Thread by @stephsmithio

3 years ago, I wrote a list of generation-defining stats (like the fertility decline, tuition inflation, esports growth) that reached millions.📈

Now, I'm back with more!

From space debris to drone delivery to extreme weather… over a dozen digits that may define the decade ⬇️

💡 Since last thread (flagging the scale of AI models nearly a year before ChatGPT!), so much has changed.

For one, technology is moving faster than ever. ChatGPT’s rise to 100m users was just 2 months.

Phones? 22 years!

But as you’ll see in this thread, it’s not just AI…

💡 As we head for a more technical future, technical literacy matters more than ever. But as a society, we’re playing catch-up.

Less than 1% of the world knows how to code! And in the halls of Congress, less than 10 members have an engineering degree.

💡 Look no further than the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ fastest-growing occupations.

Topping the list are:
💨 Wind turbine technicians
☀️ Solar panel installers
🩺 Nurses
📊 Data scientists
🔐 Security analysts

What do these jobs say about our future?

💡 For one, we have a growing need for better infrastructure.

It turns out that 17,636, or 99.97% (!), of the bridges in NYC need repair.

Only 6 are deemed as not in need of repair.

And of the over 600k bridges in America… 17.5k are "fracture-critical".

💡 Today’s zoning laws would prevent 40% of the buildings in Manhattan from being built.

Perhaps that's why the median age for first-time home buyers is the highest it's been since we started recording the metric in 1981, clocking in at 38.

💡 Drones may not have hit your neighborhood yet, but the FAA has allowed takeoff beyond line of sight.

North America drone deliveries jumped to 150k+ in 2024, with Zipline alone passing 1m globally.

Plus, Amazon launched in Phoenix – where Waymo started (now 150k+ rides/wk!)

💡 As launch costs come down and satellites saturate the sky, the European Space Agency estimates there are:

☄️ 40,000+ space debris objects >10cm
☄️ 130m (!) between 1mm to 1cm

...all moving ~10km per second.

The space observation and insurance industries are lifting off.

💡 Every country in the world has a lower fertility rate than 1950, however the decline is not equal everywhere.

In fact, the Economist estimates that over 50% of the world's babies will be born in sub-Saharan Africa by 2100.

💡 Look out for India!

In the last 30 years, India went from 50% of its population having access to electricity to nearly 100%.

Its literacy rate has followed a similarly positive trend.

💡People are also living longer. In 1950, the number of US centenarians (people over 100) was estimated to be 2.3k. By 2020, that number increased to 80k.

Just 4 years later, that's increased to over 100k -- with a 4x projection in the next 30 years.

💡 Healthcare expenditure has 10xed in the last ~50 years, even when accounting for inflation.

To put this scale into perspective – $50B or nearly 1% of the US budget is spent on Kidney dialysis alone – several times more than NASA.

💡The pharmaceutical industry spends the most on lobbying in DC, spending nearly $300m in 2024 – nearly triple oil and gas.

Let’s hope the drug discovery strides coming out of AI – like one study demonstrating 80-90% success rates in phase 1 clinical trials – aren’t stifled.

💡 The US Surgeon General stated that "the mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day."

Meanwhile, more people are living alone than ever and 10-15% have no friends at all.

💡 As remote work continues to make strides…. musculoskeletal issues do too.

In 2019, 44% percent of employers ranked musculoskeletal issues as the top condition impacting their costs.

This was the top condition driving cost until 2021, falling only behind cancer in 2022+.

💡 66 territories now offer a "digital nomad visa" to attract top talent, including Indonesia's "Golden Visa" of which Sam Altman was the first recipient.

Just a few years ago, this would've been unimaginable!

💡 Our high-tech future (semiconductors, EVs, batteries...) relies on several critical materials like gallium, vanadium, & germanium.

China accounts for the majority of rare earth production, with reports ranging from 69%-95%.

For gallium, China controls some 98% of exports.

💡 US post-secondary enrollment has dropped (for the first time in decades) and is down ~10% in the past ~5 years.

Perhaps it should be no surprise that the fastest-growing form of education is homeschooling. Some estimate that there are now ~4m children homeschooled in the US.

💡 Between May-Aug, 99% of Americans faced at least 1 extreme weather alert.

Given the changing landscape, insurance is being rewritten. For ex, Progressive refused to renew ~100k high-risk home policies in Florida.

Non-admitted insurance (not backed by state) rose 28% YoY!

I'll post more of these shortly, but for now...

What is missing from this list?

I also compiled over 100 of these digits for the @internet_pipes community, so if you want to access the full list, join us!

Plus, last year's thread ICYMI ⬇️