting, questioning and understanding a range of statistics and will help students develop valuable 21st-century Geography skills. Harford displays a passion for helping to show that even the non-specialist can begin to understand the complex world of patterns in numbers and data. The reader needs time to consider the book’s implications, but it is accessible. The first 20 pages that form the Introduction are a smorgasbord of data and information, which would create a helpful primer for students. ‘Rule Six: Ask who is missing’ is a favourite as it invites us to consider how some information may be missed out to create a particular narrative. Students can use this book in conjunction with the data presented by the Gapminder Foundation to think about specific questions. For example: Is the GDP data from the DRC as reliable as that from Singapore? How much do I trust the life expectancy figures? Are these mean or median values? Rural or urban? The list is endless!

The overview of this long and comprehensive World Bank Report is worth reading and has the mantra ‘You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data’.  The Report aims to answer two relevant but challenging questions: First, how can data better advance development objectives? Second, what kind of data governance arrangements are needed to support the generation and use of data in a safe, ethical, and secure way while also delivering value equitably? The initial parts of the Report have some fascinating vignettes of where data and development coincide. For example, on page 9, there is a poverty map of Tanzania and on page 59, mapping bike safety in Bogota. Most value for students will be by using the Overview and assessing the different types of data (especially using the infographics, e.g. page 6), which may lead to a discussion about utility, fairness and equity.

A visual reflection on what poverty and richness levels can look like in today's world.