The hard facts you need to know about the critical issues of our time and the consequences of inaction

• Current global challenges—issues such as AIDS, poverty, migration, CO2 emissions, and population pressures presented in clear maps, graphs, and photographs
• Country comparisons—at-a-glance key social development indicators, including economic growth, life expectancy, infant mortality, safe water, population below the poverty line, and energy efficiency
• Authoritative statistics—data from the World Bank's World Development Indicators, the leading source for economic and social statistics worldwide