The world's population is better off than it was 200 years ago, according to a new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That conclusion may be no surprise for most people, but the survey's panoramic view of how people live across the globe revealed a complexity about progress and wellbeing that is important to consider. Humanity's progress in general is still undermined by disparities.

The survey moved away from past markers of progress — primarily economic ones such as GDP — to get a better sense of the real experiences in people's lives. Because of that, no clear sense of a world greatly improved can be ascertained from the study, though some conservative commentators have interpreted the results as a pat on the back for humanity's self-improvement.

Progress in many areas of life such as life expectancy, educational attainment and wages was marred by a growing disparity between rich and poor, and a lack of progress in wellbeing for all too many of the world's people. Life expectancy has improved markedly since 1890 — when it was an average of 40 years in Western Europe. Nowadays in most countries, life expectancy is 60 to 70, except in many African countries, and specific spots around the world with poor health care and ongoing violence.