World

Not all numbers add up to doom

by Paul Conneally | October 9, 2008 at 04:54 am

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Numbers are in the news every day at the moment around the financial crisis and the price of stocks and shares - and almost all of them cause concern. The Independent has produced a list of feel-good numbers lest we forget that not all is doom and gloom in the world.

A great feel-good number has to be that in the 10 years to 2007 cancer deaths in the UK have dropped by 18.2% - lets hope that this is one downard trend that continues.

2: The percentage drop in teenage pregnancies, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, taking the UK's teenage pregnancy rate to its lowest in 20 years. Pregnancy rates were also 1 per cent lower for under-16s.

8.2: The average wheat yield per hectare in tonnes this year, compared to 7.7 averaged over the previous five years, according to the National Farmers' Union. This is some rare good news for farmers, and comes in spite of the toughest growing conditions this decade.

18.2: The percentage decrease in deaths from cancer for the 10 years to 2007, according to the latest Department of Health figures. Deaths from heart disease and stroke are down by 44 per cent over the same period.

6,000: The number of jobs set to be created by Tesco over the next year after its boss, Sir Terry Leahy, said earlier this month that food prices had peaked.

11.9: The divorce rate has dropped to its lowest level in 30 years – just 11.9 for every 1,000 married couples in 2007, according to the Office of National Statistics. This was down from 12.2 per 1,000 couples in 2006.

10,000: The estimated number of people over the age of 100 living in England and Wales. It's a record number of centenarians – and the figure risen 90-fold over the past century, says the Office for National Statistics.