In 2022, the world will likely hit a momentous milestone-a population of eight billion. The dramatic increase in the world's human population is relatively new. For thousands of years, the world population would live in a mid-sized city today. But knowing how many humans came before us is a question demographers like Toshiko Kaneda and Carl Haub have tried to answer.

The world's human population in 2022

Quantifying all of humanity requires a firm starting date for when humans became human. For this exercise, the two demographers chose 190,000 BCE as the cutoff. The demographers estimate that 109 billion people have lived and died over the course of 192,000 years. So adding the people alive today, we get 117 billion people that have ever lived. That means that for every person alive today, there are about 14 people who are not.

The combined human population

This impactful hour glass visualization shows all of humanity, including the 7% of humans who are alive today

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Technology & The Future

In 2022, the world will likely hit a momentous milestone—a population of eight billion.

Of course, this <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/population-boom-charting-nearly-8-billion-people/">dramatic increase </a>in the world’s human population is a relatively new phenomenon. For many thousands of years, there were fewer people roaming the Earth than would live in a mid-sized city today.

But this does raise an interesting question, though: over the long arc of human history, how many people have ever lived?

The unique and powerful visualization above, from the team at <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/longtermism">Our World in Data </a>, highlights how many humans have ever lived, and how much of humanity is currently alive today.

How many humans came before us? This is the question demographers like Toshiko Kaneda and Carl Haub have <a href="https://www.prb.org/articles/how-many-people-have-ever-lived-on-earth/">attempted to answer </a>.

Quantifying all of humanity requires a firm starting date for when humans became, well, human. Evolution is a <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualizing-human-evolution-with-a-new-ancient-human-species/">gradual process </a>, so figuring out the start date for humankind is no easy task. For the purposes of this exercise, however, the two demographers used 190,000 BCE as the cutoff.

There are two opposing points to consider when thinking about prehistoric humans:

<ol><li>Around the chosen start date, the global cohort of humans was quite small—perhaps as low as only 30,000 individuals. </li><li>Before the modern era, lifespans were much shorter, so long stretches of time can actually influence numbers drastically. </li> </ol>

With this context and timeframe in mind, the demographers estimate that 109 billion people have lived and died over the course of 192,000 years. If we add the number of people alive today, we get 117 billion humans that have ever lived.

This means that for every person alive today, there are approximately 14 people who are no longer with us.

It is these 109 billion people we have to thank for the civilization that we live in. The languages we speak, the food we cook, the music we enjoy, the tools we use – what we know we learned from them. <cite>–Max Roser, Our World in Data </cite>

How Much of Humanity is Currently Alive Today?

When considering that 7% of all humans who have ever lived are alive today, especially when measuring across more than a thousand centuries, it’s remarkable that such a large portion of humans are currently living.

If we chart the recent global population explosion though, it begins to make sense.

Looking at the chart above, it’s hard to predict which path humanity will go down in the future, and how that will affect <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/world-population-2100-country/">future population growth </a>.

It was only in 2007 that the majority of humans began to live in cities, and in 2018 that the majority gained access to the internet. While we’ll never meet the 109 billion humans who laid the foundation for our modern societies, we’ve never been more connected as a species.

What will we do with our time in the top of the hour glass?

As noted on the graphic, this is an updated adaptation of a 2013 visualization by <a href="https://www.oliveruberti.com/infographics">Oliver Uberti </a>.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/">Creator Program </a>, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

Visualizing All Electric Car Models Available in the U.S.

When it comes to purchasing electric cars, Americans have a few to choose from. Here’s a look at every electric vehicle sold in the U.S.

America’s electric vehicle (EV) market has <a href="https://theicct.org/publication/evaluating-electric-vehicle-market-growth-across-u-s-cities/">surged </a>over the last decade, and it’s only expected to grow further. The Biden administration has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/13/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-electric-vehicle-charging-action-plan/">allocated billions </a>towards the EV transition in the hopes that by 2030, electric cars make up 50% of all new cars sales in America.

Given the rising demand, what types of electric car models are available for U.S. consumers to choose from today?

This graphic, using data from <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/g32463239/new-ev-models-us/">Car and Driver </a>and <a href="https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.shtml">EPA </a>, highlights every single EV that’s available for sale across America, showing the wide range of manufacturers, vehicle types, and prices.

What Electric Vehicles Are Available in America?

As of February 2022, there are 28 different electric vehicles available in the U.S., from 18 different manufacturers. Here are their base model statistics:

As of February 2022. *Indicates EPA data on fuel economy and range was only available for 2021 models.

At less than $30,000, the Nissan Leaf and Mini Cooper SE are currently the most affordable options for Americans.

Released in 2010, the Nissan Leaf is one of the oldest EVs on the market. Widely considered a <a href="https://global.nissanstories.com/en/releases/nissan-leaf-10years">pioneer in the EV space </a>, it’s one of the <a href="https://www.inverse.com/innovation/best-selling-electric-cars-2021">top-selling electric cars </a>in the U.S.—in 2021, more than 14,000 cars were sold in America.

While the Leaf’s low price point may be appealing to many, it has the third shortest maximum range on the list at 149 miles before needing a recharge. The only other cars with shorter ranges were the Mini Cooper SE and the Mazda MX-30 .

GMC’s Hummer EV pickup is the most expensive EV on the list, with a base price point of $110,295—however, GMC is planning to release <a href="https://electrek.co/2021/12/17/gm-announces-first-deliveries-gmc-hummer-ev-pickup-truck/">less expensive </a>versions of the Hummer EV over the coming years.

