This is a crosspost for We’re launching Data Insights by Our World in Data (OWID), which was published on 6 March 2024.

Today we’re launching “Data Insights” [link], a bite-sized format in which we focus on one of our 4,000+ charts to highlight one important detail about how the world is changing.

The structure of a Data Insight is simple:

• A title with the key takeaway message
• A chart
• A short text explaining the point
• A link to explore the data or read more
• A link to our related content.

Data Insights focus on single indicators, making comparisons over time or between countries to highlight something important about the world.

These are the first four Data Insights that we published today:

• Extreme poverty in China has been almost eliminated — first in urban, then in rural regions
• Solar and wind gain an edge over coal in a number of countries
• Differences in life expectancy across the world are extremely large
• Pacemakers are crucial to people with heart rhythm disorders, but their adoption varies widely

Data Insights will be published regularly on a dedicated feed page. Users can share a link to a specific Data Insight using the “Copy link” button (shown above).

Following the redesign of our homepage, published last week, we have also added a strip linking to the latest Data Insights. This is how they are shown on our homepage:

Why are we launching Data Insights?

At Our World in Data, we publish a wide range of data covering more than 100 topics. Until now, we’ve used longer written formats to help users understand the data and what it can tell us about the world in detail.

But many important insights about the world are best expressed succinctly.

From our experience of communicating our work on social media, including X/Twitter and Instagram, we know that a clear chart and takeaway is one of the most successful ways our work is shared.

This is where Data Insights come in. We’ve now given these more succinct, digestible takeaways a home on our website.

Of course, we’ll still be publishing articles and other longer-form content. As always, we’re keen to hear feedback on Data Insights and any other aspect of our work – get in touch at [email protected] or via our Feedback form.