World Data Lab

The 8.1 billion global population is polarizing, and the smaller group is outspending the larger one.

4.1 billion core spenders,
at $7,900 (USD) per person
657 million affluent spenders,
at $54,700 (USD) per person

The bottom line? The “average” consumer is a myth you can't plan around.

See where your buyers land: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xCzfb0

The money is still there; the question is whether you’re positioned to capture it.

See where the spend is going: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xCyr-0

Are you subscribed to our newsletter?

We share:

🌍 Exclusive data on 185+ countries and 6,000+ cities
📊 Clear analysis of demographic and spending trends
📰 Early access to reports, events, and thought leadership

Sign up: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xykPr0

In 140 of 194 markets, the money households spend out of pocket on education is for university.

That split matters for anyone sizing an education market. In China, $593 billion a year goes out of pocket, mostly to universities. In the United States, $363 billion, again mostly universities, at over $1,000 a head. However, in India, $124 billion goes mostly to school.

Same category, different businesses. The product, the buyer and the price point all change depending on where the out-of-pocket spending actually lands.

Insights like these are available through World Data Intelligence. Try our demo → https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xv3rW0

Most consumer data starts with income, what people earn. We start with what they spend.

Spending captures the people income figures tend to miss: children, retirees, high-savers, and the informal economy. It's a fuller picture of who the consumer actually is.

The global Consumer Class, the 4.4 billion people living on $13 or more a day, earns around $85 trillion. But they spend $71 trillion; the rest is saved. That spending figure is the one that matters for anyone deciding where demand will come from.

You can explore spending like this in our demo: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xs6p40

"For decades, marketers chased the 18-to-49 crowd and treated everyone older as an afterthought. That math no longer works. The silver economy, meaning the collective spending power of people aged 60 and over, is now worth roughly $19 trillion a year. That’s about 27% of all the money consumers spend on the planet, coming from a group that makes up around 15% of the population. The mismatch is the story."

503 Service Unavailable The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

If Americans aged 60 and over were their own country, they'd be the world's third-largest consumer market.

This group spends $6.7 trillion a year — ahead of India, Germany, the UK, and Japan — while numbering just 86 million people, which would rank 19th in the world by population.
Older adults now account for 30% of total US consumer spending, at roughly $77,000 per person per year.

Full deck: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xhn9d0

"A World Data Lab report released on July 27 highlights a widening disconnect in WAEMU between strong economic growth and the availability of productive employment for young people. The WAEMU Youth Population and Employment Outlook 2025–2040 estimates that the bloc’s eight member states are home to 53 million people aged 15 to 35. Of the roughly 32 million who are employed, 96% work in the informal economy, mainly in low-productivity activities, while around 11 million remain in extreme poverty despite having jobs." Read the full report at https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xh9S_0

https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xh88_0

WAEMU Youth Employment Lags Despite Strong Economic Growth, Report Finds A new report says 96% of employed young people in WAEMU work in the informal economy despite the region's sustained economic growth. The bloc's youth population is projected to grow by nearly 28 million by 2040, intensifying pressure to create more productive jobs. The findings highlight the widenin...