100 People
 
Met with the co-founders of a fascinating organization in New York yesterday that is trying to identify 100 people who would statistically represent the population of our planet. The organization is set up as a charity, and is called 100 People. The concept is both artistic (Carolyn Jones, who is one of the partners is an amazing photographer) and has aspirations of helping us understand in visual and personal terms who our global neighbours are. Sometimes it's easy to get lost in statistics like the ones below. But if we can see, read and hear the stories of the actual people, we might be more inclined to both be energized by the diversity and richness of mankind, as well as the shame of how isolationist our species has become. Anyway, take a look at the website, even if only for the great photos.

If the World were 100 PEOPLE:

50 would be females
50 would be males

There would be:
61 Asians
12 Europeans
14 people from the Western Hemisphere
13 Africans

30 would be children
There would be 70 adults,
7 of which would be aged

70 would be non-white
30 would be white
33 would be Christian
18 would be Muslims
16 would be Hindus
6 would be Buddhist
1 would be Jewish
11 would believe in other religions
15 would be non-religious

1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer
80 people would live in substandard housing
14 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition

1 would be dying of starvation
15 would be overweight
75 people would have some supply of food and a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but
25 would not.
17 people would have no clean, safe water to drink

Sources: The Global Citizen, May 31, 1990, Donella H. Meadows, Hebei University 2001, Zero Population Growth Seattle, Unheard Voices: Celebrating Cultures from the Developing World, Returning Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison Wisconsin, 1992