Official published series
Released by a statistical institution, with an indicator, unit and reference year. A published series may combine observations and estimates.
WHATIFYOURS · DATA
A life is more than an average
Statistics shape the conditions of a life. They cannot write its ending in advance.
Our design follows the questions raised by Factfulness: show both hardship and change, look beyond country averages, and distinguish what is known from what is assumed.
Factfulness · sources and notes ↗
Three different kinds of numbers
Official model estimates
An institution estimates values from available data. ILO employment and UN IGME child mortality are labelled this way here. Precision does not mean certainty.
Game assumptions
Rules that turn aggregate patterns into fictional lives and choices. They require calibration, and are not official statistics or proven causal effects.
Reference data collected
Downloaded through the in-app browser on 2026-10-09. Original ZIPs, metadata and SHA-256 hashes are retained for reproducible checks. All five WDI exports are licensed CC BY 4.0.
| Indicator | Type | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita · PPPWorld Bank · ICP / national accounts | Official published series | 138 / 141 |
| Under-five mortalityUN IGME · UNICEF / WHO / World Bank / UN | Official model estimate | 140 / 141 |
| Agriculture’s share of employmentILO · ILOSTAT Modelled Estimates | Official model estimate | 140 / 141 |
| Tertiary gross enrolment ratioUNESCO · Institute for Statistics | Official published series | 138 / 141 |
| Income / consumption inequalityWorld Bank · Poverty and Inequality Platform | Official published series | 128 / 141 |
A missing value stays missing. Reference years differ by country. The WDI CSVs do not include cell-level estimate flags or uncertainty intervals. The new series are reference evidence, not replacements for the game’s current inputs.
Assumptions still used in the game
Lifespan
The game fits a mortality curve to life expectancy and child mortality. It is not an official age- and sex-specific life table.
Household income
Income is generated from GDP and an assumed distribution using Gini, not sampled from a household survey. It cannot predict personal income.
Work
Informality and job transitions use game assumptions. National employment shares do not directly identify an individual’s hiring probability.
Education and choices
Education and choice effects combine statistical conditions with game rules. Enrolment ratios do not establish causal effects of a choice.
Past and future
Past and future modes include interpolation and scenarios. They are not entirely observed time series or factual predictions.
What comes before changing the odds
Mortality needs age- and sex-specific life tables and uncertainty ranges. Income needs household income or consumption distributions with a consistent PPP base. Work and education need conditional transitions, not just national totals. UNICEF MICS household survey weights and survey design must be respected when used.
A story can be moving without raising the death rate. Ordinary days, relationships and the consequences of living under different conditions should create the story.
ILOSTAT · World Bank · WHO · UNICEF MICS