Factfulness
by Hans Rosling
★ Top 25 book of 2018 · #14 on Best Books of 2018
People consistently misjudge global trends like poverty, population and education, often worse than random guesses. The authors name ten instincts that distort our view and argue the world is better than we think.
Best for: Curious readers who want a fact-based, less fearful view of the world
Factfulness is #14 on BookWard's Best Books of 2018, out of 59 2018 books that cleared our data bar.
What Factfulness is about
Hans Rosling, a Professor of International Health, wrote this with his long-time collaborators Anna and Ola. Their argument is that most of us hold a distorted picture of the world. Ask people simple questions about global trends, such as how many people live in poverty or how many girls finish school, and they get them wrong so often that a chimpanzee guessing at random would beat teachers, journalists, and Nobel laureates.
The book names ten instincts behind this, including the habit of splitting the world into us and them, taking in media where fear rules, and assuming that things are only getting worse. Against these, the authors offer factfulness: holding only those opinions you have strong facts to support. Their conclusion is hopeful, that the world, for all its flaws, is in better shape than we think. It suits anyone who feels worn down by the news and wants a clearer, calmer way to read it.
Factfulness on the Best Books of 2018
Factfulness came out in 2018. Of the 59 books first published in 2018 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #14 on our Best Books of 2018 list.
Why it made the list: 399 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (78 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Reader favorite.
Nearby on the 2018 list
- All Your Perfects Colleen Hoover, #12
- The Burning Maze Rick Riordan, #13
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation Ottessa Moshfegh, #15
- Monday's Not Coming Tiffany D. Jackson, #16
See all Best Books of 2018 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2017 Best Books of 2019.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 289 want to read it, 11 are reading it now and 99 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.3 out of 5 from 78 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 63 | 55% |
| Reader love | 93 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 51 | 20% |
Questions about Factfulness
When was Factfulness published?
Factfulness by Hans Rosling was first published in 2018.
Was Factfulness one of the best books of 2018?
Factfulness is #14 on BookWard's Best Books of 2018, out of 59 2018 books that cleared our data bar. 399 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (78 ratings).
Why is Factfulness on the Best Books of 2018 list?
399 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (78 ratings).
More of the best books of 2018
- Heartstopper, Volume 1 Alice Oseman, #1
- Where the Crawdads Sing Delia Owens, #2
- The Laws of Human Nature Robert Greene, #3
- Atomic Habits James Clear, #4
- Five Feet Apart Rachael Lippincott, #5
- Then She Was Gone Lisa Jewell, #6
See the full Best Books of 2018, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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