The UN estimates that the world discards up to 50 m tonnes of electric goods, or e-waste, every year.

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85% of cars bought in Britain are imported.

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Inherited wealth made up over 21% of the first Forbes Richest 400 list in 1982; it constitutes under 2% of the 2006 roster.

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In 1985, Chinese ate an average of 20 kg meat each; in 2009, they will eat around 50 kg each.

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Cumulative sales of Wii consoles recently surpassed 50m - about as many as Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 combined.

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Smartphones account for 15% of mobile handsets sold worldwide.

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In the 1960s, workers had an average of 4 different employees by the time they reached 65. Today they have 8 by the time they are 30.

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Discount coupon redemptions in America were 17% higher in the first quarter on 2009 than in the same period last year.

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Intel today accounts for 82% of global microprocessor revenue and has annual revenues of $37.6 billion.

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The underground shadow economy is equivalent to less than 8% of GDP in the US. In Greece it reaches 25% and in Italy 22%.

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Agriculture uses 3/4th of the world's water. Industry uses less than a fifth and domestic or municipal use accounts for a tenth.

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Parking accidents account for more than 20% of car-insurance claims - even though many are never reported in order to protect no-claim bonuses.

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Over 50% of Fiat's operating profits come from Brazil.

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In 1960, it took 20 years for a third of the constituent Fortune 500 companies to change. Now it takes only 4 years.

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More than 7m tonnes of coffee are consumed in America every year.

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In India, state-owned banks hold about 70% of the banking system's total assets.

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If differences in prices among countries are taken into account, Asia's share of world GDP has gone from 26% in 1990 to 38% in 2007.

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In 2008, the global number of billionaires fell from 1,125 to 793.

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America has less than 5% of the world's people but almost 25% of its prisoners.

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More than 60% of black children in America are brought up without a father.

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Gun ownership is 30 per 100 people in Germany, 89 in the US and 45 in Finland.

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Apple sold half a million iPhones in its first weekend.

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About 3.3 billion people, or half the world's population, has access to a mobile phone.

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Some 40% of China's entrepreneurs are members of the Communist Party.

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A whopping 40% of all energy used in the US - oil, gas, wind, solar - is converted into electricity.

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Global box office earnings were a record $28.1 billion in 2008, up five percent from 2007.

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Extracting enough gold to make a typical wedding ring can generate up to 3 tonnes of mining waste.

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Currently, the top 20% of American earners pay 69% of federal taxes.

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Every square km of the ocean has an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic floating in it.

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Exports amount to only about 21.2% of India's GDP.

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