OUR WORLD IN DATA

The University of Oxford-based online publication aims to help us see “where we are coming from and where we are today”, bringing data to life in maps, graphics, tables and analysis, covering everything from energy use to daily calorie intake.

The authors see interpersonal trust as a fundamental element of social capital and a key component of wellbeing and economic development, and its global comparisons of trust data point to considerable differences around the world.

Scandinavian countries are the most trusting, with well over 60% of respondents agreeing that “most people can be trusted” – while the figures for South America average at less than 10%. The US is at 38% – but has been falling for years. China is at 62%. The UK sits towards the low end at just under 30%.