Section
Data and the world
Open datasets, charted — global flows, and what they look like up close in one place.
- One commodity, two customs records 2026-10-09·9 min read
The same lithium-ion battery shipments counted by the exporter and by the importer. The money nearly matches. The kilograms do not.
- China's parcel count and the world's, side by side 2026-10-09·9 min read
China's official express volume and the world's e-commerce parcel totals are different measurements. Here is the year-by-year table, with a source and a date on every number.
- Two urbanisation rates for one country 2026-10-09·9 min read
China's statistics office says 67.89 per cent of the country lives in a town or city. The World Bank says 66.34. Both have a source, and neither answers the question I had about one county.