All Points of Progress
Progress WatchAfghanistan: Women's rights make big gainsA record amount of girls are in school in Afghanistan and the Constitution guarantees equality before the law. Can a decade-plus of success withstand Western withdrawal?
Too young to be a bride? More countries aim to curb child marriage.The world is making steady progress toward reducing child marriage, which is closely linked to chronic poverty and health problems.
Progress WatchMore than half a million square miles of land have come under protection since 2012More than 15 percent of terrestrial and聽inland water areas around the globe are now under protection. The United Nations established a target of 17 percent by 2020.
Progress WatchChild labor: Number of children involved is shrinking every yearEleven percent of the world's children 鈥� about 168 million 鈥� are currently subjected to child labor, but between 2000 and 2012, the number of children involved was cut by one-third.
Progress WatchGender gap has narrowed in more than 100 countriesIn recent years, many nations have reduced wage gaps, increased female college enrollment, and expanded the role of women in government. But there's still work to be done 鈥� a recent report estimates that complete gender equality in economic participation and opportunity remains decades away.
Progress WatchFish in American waters are experiencing population reboundsNearly two dozen species of Pacific groundfish, including snapper, Dover sole, and dogfish, and Atlantic haddock, among others, are all making a comeback. The rebounds can be attributed to the passing of the聽Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the US management system.
Progress WatchUS worker deaths have declined steadily for past two decadesThe rate of fatal workplace injuries in the US is 25 percent lower than it was in 2006 and it's been trending downward for the past two decades, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The decline in certain dangerous occupations, as well as better regulations, have contributed.
Report: Fewer people in the world are malnourishedAccording to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the number of chronically undernourished dropped from 18.7 percent of the total population to 11.3 between 1990 and 2014. More than 60 developing nations have halved the number of undernourished people in their populations since 1990.
Progress WatchLand mines could be almost completely gone within a decade, experts sayThe tide first began to turn against land mine use in 1997 when 122 countries signed the Mine Ban Treaty, and the number of land-mine casualties has decreased almost every year since then, reaching its lowest recorded point in 2013.
Progress WatchJob market: Consumers' confidence rises across the globeIn every region except Latin America, consumers now expect the job market to be good or excellent in the coming year. The number is the highest since before the Great Recession.
Progress WatchSince 1990, billions more have access to clean waterMore people worldwide have gained access to an 'improved' source of drinking water, or one that is not likely to be susceptible to outside contamination, says the World Health Organization.
Progress WatchDeforestation: Brazil is a success story for conservationIn key regions, private firms and governments are taking action.- In US, a decline in domestic violenceIn the two decades since the United States Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act, domestic violence has declined dramatically.
Progress WatchUN Millennium Development goals: World cuts extreme poverty in halfUN Millennium Development Goals report shows how 'bold targeting' has reduced the gap between boys and girls attending primary school, malaria mortality, and the number of people living without improved water sources.
Progress WatchObesity among young children fell 43 percent in past decade, CDC saysChanges to a federal nutrition program and Michelle Obama's nutrition and exercise campaign may have played a role in the dramatic decline in early-childhood obesity, some say.
Antismoking crusade has saved 8 million lives in 50 years, study saysThe surgeon general first warned of the dangers of smoking 50 years ago this month. The antismoking campaign that grew from that report has added 157 million years to lives that would otherwise have been cut short, a study says.
Progress WatchPoland takes top honors for 'most improved' in cutting red tapeIt's getting easier to do business in many countries, according to a World Bank report, with Eastern Europe and Central Asia making significant strides this year.
Progress WatchNeither heat nor gloom ... Afghan post office deliversAs the Afghan government struggles to develop, the post office has quietly managed to become one of the nation's most efficient institutions - and with extremely limited international assistance.
Progress WatchGot broadband? Access now extends to 94 percent of Americans.Every year, Internet access via broadband becomes available to millions more Americans, up from 92 percent last year to 94 percent, a recent report shows. Rural and tribal areas are the outliers.
Progress WatchKids Count report: America's children are advancing despite the economyThe widely-watched Kids Count annual survey on the state of America's children shows gains in health and education despite the poor economy. But advocates say raised poverty rates merit more attention from lawmakers.
