Cheesy snacks up, champagne down
Patrick Collister summarises the pandemic in numbers. Every one of them is a story….that we haven’t gone into. There is no science to their collection.
What’s up?
6% increase in The Economist’s global circulation over the first three months of lockdown.
7.5% of UK GDP is being spent on different fiscal interventions to support the economy.
9 rhinos were killed in South Africa between April and May and at least 6 in Botswana as poaching increases around the world.
10% increase in Facebook ad revenue in Q2.
11% increase in Facebook Daily Active Users.
11% increase in net sales at Kellogg’s in the USA in Q2.
14.8% increase in sales of cheesy snacks in the USA since Covid began.
15% increase in the number of UK applications to study nursing.
31.7% increase in the number of apps downloaded across the App Store and Google Play.
35% of all online purchases in the UK in lockdown have been through Amazon. Amazon sales up 40% from Q2 2019.
36 days – or 863.8 hours – the average number of hours spent by an individual on social media globally in 2020.
42.5% increase in the retail sales of gin in the UK in the 9 weeks up to May 2nd.
45% increase in sales of deep freezers in the USA.
49% increase in the number of calls made to domestic abuse helplines in the UK.
£45 now set as the new highest amount for contactless card payments in the UK.
53 days faster – that’s how much faster homes with gardens sold in July 2020 in the UK.
55% increase in the sales of Warburtons Crumpets since March.
60% increase in sales of Yamaha digital pianos in April 2020. Over the same period, Steinway report a ‘surge’ in sales of concert grand pianos at $250,000 a pop.
60% fall in cases of conventional ‘flu in Japan compared to 2019.
62% of the UK population has used a video-calling app, up from 32% pre-pandemic
63% increase in bike sales in the UK between April and June 2020. Brompton Bikes have full order books until March 2021.
The Government helped by giving out £50 vouchers for bike repairs.
65% increase in the number of calls to the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline since March
66% increase yoy in the demand for cake in China.
77% of British consumers now shop for groceries online. 23% of Over-55s shop online, up from 8% in the same period 2019.
81% increase in revenue at Naked Wines in April and May.
95% of Danes think their government has handled the crisis well. (Compared to 47% of Americans and 46% of UK citizens.)
170% increase in sales of fitness equipment in Ireland since lockdown. In the USA, some stores report increased sales up to 600%.
225% increase in online sales for DIY products at B&Q.
370% increase in yoy sales of Ravensburger jigsaw puzzles in Q2.
400% increase in the size of the bread-maker equipment market predicted.
450% increase in the sales of firearms and supporting accessories in the USA.
£771 on average spent by each UK consumer so far on non-essential items to lift their spirits, such as books, computer games, subscriptions.
2000% increase in the number of Zoom users between January and April 2020.
$2,000 – the highest price per ounce of gold ever, reached in early August.
5000% increase in spending on advertising by Public Health England, to £43.9 million between 23rd March and 30th June.
9.6 million people are currently on furlough in the UK, at an estimated cost so far of £34.7 billion to date.
16 million new subscribers to Netflix globally, leading to a 30% hike in the company’s share price.
$1 billion – the overnight increase in the paper value of Stéphane Bancel, CEO of US biotech company Moderna, when he announced the start of human trials for a Covid-19 vaccine.
129 billion face masks (or thereabouts) and 65 billion plastic gloves are being thrown away every month, contributing significantly to an increase in plastic waste. (All the masks made so far, if stitched together, would cover Switzerland.) In Thailand, plastic waste is up from 1,500 tons to 6,300 tons per day.
$685 billion – the amount by which Forbes calculates America’s 643 billionaires grew their collective wealth between March and August 1st, 2020.
$820 billion, the estimated costs to the global tourism industry of coronavirus to the end of July.
What’s down?
17% decrease in CO2 emissions globally in April 2020. (This is down to a 5% decrease by end of June).
25% to 30% downtown in stock market values in most G20 nations in March.
32% reduction in crime in the UK during April and May (excluding fraud and computer crime).
43% decrease in adspend on ITV in Q2.
63% decrease in sales at JC Decaux poster contractors.
70% slump in sales of champagne.
75% cut in the circulation of Metro free-sheet newspaper in the UK.
80% drop in car sales in the USA, though an unspecified increase in sales of vans.
80.8% decline in high street footfall in London boroughs compared to June 2019.
94 murders in South Africa in the first four months of the year, down from 326.