Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

The German inflation rate has returned to normal levels of around 2.2 percent, based on preliminary figures for 2024. Compared to skyrocketing rates in 2022 and 2023, this can be seen as an improvement of the national economic situation. Various factors influenced the recent development of inflation in Germany. These are the same that pushed inflation levels around the rest of the world, particularly since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. The most recent recorded annual inflation rate in Germany is within the normal range defined by central banks internationally, which is generally between 1.5 and four percent a year. The 2.2 percent for 2024 are not only noticeably lower than the preceding two years, but also less than in 2021, one of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown years in Germany. 2022 and 2023 followed on the heels of the challenges posed by the pandemic which were already straining the national economy: supply chain interruptions and delays, transport problems, labor shortages across sectors and industries. These issues continue to partially impact the economy today.

Inflation Rate in Russia decreased to 9.40 percent in June from 9.90 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides - Russia Inflation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Following the First World War, the defeated Central Powers were required to pay reparations to the Allied Powers and the League of Nations, as compensation for the damage caused as a result of the First World War. Due to their economic instability and inability to pay, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey's debts were eventually cancelled, however Germany, who were made to accept the largest responsibility for the damage caused in the war, saw no prospects of their debts being expunged. Initial reparations While the Treaty of Versailles failed to define a fixed total for Germany's World War I reparations, it did lay out the need for a Reparations Commission that would later decide these values, as well as outlining some non-monetary reparations that would contribute to Germany's total, such as annexed warships, merchant ships, coal. The value of these commodities would be subtracted from the initial reparation figures in the treaty, which required a value of at least 60 billion gold Marks to be paid by 1926. The London Conference of 1921 then set the total at 132 billion gold Marks (installments were to be paid annually, at a value of two billion Marks plus a sum equal to 26 percent of Germany's annual exports). Germany's inability to meet these demands led to the occupation of the Ruhr in 1923, where French and Belgian troops then collected reparations forcefully. Hyperinflation and reparation legacy After losing one of its most prosperous areas, Germany's economy weakened even further, and the attempt to convert Marks into foreign currency caused one of the best-known cases of hyperinflation in world history, rendering Germany's currency virtually worthless. The Dawes Plan of 1924 helped to bring Germany's economy back on track, and the introduction of the Rentenmark made repayments feasible. As it was a short term solution, further revisions were made by the Young Plan in 1928 to bring stability to Germany's repayment schedule, however the Great Depression of 1929 made it impossible for any reparations to be made. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, his government rejected all restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, including reparations, and the League of Nations failed to step in and re-impose their sanctions on the government. The issue of WWI reparations was not resolved until the second half of the century, while Germany made it's final reparation payment on October 3, 2010, almost 92 years after the end of the First World War. While many in the interwar period claimed that reparations were the greatest contributor to Germany's economic downfall, the modern scholarly consensus is that all repayments were well within Germany's abilities at the time, and that the reparation scheme became a scapegoat for the economic woes caused by the First World War.

The Study’s subject: The investigator’s aim is to determine the volume of stock trade. A sample of papers consisting of shares, government’s bond issues, corporate bond issues, bonds of mortgage banks, bonds of so called ‘Landschaftsbanks’, bonds of annuity banks, and floated subscription rights is the focus of the investigation.

With regard to the periods of German history the development of the stock market is described. The periods are: - the influence of the First World War 1914 to 1918 on the stock market - the period of inflation 1919 to 1924 - apparent return of normality 1924 to 1929 - the influence of world economic crisis 1929 to 1933 - the Nazi Socialist economic policy 1933 to 1939 - finally, the Second World War 1939 to 1945.

Important comment on the data: Taxes and the system of taxes have changed over time under investigation. Therefore, the development of stock exchange turnover tax is only one indication among others for the development of securities transactions. Furthermore, it has to be taken into account, that the reported values for the period of inflation cannot be used for comparisons with other periods.

Data-Tables in HISTAT (subject: money and currency, financial sector, in German: Thema: Geld und Währung, Finanzsektor):

A. Volume of Stock Trade in Germany A.1 Development of stock exchange turnover tax in millions of M/RM (1910-1944). A.2 Circulation of securities of domestic issuers in Billions of M/RM (1910-1944).

B. Apparent return of normality after the period of inflation
B.1 monthly averages of share prices (monthly statistics, index: 1924 to 1926 = 100, (1925-1929)). B.2 Monthly bonds prices in percent of the nominal value (monthly statistics, (1925-1929)). B.3 Stock market in Breslau: Firms and brokers authorized for stock trading (1850-1931/32).

