Anna Rosling Rönnlund has spent the last 15 years making global public data easier to understand and use. Trying to come up with an idea that would connect with people better than colorful charts, she started Dollar Street. The initiative had a team of photographers documenting over 264 homes in 50 countries. In each home, the photographer spent a day taking pictures of up to 135 objects, like the family's shoes, toothbrushes, or... children's toys.
Turns out, you can paint a pretty accurate picture of how people at every income live if you pay attention to the things that their kids play with. From $45 a month households to more than $3,000, these intimate glimpses into the everyday lives of hundreds of families are eye-opening and more vivid than any graph will ever be.
"People in other cultures are often portrayed as scary or exotic," Anna said. "This has to change. We want to show how people really live. It seemed natural to use photos as data so people can see for themselves what life looks like on different income levels. Dollar Street lets you visit many, many homes all over the world. Without traveling." Scroll down to visit those who participated!
More info: gapminder.org (h/t businessinsider)
In a Burkinabe home living on $29/month per adult, the favorite toy is an old tire
In a Burundian home living on $29/month per adult, the favorite toy is dried maize
In an Indian home living on $31/month per adult holding his favorite toy
In a Zimbabwean home living on $34/month per adult, the favorite toy is a home-made ball
In a Haitian home living on $39/month per adult, the favorite toy car made out of recycled plastic items
In a Zimbabwean home living on $41/month per adult, the favorite toy is a car
In a Haitian home living on $43/month per adult, the favorite toy is a hoop
In a Burkinabe home living on $45/month per adult, the favorite toy is a broken plastic doll
In a Burkinabe home living on $54/month per adult, the favorite toy is a tire
In an Ivorian home (Cote d’Ivoire) living on $61/month per adult, the favorite toy is a shoe
In an Indian home living on $65/month per adult, the favorite toy is a home-made cricket bat
In a Rwandan home living on $72/month per adult, the favorite toys are leaves
In a Haitian home living on $102/month per adult, the favorite toy is a handheld video game
In a Palestinian home living on $112/month per adult, the favorite toy is a plastic bottle
In a Colombian home living on $123/month per adult, the favorite toy is a volleyball ball
In a Nigerian home living on $124/month per adult, the favorite toys are wooden poles
In a Colombian home living on $163/month per adult, the favorite toy is a cat
In an Indian home living on $245/month per adult, the favorite toy is a toy truck
In a Jordanian home living on $249/month per adult, the favorite toys are stuffed animals
In a Rwandan home living on $251/month per adult, the favorite toy is a stick
In a Bolivian home living on $254/month per adult, the favorite toy is a stuffed toy
In a Indian home living on $369/month per adult, the favorite toy is a cell phone
In a Latvian home living on $480/month per adult, the favorite toy is a stuffed animal
In a Jordanian home living on $583/month per adult, the favorite toy is a table computer
In a American home living on $855/month per adult, the favorite toy is Lego
In a Chinese home living on $2,235/month per adult, the favorite toy is a military tank model
In a South African home living on $2,862/month per adult, the favorite toy is a stuffed animal
In a Kenyan home living on $3,268/month per adult, the favorite toy is a tablet computer
In an American home living on $4,650/month per adult, the favorite toy is baseball gear
In a Jordanian home living on $7,433/month per adult, the favorite toy is a large stuffed animal
In a Ukrainian home living on $10,090/month per adult, the favorite toy is a large stuffed animal
In a Chinese home living on $10,098/month per adult, the favorite toy is stuffed animal
