Datastream

Visualized: the World’s Deadliest Pandemics by Population Impact

Published

4 months ago

March 17, 2021

Carmen Ang

Deadliest Pandemics By Population Impact

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The Briefing

As of May 27, 2021, COVID has claimed the lives of almost 3.5 million people worldwide
That’s 0.04% of the global population
We’ll be updating this graphic as the current pandemic continues

Visualizing the World’s Deadliest Pandemics

Humanity has been battling against disease for centuries.

And while most contagious outbreaks have never reached full-blown pandemic status, there have been several times throughout history when a disease has caused mass devastation.

Here’s a look at the world’s deadliest pandemics to date, viewed from the lens of the impact they had on the global population at the time.

Editor’s note: The above graphic was created in response to a popular request from users after viewing our popular history of pandemics infographic initially released a year ago.

Death Toll, by Percent of Population

In the mid-1300s, a plague known as the Black Death claimed the lives of roughly 200 million people—more than 50% of the global population at that time.

Here’s how the death toll by population stacks up for other significant pandemics, including COVID-19 so far.

Pandemic	Death Toll by % of Population	Year of Population Estimate
Black Death	51.0%	1300
Plague of Justinian	19.1%	500
Smallpox	12.1%	1500
Antonine Plague	2.6%	200
Spanish Flu	2.5%	1919
The Third Plague	1.0%	1850
HIV/AIDS	0.7%	1981
COVID-19	0.04%	2021 (as of May 27)

The specific cause of the Black Death is still up for debate. Many experts claim the 14th-century pandemic was caused by a bubonic plague, meaning there was no human-to-human transmission, while others argue it was possibly pneumonic.

Interestingly, the plague still exists today—however, it’s significantly less deadly, thanks to modern antibiotics.

History Repeats, But at Least We Keep Learning

While we clearly haven’t eradicated infection diseases from our lives entirely, we’ve at least come a long way in our understanding of what causes illness in the first place.

In ancient times, people believed gods and spirits caused diseases and widespread destruction. But by the 19th century, a scientist named Louis Pasteur (based on findings by Robert Koch) discovered germ theory—the idea that small organisms caused disease.

What will we discover next, and how will it impact our response to disease in the future?

»Like this? Check out our full-length article The History of Pandemics

Where does this data come from?

Source:CDC, WHO, Johns Hopkins University, Encyclopedia Britannica, Historical Records
Notes: Many of the death toll numbers are best estimates based on available research. Some, such as the Plague of Justinian, are subject to debate based on new evidence

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Datastream

The Biggest Political Spenders and Donators in America, By Generation

When it comes to political donations in America, the Silent Generation (age 76+) and Baby Boomers (age 57-75) fork out the most cash.

Published

4 days ago

June 29, 2021

Carmen Ang

The Briefing

When it comes to the biggest political spenders in the U.S., Baby Boomers rank #1
The Silent Generation is a close 2nd, followed by Gen X and Millennials respectively
Overall political spending in the U.S. has reached all-time highs, but small donor spending (people who give $200 or less) still accounts for a fraction of overall donations

Political Spending in America, By Generation

In politics, the candidate who spends the most money usually wins. Because of this, donations are an important part of political campaigns, and the people behind those donations wield an intangible level of power and influence.

As our team put together the inaugural Generational Power Index (GPI), which looks at power dynamics across generations in the U.S., we started wondering which generation spent the most on political campaigns and lobbying.

Here’s what we found out.

Old Money

Of top spenders in the U.S., the Silent Generation (age 76+) and Baby Boomers (age 57-75) both sit at the top of the ranking.

In 2020, 55% of the biggest campaign donations in the U.S. came from the Silent Generation, and meanwhile, more than 60% of the biggest lobbying expenditures came from organizations run by Baby Boomers.

Generation	Share of U.S. Spend on Electoral Campaigns	Share of U.S. Spend on Lobbying	Overall U.S. Spend
Gen Z	0%	0%	0%
Millennials	5%	5%	5%
Gen X	10%	35%	18%
Baby Boomers	30%	60%	39%
Silent Generation	55%	0%	38%
Total	100%	100%	100%

*Note: Percentages are based on the top 20 spenders in each category, not overall spending.

Outliers

Of course, there were a few exceptions.

Facebook, run by Millennial Mark Zuckerburg, spent over $19 million on lobbying in 2020. The social media giant spent more than any other Big Tech monolith, with lobbying efforts focused on competition and consumer privacy issues.

When it comes to electoral spending, Millennial Dustin Moskovitz is the youngest person on the list, contributing over $50 million to the Democrats in 2020. Interestingly, he co-founded Facebook back in 2004, but he left in 2008 to start the project management platform, Asana.

Where does this data come from?

Source: Visual Capitalist’s 2021 Generational Power Index (GPI)
Notes: Check out the full report for more information around methodology

Datastream

The Staggering Numbers Behind the Online Betting Industry

The global online and sports betting industry is expanding rapidly due to loosening regulation and the growing digitization of the world.

Published

7 days ago

June 26, 2021

Aran Ali

The Briefing

The global online gambling market is expected to reach $93 billion by 2023—a 40% jump from its value today
Sports betting has been a major growth driver, after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized it federally in 2018

The World of the Online Betting Industry

The world of online betting is undergoing tremendous change, setting it up to flourish in the years to come. The market is worth $67 billion today and estimated to reach about $93 billion by 2023—growing at roughly 11.5% per annum.

There are two trends that are bringing about this growth. First, more of our activities are taking place online, a trend that extends to betting as well.

Second, is loosening regulation. The U.S. Supreme Court uplifted the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May of 2018 to legalize sports betting on a federal level. Since then, over two dozen (plus Nevada) have followed through, taking the state tally to 25.

The Most Popular Online Betting Activities

Online betting activity breaks up into a few unique categories. Casino is a big one, making up 32% of all online betting activity. It appears traditional casino games like blackjack carry the same thrill online. Bingo’s popularity is a lot more modest at 4.5%.

But the most popular activity by far is sports betting, which makes up over 40% of the total online betting market—and the $66 billion in value it encapsulates.

Online Betting Activity Type	Share of Total
Sports Betting	40.3%
Casino	32.1%
Lottery	13.2%
Poker	6.1%
Bingo	4.5%
Other / Skill Gaming	3.5%

Betting On Betting

The numbers behind sports betting are truly staggering.

Since the Supreme Court’s decision, $57 billion in legal sports bets have been made, $4.1 billion in revenues have been generated, and $571 million has been collected in tax or jurisdiction revenues.

And these numbers reflect activity in some 20 states. The total count is expected to reach some 40 states in the years to come, brewing optimism towards the industry.

The surge in betting has trickled into the world of investing. The BETZ ETF, one of only two betting ETFs, has over doubled the performance of the S&P 500 since its inception.

It appears investors are now betting on betting.

Where does this data come from?

Source: Innovecs Gaming
Notes: Betting activity popularity is rounded off to the first decimal