C. Influence of economic crisis
C.1 Monthly share prices (monthly statistics, index: 1924 to 1926=100 (1930-1934)). C.2 Monthly bonds prices in percent of the nominal value (monthly statistics, (1930-1934)).

D. Influence of Nazi Socialist economic policy and stock exchange during World War II D.1 Share prices of the company ‚Rütgerswerke-AG’ in Berlin (1933-1937). D.2 Index of share prices, index: 1924 to 1926=100 (1924-1943).

The Covid-19 pandemic saw growth fall by 2.2 percent, compared with an increase of 2.5 percent the year before. The last time the real GDP growth rates fell by a similar level was during the Great Recession in 2009, and the only other time since the Second World War where real GDP fell by more than one percent was in the early 1980s recession. The given records began following the Wall Street Crash in 1929, and GDP growth fluctuated greatly between the Great Depression and the 1950s, before growth became more consistent.

The Study’s subject: The investigator’s aim is to determine the volume of stock trade. A sample of papers consisting of shares, government’s bond issues, corporate bond issues, bonds of mortgage banks, bonds of so called ‘Landschaftsbanks’, bonds of annuity banks, and floated subscription rights is the focus of the investigation.

With regard to the periods of German history the development of the stock market is described. The periods are: - the influence of the First World War 1914 to 1918 on the stock market - the period of inflation 1919 to 1924 - apparent return of normality 1924 to 1929 - the influence of world economic crisis 1929 to 1933 - the Nazi Socialist economic policy 1933 to 1939 - finally, the Second World War 1939 to 1945.

Important comment on the data: Taxes and the system of taxes have changed over time under investigation. Therefore, the development of stock exchange turnover tax is only one indication among others for the development of securities transactions. Furthermore, it has to be taken into account, that the reported values for the period of inflation cannot be used for comparisons with other periods.

Data-Tables in HISTAT (subject: money and currency, financial sector, in German: Thema: Geld und Währung, Finanzsektor):

A. Volume of Stock Trade in Germany A.1 Development of stock exchange turnover tax in millions of M/RM (1910-1944). A.2 Circulation of securities of domestic issuers in Billions of M/RM (1910-1944).

B. Apparent return of normality after the period of inflation
B.1 monthly averages of share prices (monthly statistics, index: 1924 to 1926 = 100, (1925-1929)). B.2 Monthly bonds prices in percent of the nominal value (monthly statistics, (1925-1929)). B.3 Stock market in Breslau: Firms and brokers authorized for stock trading (1850-1931/32).

C. Influence of economic crisis
C.1 Monthly share prices (monthly statistics, index: 1924 to 1926=100 (1930-1934)). C.2 Monthly bonds prices in percent of the nominal value (monthly statistics, (1930-1934)).

D. Influence of Nazi Socialist economic policy and stock exchange during World War II D.1 Share prices of the company ‚Rütgerswerke-AG’ in Berlin (1933-1937). D.2 Index of share prices, index: 1924 to 1926=100 (1924-1943).

Sources:

German Central Bank (ed.), 1975: Deutsches Geld- und Bankwesen in Zahlen 1876 – 1975. (German monetary system and banking system in numbers 1876 – 1975) German Central Bank (ed.), different years: monthly reports of the German Central Bank, statistical part, interest rates German Central Bank (ed.), different years: Supplementary statistical booklets for the monthly reports of the German Central Bank 1959 – 1992, security statistics Reich Statistical Office (ed.), different years: Statistical yearbook of the German empire Statistical Office (ed.), 1985: Geld und Kredit. Index der Aktienkurse (Money and Credit. Index of share prices) – Lange Reihe; Fachserie 9, Reihe 2. Statistical Office (ed.), 1987: Entwicklung der Nahrungsmittelpreise von 1800 – 1880 in Deutschland. (Development of food prices in Germany 1800 – 1880) Statistical Office (ed.), 1987: Entwicklung der Verbraucherpreise (Development of consumer prices) seit 1881 in Deutschland. (Development of consumer prices since 1881 in Germany) Statistical Office (ed.), different years: Fachserie 17, Reihe 7, Preisindex für die Lebenshaltung (price index for costs of living) Donner, 1934: Kursbildung am Aktienmarkt; Grundlagen zur Konjunkturbeobachtung an den Effektenmärkten. (Prices on the stock market; groundwork for observation of economic cycles on the stock market) Homburger, 1905: Die Entwicklung des Zinsfusses in Deutschland von 1870 – 1903. (Development of the interest flow in Germany, 1870 – 1903) Voye, 1902: Über die Höhe der verschiedenen Zinsarten und ihre wechselseitige Abhängigkeit.(On the values of different types of interests and their interdependence).

