HOBSON'S CHOICE

Will Hobson
Saturday 18 September 1999 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Number of the world's wealthiest individuals, whose net worth is equivalent to that of the poorest 50 per cent of the world's population:

447

Amount taken out of global assets by the collapse of Asian markets in the first six months of 1998:

$3.5 trillion

Worth, at current prices, of the oil and gas reserves in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan:

$2.75 trillion

Number of incidents of air rage on British Airways in 1997/8:

266

Amount of foreign investment in Morocco in 1996:

$311m

Amount sent back to their families by Moroccans working abroad in 1996:

$2,010m

Number of Taiwanese visiting the Kashmir Valley this year, the largest number of tourists from a foreign country:

1,049

Number of people in England and Wales who got malaria in 1971:

134

Number of people in England and Wales who got malaria in 1998:

1,110

Of the 2 million deaths from malaria (mainly children), every year in the world, average number in England and Wales:

7

Number of children in licensed orphanages in China:

1 million

Number of nurses and midwives in the UK in 1987:

514,600

Number of nurses and midwives in the UK today:

373,000

Average annual net income of a farm in England:

pounds 8,000

Percentage by which living costs in London are above the average for the UK:

18

Number of red crabs living on Christmas Island, at a density of 13,800 per hectare:

120 million

Number of red crabs on Christmas Island killed annually by cars:

1 million

Prescriptions of the drug Ritalin to children in the UK displaying Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder behaviour in 1991:

2,000

Prescriptions of Ritalin to children in the UK displaying ADHD behaviour in 1999:

100,000

SOURCES; UN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 1997, NYRB, THIRD WORLD QUARTERLY, SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, WANDERLUST, FOCUS, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, NEW STATESMAN, LONDON RESEARCH CENTRE, FOCUS, HARPER'S, WOMAN'S OWN.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in