# Remixing Rosling

_A tribute to the great Hans Rosling_

Published: 2012-07-01

I was asked to remix two of the famous [Gapminder](http://gapminder.org) bubble graphics to illustrate an interview with Hans Rosling for Google's ["Think Quarterly"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240523012931/https://issuu.com/thinkquarterly/docs/01-data) Magazine.

## Key visuals

- Connected-bubble chart of fertility rate vs life expectancy 1980-2009, with Vietnam nearing US levels
- Think Quarterly magazine spread titled Data State of Mind with a portrait of Hans Rosling
- Magazine spread with the dark fertility-vs-life-expectancy worm chart beside the Rosling interview
- Magazine spread showing the dark child-mortality line chart beside the Rosling interview text
- Child mortality line chart where Bangladesh's red line drops faster than most countries toward 50 per 1000

## Fertility and life expectancy

![Connected-bubble chart of fertility rate vs life expectancy 1980-2009, showing Vietnam nearing US levels]()

This graphic is a condensed, and static version of one of Gapminder's famous animated "worm" graphics. Scaling the diameters of the circles according to the years, and then connecting them, induces a sense of motion over time, even in this static image. It is fascinating to see how Vietnam is today on the same level as the US in 1980 with respect to the fertility rate and life expectancy. Also note how the dip in Botswana's curve reflects the drastic effects of AIDS in this country in the 1980s.

## Child mortality

![Line chart of child mortality since 1800 with Bangladesh falling faster than Sweden ever did]()

This chart dramatically shows how Bangladesh manages to reduce its child mortality with a rate faster than Sweden ever did. In the background, the mortality rates of all countries are plotted in light grey lines, in order to provide a sense of the density and distribution of the data over the years. Note how measurements seem to fluctuate strongly before the 1950s.

## Credits

Commissioned by the [Church of London](http://www.tcolondon.com)

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[View on truth-and-beauty.net](https://truth-and-beauty.net/projects/remixing-rosling)