On October 29, 1929, the U.S. experienced the most devastating stock market crash in it's history. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 set in motion the Great Depression, which lasted for twelve years and affected virtually all industrialized countries. In the United States, GDP fell to it's lowest recorded level of just 57 billion U.S dollars in 1933, before rising again shortly before the Second World War. After the war, GDP fluctuated, but it increased gradually until the Great Recession in 2008. Real GDP Real GDP allows us to compare GDP over time, by adjusting all figures for inflation. In this case, all numbers have been adjusted to the value of the US dollar in FY2012. While GDP rose every year between 1946 and 2008, when this is adjusted for inflation it can see that the real GDP dropped at least once in every decade except the 1960s and 2010s. The Great Recession Apart from the Great Depression, and immediately after WWII, there have been two times where both GDP and real GDP dropped together. The first was during the Great Recession, which lasted from December 2007 until June 2009 in the US, although its impact was felt for years after this. After the collapse of the financial sector in the US, the government famously bailed out some of the country's largest banking and lending institutions. Since recovery began in late 2009, US GDP has grown year-on-year, and reached 21.4 trillion dollars in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic and the associated lockdowns then saw GDP fall again, for the first time in a decade. As economic recovery from the pandemic has been compounded by supply chain issues, inflation, and rising global geopolitical instability, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the U.S. economy.

The UK inflation rate was 3.4 percent in May 2025, down from 3.5 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since February 2024. Between September 2022 and March 2023, the UK experienced seven months of double-digit inflation, which peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022. Due to this long period of high inflation, UK consumer prices have increased by over 20 percent in the last three years. As of the most recent month, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, but were falling in both the furniture and transport sectors, at -0.3 percent and -0.6 percent respectively.
The Cost of Living Crisis High inflation is one of the main factors behind the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis in the UK, which, despite subsiding somewhat in 2024, is still impacting households going into 2025. In December 2024, for example, 56 percent of UK households reported their cost of living was increasing compared with the previous month, up from 45 percent in July, but far lower than at the height of the crisis in 2022. After global energy prices spiraled that year, the UK's energy price cap increased substantially. The cap, which limits what suppliers can charge consumers, reached 3,549 British pounds per year in October 2022, compared with 1,277 pounds a year earlier. Along with soaring food costs, high-energy bills have hit UK households hard, especially lower income ones that spend more of their earnings on housing costs. As a result of these factors, UK households experienced their biggest fall in living standards in decades in 2022/23. Global inflation crisis causes rapid surge in prices The UK's high inflation, and cost of living crisis in 2022 had its origins in the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the initial waves of the virus, global supply chains struggled to meet the renewed demand for goods and services. Food and energy prices, which were already high, increased further in 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought an end to the era of cheap gas flowing to European markets from Russia. The war also disrupted global food markets, as both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of cereal crops. As a result of these factors, inflation surged across Europe and in other parts of the world, but typically declined in 2023, and approached more usual levels by 2024.

The inflation rate in the United States is expected to decrease to 2.1 percent by 2029. 2022 saw a year of exceptionally high inflation, reaching eight percent for the year. The data represents U.S. city averages. The base period was 1982-84. In economics, the inflation rate is a measurement of inflation, the rate of increase of a price index (in this case: consumer price index). It is the percentage rate of change in prices level over time. The rate of decrease in the purchasing power of money is approximately equal. According to the forecast, prices will increase by 2.9 percent in 2024. The annual inflation rate for previous years can be found here and the consumer price index for all urban consumers here. The monthly inflation rate for the United States can also be accessed here. Inflation in the U.S.Inflation is a term used to describe a general rise in the price of goods and services in an economy over a given period of time. Inflation in the United States is calculated using the consumer price index (CPI). The consumer price index is a measure of change in the price level of a preselected market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. This forecast of U.S. inflation was prepared by the International Monetary Fund. They project that inflation will stay higher than average throughout 2023, followed by a decrease to around roughly two percent annual rise in the general level of prices until 2028. Considering the annual inflation rate in the United States in 2021, a two percent inflation rate is a very moderate projection. The 2022 spike in inflation in the United States and worldwide is due to a variety of factors that have put constraints on various aspects of the economy. These factors include COVID-19 pandemic spending and supply-chain constraints, disruptions due to the war in Ukraine, and pandemic related changes in the labor force. Although the moderate inflation of prices between two and three percent is considered normal in a modern economy, countries’ central banks try to prevent severe inflation and deflation to keep the growth of prices to a minimum. Severe inflation is considered dangerous to a country’s economy because it can rapidly diminish the population’s purchasing power and thus damage the GDP .

