Share of U.S. adults who “lack proficiency in literacy,†reading below the sixth-grade level:
52%[1]
Share of adults with the lowest literacy levels who live in poverty:
43%[2]
Share of 12th-grade students who achieved “proficient†or higher in reading performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2015:
37%[3]
Student score difference between low-poverty schools and high-poverty schools:
32points
Official 2020 U.S. poverty rate:
11.4%[4]
Poverty rate according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which incorporates government assistance:
9.1%
Times the SPM rate has been lower than the official measure prior to 2020:
0
2020 SPM rate without government stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic:
12.7%
Championships currently considered to be the most prestigious titles in World Wrestling Entertainment:
9[5]
Wrestlers who have won these titles in 2021:
34[6]
Number of these wrestlers who are BIPOC:
22
Black wrestlers who held the WWE World Championship from 1963 to 2019:
1[7]Dwayne “The Rock†Johnson, 1998
Black wrestlers who have held the WWE World Championship from 2019 to 2021:
3[8]
Total construction time of the Panama Canal:
10 years[9]
Total construction time of the Taj Mahal:
17 years[10]
Time it’s taken George R. R. Martin to publish the A Song of Ice and Fire book series (the source material for Game of Thrones):
25 years (and counting)[11]
Estimated number of eukaryotic species (species with complex cells) on Earth:
8.7 million
Eukaryotic species that have been catalogued by humans:
1.2 million[12]
Decrease in wildlife population sizes from 1970 to 2016:
68%[13]
Share of the world’s remaining biodiversity safeguarded by Indigenous peoples:
80%[14]
Share of the global land mass customarily managed by Indigenous peoples:
More than 50%
Share of the global land mass legally owned by Indigenous peoples:
10%
According to surveys of 1,388 heterosexual women, change in the number of women likely to casually date a man based on whether or not he’s pictured holding a cat:
–2.8%
Change in the number of women willing to consider a long-term relationship with a man based on whether or not he’s pictured holding a cat:
After nearly 30 years of independent journalism rooted in justice, imagination, and solutions, ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Media will sunset operations at the end of June 2025. This decision follows years of tireless efforts to secure a sustainable path forward. We are heartbroken but we are also incredibly proud. Proud of what we built. Proud of who we built it with. And proud of the impact that ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ has had on the world.