Hans Rosling was a Swedish academic, statistician and public speaker who made a great impact on the world of public health and data visualization. He is best known for his unique approach to presenting complex data sets in an easy to understand way, making it easier for people to understand the facts behind the figures.
Born in 1948, Rosling attended Uppsala University where he earned his medical degree in 1972. He went on to work at Uppsala University Hospital, where he developed an interest in global health and the impact of population growth. It was during this time that he began to develop the innovative methods of data visualization that would go on to make him famous.
In the early 2000s, Rosling started to become more widely recognized for his work. He gave a TED Talk in 2006 that went viral and gained over three million views. He was subsequently invited to speak at various high–level conferences and was even invited to the White House in 2009.
In 2011, Rosling co–founded the Gapminder Foundation, which aimed to promote the use of data to inform decision making. He was also the author of several books, including the best–selling Factfulness: Ten Reasons We‘re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think.
Throughout his career, Rosling was passionate about using data to tell stories and promote understanding. He believed that if people could visualize and understand the data, they would be better equipped to make decisions. His work has been credited with revolutionizing the way data is used to understand the world.
Rosling passed away in 2017, but his legacy lives on. His data visualizations have been used by countless organizations across the world, from the World Health Organization to the United Nations. In his honor, the Hans Rosling Award for Excellence in Population Health was established in 2018.
Hans Rosling was a true visionary and pioneer in the world of data visualization. His work has made a lasting impact on the way we use data to inform decisions, and his legacy will be remembered for many years to come.