This dataset covers ballots 457-58, 460-68 spanning January-February, April-December 1982 (March exists but is missing from the dataset). The dataset contains the data resulting from these polls in ASCII. The ballots are as follows: 457-1 - January This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country and abroad. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as physically abused children, married women who work and changes in standard of living. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic and social variables. Topics of interest include: allowing paid maternity leave; approval of Broadbent as NDP leader; approval of Clark as leader of the Conservative party; approval of Trudeau as Prime Minister; being involved with charities; the best political party to handle energy, unemployment; energy and to unify Canada; Canada-UK relations; changing the standard of living; children who are physically abused; married women who work; talking about politics with friends; and US-Canada relations. Basic demographic variables are also included. 458-1-2 - February This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the changing standard of living, inflation and unemployment. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic and social variables. Topics of interest include: the approval of Broadbent as NDP leader; the approval of Clark as leader of the Conservative party; the approval of Trudeau as Prime Minister; the biggest threat to Canada's future; confidence in the United States problem solving; the dangers of pollution; the importance of Canadian owned industries and resources; increasing the standard of living; the main causes of unemployment; opposing price controls; the political party that would be best for the economy; reducing inflation; reducing unemployment and who would make the best Prime Minister. Basic demographic variables are also included. 460-1-a - April This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly social issues. The questions ask opinions about the ideal number of children to have and the quality of education. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as municipal council spending and regional differences. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the amount of power that the USSR has; community opinion of the teaching profession; the effects of regional differences in Canada; having the government share the cost of child care; how interesting work is; ideal number of children to have; involving unions in politics; learning languages in school; municipal council spending; the quality of education today, compared to the past; successfulness of family life; and wives who work. Basic demographic variables are also included. 461-1 - May This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predominantly political issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as common Sunday activities; Falkland Island and smoking. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic and social variables. Topics of interest include: attending church; common Sunday activities; the country with legitimate claims to Falkland island; deciding to have a nuclear war, rather than living under Communist rule; Falkland island dispute; influence of religion on everyday life; opinions about Broadbent as NDP leader; opinions about Clark as leader of the Conservative party; opinions about housing; opinions about the Canadian Immigration policy; opinions about Trudeau as the Liberal leader; opinions of the Canadian Constitution; political preferences; reasons for quitting smoking; smoking cigarettes; viewing religious broadcasts; who dominates the household; and with drawling Argentina's troops from Falkland island. Basic demographic variables are also included. 462-1 - June This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on both political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about political leaders and political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as energy shortages, inflation and swimming ability. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: the approval of Broadbent as NDP leader; the approval of Clark as leader of the Conservative party; the approval of Trudeau as Prime Minister; chances of an energy shortage; chances of finding a new job if fired; the energy crisis in Canada; the government's handling of the economy; learning how to swim; the most important problem facing Canada; preferred political leader; the amount recession in the future; reducing unemployment; rising prices and income; success of controlling inflation; swimming ability; taking a job of less pay or lower status; trying to curb inflation; and using a small boat. Basic demographic variables are also included. 463-1 - July This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. Opinions on topics such as the direction Canada is going in, rising interest rates, and voting behaviour were discussed. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: biggest threat to Canada; business conditions; Canadian defense; direction the country is going in; disarmament; government wage and price control; interest rates; NATO; nuclear War risk; sympathy for Arabs and Israelis; US investment in Canada; voting behaviour. Basic demographic variables are also included. 463-2 - July This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. Opinions on topics such as MacEachen's budget and the federal election were discussed. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical and social variables. Topics of interest include: Macheachen's budget; the federal election; families financial issues. Basic demographic variables are also included. 464-1 - August This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about economic policy and the possibility a new election, as well as other important political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such attending night school; the importance of religion and unemployment. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Topics of interest include: allowing civil servants to strike; attending night school; the best political party for the economy; calling an election prior to the end of the year; the closeness of student-teacher relations; confidence in the government's handling of inflation; confidence in the government's handling of unemployment; courses taken in night school; honesty and ethic standards of professions; how important religion is; the main causes of unemployment; opinions about children having a different religion then their parents; the productivity of Canadian workers; putting limits on wage increases; the quality of education today, compared to the past; urgent problems facing Canada; and who would make the best Prime Minister. Basic demographic variables are also included. 465-1 - September This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about economic policy and the possibility a new election, as well as other important political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such attending night school; the importance of religion and unemployment. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Basic demographic variables are also included. 465-4 - September This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on political and social issues. The questions ask opinions about economic policy and the possibility a new election, as well as other important political issues within the country. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such attending night school; the importance of religion and unemployment. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographical variables. Basic demographic variables are also included. 466-3 - October This Gallup poll seeks the opinions of Canadians, on predictions for 1983 and the chance of war. The questions ask opinions about whether or not 1983 will be better then 1982, as well as other predictions on world peace and striking unions. There are also questions on other topics of interest and importance to the country and government, such as the chances of a world war. The respondents were also asked questions so that they could be grouped according to geographic and social variables. Topics of interest include: the chances of a world war breaking out and predictions for 1983. Basic demographic variables are also included. 467-1 - November This

