You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
400,000 fewer people
Economist Jose Villamil estimated that by 2026 the population of Puerto Rico could dip below 3 million people, a drop of 400,000 from the current count. The future does not appear bright for the island, which was ravaged by hurricanes and is still attempting to procure aid to rebuild. [Bloomberg]
6 percent
Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund is looking at dropping oil and gas companies to be less vulnerable to decreases in oil prices. Right now it has about 6 percent of its benchmark equity index invested in oil and gas stocks. [CNBC]
31 times more
A New York Times investigation found that, of 103 coalition airstrikes in three ISIS-controlled areas, one in five resulted in a civilian death. That figure is 31 times higher than the rate acknowledged by the U.S.-led coalition. [The New York Times]
50 tickets
It was long clear that the New York bike path targeted by a terrorist in a vehicle on Oct. 31 was vulnerable. From January through October 2017, park officers issued 50 tickets for people driving on the bike path and made one DUI arrest. [The New York Post]
$90
Professor Curry is in the building: Golden State Warriors phenom Steph Curry will teach an online course in basketball. For me, this would be like sitting in on a Stephen Hawking lecture after blasting out of the gate with a rock solid B+ in high school physics. The cost to learn at the feet of the master is $90. [ESPN]
500 billion percent
It appears that after 37 years of rule, Robert Mugabe has been dispatched from leadership in Zimbabwe following a military coup led by former allies stripped of their powers. If so, it’s really the end of an era. Mugabe at one point oversaw an economy where the International Monetary Fund estimated inflation rose 500 billion percent. This is a developing story and could well change. [The Economist]
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