Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Hepatology, 2019 Jul 12.
PMID: 31298746 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30848

Abstract

In Factfulness, the late Dr. Hans Rosling illustrated how most people grossly underestimated education, income, life expectancy, and vaccination rates in low-income countries.(1) It is natural human psychology to have fixed images about the developing world. Nonetheless, the world is changing. According to the latest World Bank figures, 184 of 218 (84%) countries or regions are now classified as middle-income or high-income economies.(2) Many countries previously labeled as developing countries (such as Armenia, Colombia, Malaysia, and Serbia) are now classified as upper-middle-income economies. Although many problems remain and deserve our attention, Dr. Rosling emphasized that it is equally important to recognize that there is progress and many policies do work. Otherwise, we risk dismissing useful strategies and impeding their implementation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.