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 124.9 points in January 2025, down 2.1 points from December 2024. The highest value for the index in the past 23 years was reached in March 2022. However, the rate of food price increases has been decreasing since.

Food prices worldwide The annual FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) by category shows that the price of vegetable oils grew by a particularly large margin. One of the factors that influenced the spike in oil prices worldwide during 2020 and 2021 were the supply-chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, after the war in Ukraine, shipping costs and grain prices also had a noticeable impact on global food prices. Global food prices are calculated to have increased by 3.68 percent, due to changes in shipping costs and grain prices. The European Union (EU) has experienced a particularly high increase in the annual consumer prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages, as compared to other selected countries worldwide. Inflation in Europe

The inflation rate for food in the EU grew from 0.2 percent in May 2021 to 19.2 percent in March 2023, as compared to the same month in the previous year. In the following months, the food inflation started decreasing again, reaching 1.86 percent in April 2024. The overall inflation rate in the Euro area reached its peak in December 2022 at 9.2 percent. The rate has since fallen to 2.4 percent in December 2024. As measured by the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), inflation rates in Europe were highest in Turkey, North Macedonia, and Romania as of December 2024.

The inflation rate in Namibia decreased by about one percentage point from 4.29 percent in 2018 to 3.72 percent in 2019. It is projected to remain around 4.5 percent through 2030, significantly lower than the 2002 peak of 12.72 percent. Namibia’s historical context Prior to 1990, Namibia was under apartheid South Africa control, and before World War I, the country was a German colony and even suffered a genocide. Given this turbulent oppression, it is expected that social and economic residual ramifications would follow. Namibia’s inflation rate went through a volatile period during the 1990’s and early 2000’s where it reached around twelve percent several times. Over the past decade, Namibia’s inflation rate has largely declined. Namibia’s successful growth Similarly, Namibia’s gross domestic product (GDP) remained under five billion U.S. dollars through the 1990’s. Since then, the country’s GDP has grown to about 14 billion U.S. dollars as of 2019 and will continue to grow through the upcoming years. Namibia’s increasing economic success is in part linked to developing its services industry. Today, the services sector is responsible for employing about 60 percent of the country’s working population. A well-developed services industry is usually a sign of a similarly well-developed economy. The services sector includes the growing tourist industry with an expanding focus on ecotourism, centered around the country’s endangered wildlife.

Demobilization following the First World War saw millions of soldiers return to their home countries from the trenches, and in doing so, they brought with them another wave of the deadliest and far-reaching pandemic of all time. As the H1N1 influenza virus, known as the Spanish Flu, spread across the world and infected between one third and a quarter of the global population, it impacted all areas of society. One such impact was on workers' wages, as the labor shortage drove up the demand for skilled workers, which then increased wages. In the United States, wages had already increased due to the shortage of workers caused by the war, however the trend increased further in the two or three years after the war, despite the return of so many personnel from overseas.

