Compare two places
Could a few numbers change your picture of a place?
20-30 minutes
Start with these sources
Your first move: Open World Bank life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN) and choose two countries.
Without AI
- Find a shared year for life expectancy and population; write down definitions, units, and links.
- Create a postcard for each country with the name hidden, two numerical clues, and one question.
- Ask someone to match the postcards to the countries, then reveal the source key and discuss surprises.
With GenAI
Bring your own AI tool and the source material. This atlas does not send your data anywhere or run an AI model.
- Collect a small table with country names, values, years, units, and source URLs; supply it to your chosen AI tool.
- Ask for mystery-card wording and a separate answer key using only your table; keep absent values marked missing.
- Check every clue against the table and remove any cultural stereotype or unsupported explanation before sharing.
A prompt to make your own
Using only the table and source notes I supply below, draft two mystery-country postcards and a separate answer key. Hide the names on the cards. Cite the supplied source URL and observation year for every numerical clue in the key. Mark missing data as missing and never fabricate numbers. Do not invent cultural traits or explain causes from these indicators. End with two questions the table cannot answer. Supplied table and source notes: [Paste country, indicator, value, unit, year, definition, and URL.]
Make something: Two mystery-country postcards, each with dated clues and a source key.
Keep your footing
- Use a common observation year, or label the differences.
- Country averages do not describe every resident.
- Preserve the difference between a total and a per-person measure.
Why follow this question?
Why this is interesting
A familiar country name can bring a ready-made story to mind. Hiding it for a moment lets you notice the evidence before that story takes over. The reveal is a conversation starter, not a ranking of whose life is better. Two indicators leave much of a place unseen.
Begin with the World Bank life-expectancy page. Keep the numerical clues modest enough that a reader can trace them without a spreadsheet. A good postcard leaves space for curiosity as well as a source line.
Follow another thread
Use UNdata to investigate one question the postcards raised. If its value differs, compare the definition, source, and year before deciding that one source is wrong. You might discover that the most interesting part of the game is learning why apparently similar numbers do not quite match.
Go a little further
Add a third postcard selected by your guest, then see which of your assumptions changes.