In his weekly column Cuentas Claras, Mauricio Galindo, economic editor of EL TIEMPO, offers curious data on the news that happened in the last 7 days. On this occasion, the countries with a centenary population, less unemployment, the return of coal to normality and less road construction.
The probability of being centenarians
The US, Japan, China, Malaysia and India are the countries with the most people aged 100 and over, according to World of Statistics. However, according to these data, in Colombia there is a greater probability of reaching 100 years of age than in three of those countries. In Colombia, one in 2,692 people is that age; in the US, they are one in 3,469; in China, one in 26,389; and in India, one in 52,889.
Less unemployed in the countries of the world
Since 2021, when the covid emergency that paralyzed the world economy followed, the number of unemployed has been decreasing in the world. According to data published with the OECD, in that period in Costa Rica the number of unemployed workers fell by 38%; in Iceland, the reduction is 36%, and in the United Kingdom, 34%. In Colombia, the number of unemployed has decreased by 21.5%.
Coal: from its quarter of an hour, to normal
Last year, the invasion of Ukraine hit the prices of raw materials such as coal. The European Union will have to import more from Australia and Colombia, among others, to make up for 40% of what it received from Russia. And this country began to sell more and at a discount to China and India. Now, the World Bank sees that prices will drop 42% this year, and 23% next year, to averages from 2015 to 19.
highways, come down
The construction of civil works fell 14.9% in the first quarter compared to the activity of the same period of the previous year. Specifically in the construction of roads and roads in general, the fall has been 22.9%. Meanwhile, the constructions in mines and industrial plants fell by 24.5%, and those of facilities for sports and outdoor recreation fell 28%.
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