Numbers

  • 45.5% Americans who identify with the Republican Party, up from 40% a decade ago

    45.2% Americans who identify with the Democratic Party, down from 49% a decade ago

    408 Species that could be extinct by 2050 if global-warming trends continue

    6.6 tons Average amount of greenhouse gases emitted annually by each American, an increase of 3.4% since 1990

    $1.55 trillion Health-care spending in the U.S. in 2002, accounting for an unprecedented 15% of the nation's economy

    $5,440 Average amount spent on each American, up 9.3% in a year, the largest spike in 11 years

    $8.8 trillion Official value of the United Kingdom, as priced by British statisticians

    $150,000 Sum that would be allotted to each of Britain's 58.8 million citizens if the value were divided equally

    Sources: The Gallup Organization; Nature; Environmental Protection Agency; New York Times