It's hard to believe how much the world has transformed in the past decade — but our handy infographic tells the whole story. Click to enlarge!


So what's changed? Technology has gotten unimaginably smaller and better — just look at the differences between an iMac in 2000 and an iPhone in 2010. (See here for a similar comparison.) The world's population has grown, and for the first time more people live in cities than in rural areas. China's electricity consumption has quadrupled. And the costs of technology are becoming more apparent than before. But really, the data speaks for itself.

Sources include World Bank via Gizmag, U.S. Census, Internet World Stats, Department of Energy, NASA via AOL News, IUCN Redlist, Swiss Reinsurance via Globe and Mail and USA Today, USGS, Box Office Mojo.


Additional reporting by Katharine Trendacosta. Design by the amazingly talented Stephanie Fox.