In the first fifteen years of the twentieth century, wages across the shown industries had increased gradually and steadily in line with inflation, with the hourly wage in manufacturing increasing from roughly 15 cents per hour to 21 cents per hour in this period. Between 1915 and 1921 or 1921 however, the hourly rate more than doubled across most of these industries, with the hourly wage in manufacturing increasing from 21 cents per hour in 1915 to 56 cents per hour in 1920. Although manufacturing wages were the lowest among those shown here, the trend was similar across even the highest paying trades, with hourly wages in the building trade increasing from 57 cents per hour in 1915 to one dollar and eight cents in 1921. The averages of almost all these trades decreased again in 1922, before plateauing or increasing at a slower rate throughout the late 1920s. Other factors, such as the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression, make comparing this data with wages in later decades more difficult, but it does give some insight into the economic effects of pandemics in history.

Inflation was the most worrying topic worldwide as of May 2025, with ********* of the respondents choosing that option. Crime and violence, as well as poverty and social inequality, followed behind. Moreover, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, *** percent of the respondents were worried about military conflict between nations. Only *** percent were worried about the COVID-19 pandemic, which dominated the world after its outbreak in 2020. Global inflation and rising prices Inflation rates have spiked substantially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, the worldwide inflation rate increased from 3.5 percent to 4.7 percent, and from 2021 to 2022, the rate increased sharply from 4.7 percent to 8.7 percent. While rates are predicted to fall come 2025, many are continuing to struggle with price increases on basic necessities. Poverty and global development Poverty and social inequality were the third most worrying issues to respondents. While poverty and inequality are still prominent, global poverty rates have been on a steady decline over the years. In 1994, 64 percent of people in low-income countries and around one percent of people in high-income countries lived on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars per day. By 2018, this had fallen to almost 44 percent of people in low-income countries and 0.6 percent in high-income countries. Moreover, fewer people globally are dying of preventable diseases, and people are living longer lives. Despite these aspects, issues such as wealth inequality have global prominence.

Between 1688 and 1968, Britain was arguably involved in more wars than any other nation or empire on the planet. During this 280 year period, the British government's investment into it's military strength increased greatly, and this level of investment allowed Britain to become the most powerful nation in the world for the majority of this period. Inflation rates and fluctuation of the pound Sterling's value make it difficult to compare military spending over extended periods of time, however, if we look at when the largest increases occur over short periods of time, then we can see a correlation between Britain's involvement in major wars and also times of great empirical expansion. Rule Britannia Before the twentieth century, Britain was able to become the world's hegemonic power (or the closest thing to it) because of it's military and naval might. In the past, some historians argued that Britain rose to this status accidentally, however it was their investment in military and naval capabilities that allowed them to colonize other civilizations, protect trade routes, and eliminate competition or threats. For example, Britain lost one of it's largest sources of income when the US gained independence in the late 1700s, therefore the government invested five times more money into it's navy than into the army (in 1785), in order to protect it's other colonies and trade routes, and to expand into other parts of the world. In the nineteenth century, the largest influx of cash into the military came in 1815, the same year that Britain and it's allies finally defeated Napoleon. The end of the Napoleonic Wars marked the beginning of the 'Pax Britannica', (1815-1914) which was a century of relative peace between the major European powers, and further expansion of the British Empire. Twentieth Century There was a large increase in military expenditure at the turn of the twentieth century, as the British Empire pushed further into new territories, particularly in Africa (in what is now known as the 'Scramble for Africa'). However, the largest increases came directly after both World Wars. It is also important to note that new budgets were introduced for the Air Force in the First World War, and then for Central Defense following the Second World War. Unfortunately there is no correlating data for the years during the World Wars, as the country was in a state of national emergency during these times, and parliament's system for budget allocation was different than in traditional years. Following the Second World War, Britain's investment in all military branches has increased exponentially, and today, Britain has the seventh highest military budget in the world.

The global fuel energy price index stood at 153.15 index points in May 2025, up from 100 in the base year 2016. Figures decreased that month due to lower heating fuel demand and a fall in crude oil prices. The fuel energy index includes prices for crude oil, natural gas, coal, and propane. Supply constraints across multiple commodities The global natural gas price index surged nearly 11-fold, and the global coal price index rose almost seven-fold from summer 2020 to summer 2022. This notable escalation was largely attributed to the Russia-Ukraine war, exerting increased pressure on the global supply chain. Global ramifications of the Russia-Ukraine war The invasion of Ukraine by Russia played a role in the surge of global inflation rates. Notably, Argentina bore the brunt, experiencing a hyperinflation rate of 92 percent in 2022. The war also exerted a significant impact on global gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Saudi Arabia emerged with a notable increase of nearly three percent, as several Western nations shifted their exports from Russia to Middle Eastern countries due to the sanctions imposed on the former.