See how the Earth looks by carbon emissions, patent applications, internet usage, Olympic success and migrant populations.
CO2 emissions (metric tonnes per person)
When it comes to CO2 emissions per capita, the UK is the 25th worst offender – behind Australia (eighth), Ireland (17th) and Denmark (24th). Until 2003, the US was the largest CO2 emitter. Since then emissions in Asia have grown massively. It is commonly agreed China has been the single largest emitter of CO2 since 2006.
Source: World Resources Institute 2003
Patent applications filed in 2006
Last year, 145,300 patent applications were filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Over a quarter of these came from north-east Asia. The list was topped by applications from the US, Japan, Germany and the Republic of Korea, which overtook the UK and France to become the fourth largest country of origin of patent filings. The top five applicants remain unchanged: Philips Electronics NV, Matsushita, Siemens, Nokia and Bosch.
Source: WIPO Report 2007
Olympic gold medals won
In the last decade only the Russian Federation, US, China, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Italy and Austria have consistently appeared in the top 10 medal tallies for each Olympics. Including the old Soviet Union, the UK has the sixth highest total number of gold medals, with 197 (behind France with 208 and the US with 973). Of these, just eight were won at the Winter Olympics. No Winter Olympic medals have ever been won by an African or South American country.
Source: www.olympic.it/english/medal
Internet usage (per 1,000 people)
Since 2000, the growth of internet usage has slowed in industrialised nations but it has sped up in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. Iceland tops the world usage rankings – 85% of the population there log on. In the UK, this figure is just over 60%. According to www.internetworldstats.com, 27% of the world’s internet users are in Europe and 37% are in Asia. The total number of internet users tops 1.1bn.
Source: CIA World Factbook 2007
Percentage of population who are immigrants
The world’s total immigrant population was estimated at 186,579,300 in 2005. The US was home to 20% of these, the UK to less than 3%. In the UK, immigrants make up almost 9% of the population. Hong Kong has one of the highest number of immigrants per capita, at over 42%. The Vatican, with no natural citizens, has a 100% immigrant population.
Source: UN World Population Policies 2005
Article first published in Design Council Magazine, Issue 3, Winter 2007