The only other EV pickup available in the U.S. market in early 2022 is Rivian’s R1T . However, more manufacturers like Ford and Chevrolet are planning to release their own <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29890843/full-electric-pickup-trucks/">EV pickups </a>, and Tesla’s Cybertruck has been in the works for years.

And new EVs are quickly entering the market. For example, BMW’s <a href="https://insideevs.com/news/577512/us-bmw-ix-sales-2022q1/">all-electric i4 and iX </a>have only recently become available for sale in the U.S.

There are a number of domestic and international manufacturers that sell EVs in America, including German manufacturer Audi , Swedish carmaker Volvo , and South Korean manufacturer Kia .

Here’s a breakdown of the 18 different manufacturers on the list, six of which are U.S. based:

Tesla has the highest number of EV models on the market, with four different vehicles available: the Model S, Model X, Model Y, and the Model 3. It’s one of the few manufacturers on the list that exclusively makes electric cars—the only others being Rivian and Lucid.

While anticipation has been building around Tesla’s Cybertruck, and murmurs of a cheaper Tesla have been circulating, Tesla’ CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that there will be <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/news/tesla-no-new-products-2022-2024-cybertruck/">no new Tesla models </a>released in 2022. The company will instead focus on its existing models for the time being.

Are U.S. Consumers Ready to Transition to Electric Cars?

It’s important to note that, while EV adoption in America has increased over the years, the U.S. is still lagging behind other countries. Between 2015 and 2020, America’s EV fleet grew at an annual rate of <a href="https://www.power-technology.com/features/us-electric-vehicles-adoption-transition/">28% </a>, while China’s grew by 51%, and Europe increased by 41%.

Why are so many Americans dragging their feet when it comes to electric cars? According to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/03/electric-vehicles-get-mixed-reception-from-american-consumers/">a survey </a>by Pew Research Center, the cost is a big barrier, as well as concerns over their reliability compared to gas vehicles.

But with <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-gas-prices-in-america-at-all-time-highs/">gas prices at all-time highs </a>, and as consumers grow increasingly concerned over the <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/comparing-the-carbon-footprint-of-transportation-options/">carbon costs </a>of gas vehicles, switching to an electric car may soon be too hard to resist.

How Automaker Logos Have Evolved Over the Past Century

Can you picture Ford’s blue oval, or Mercedes’ three-pointed star? These are some of the most recognizable logos in the world, thanks to a number of reasons.

For starters, automakers are some of the world’s biggest advertisers. In 2020, the automotive industry spent $33 billion on advertising in the U.S. alone.

Automakers also maintain a strong physical presence by placing their logo on every car they produce. This form of self-promotion is an automotive tradition, and because of it, car logos are designed to be eye-catching and memorable.

To learn more, we’ve illustrated the histories of six brands of interest.

Editor’s note: There are obviously many automotive brands with strong histories, but for this visualization we selected brands that we thought had the most interesting stories and graphical decisions behind their emblems. In the future, we may add more or create a follow-up post if readers express interest.

Automakers often pack hidden meanings and details into their logos.

For example, Mazda’s current logo, introduced in 1997 and updated in 2015, depicts a pair of wings that represent the brand’s desire to “drive powerful, continuous growth.” The concept of flight is believed to embody the company’s pursuit of ongoing improvement. Of course, the wings also resemble a capital “M” for Mazda, similar to Honda’s “H” logo.

An interesting design choice of the Mazda lettering is that all of the letters except “D” are in lowercase. This was done because Mazda wanted to express precision, and a lower case “d” would have protruded above the upper line of the other letters.

Another logo with deeper meaning is Mercedes-Benz’s 3-pointed star, adopted in 1909. This symbol was based off a postcard that Paul and Adolf Daimler, sons of the company founder, got from their father in which the location of their home was marked by a 3-pointed star.

Today, the three points are believed to represent the strength of Mercedes’ engines across land, sea, and air.

Over the past decade, many brands have taken their logos in a more minimalist direction. Many recently redesigned car logos are devoid of any 3D effects or color.

Audi is one of the most prominent examples of this trend. In 2016, it removed the chrome effect on its “four rings” and opted for a flat black version instead. This clean and modern emblem is better suited for digital media and appears more bold. Furthermore, the name “Audi” is no longer included at the bottom—a statement of the four rings’ strength.

BMW took a similar approach with its logo in 2020, stripping away the black outer ring and 3D effect. This minimalist and transparent logo is for “brand communication” only, meaning the logos on its cars will remain unchanged.

Finally, there’s Cadillac , which unveiled its own minimalist logo in 2021. This logo is being used to represent the brand’s full-electric future, and features a monochromatic version of the classic Cadillac Crest.

The <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-race-for-ev-dominance/">race for EV dominance </a>has provided automakers with the chance to update or reinvent their brands. In addition to the companies mentioned previously, Volkswagen and General Motors (GM) have also rolled out recent updates.

You may have already noticed Volkswagen’s new branding, which was updated in 2019. On trend with the rest of the industry, the company now uses a 2D logo which offers “outstanding flexibility in digital media”.

More importantly, the company’s branding is intended to feel much more colorful and natural, symbolizing a fresh start from Volkswagen’s 2015 diesel-gate scandal.

Shortly after, GM revealed a <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a35164431/general-motors-new-logo-revealed/">new logo </a>as part of a campaign to promote its future electric vehicles. Unlike its minimalist competitors, GM’s new logo features a gradient of light blues that evokes “the clean skies of a zero-emissions future”.

How Many Humans Have Ever Lived?

The world's human population in 2022

The combined human population

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