One world, many possible lives
1 in 8 Billion is an iOS life simulation game about being born into circumstances you did not choose, then making choices as life unfolds. Its pixel people move through six visual stages: baby, child, teen, young adult, middle age, and elder. These stages organize the game’s art and events; a simulated life is not guaranteed to reach them all.
The current country dataset contains 196 country and territory entries. The selection reflects available data and the game’s scope. It is not a statement about sovereignty or an exhaustive list of every place in the world. Birthplace selection uses estimated births within the included entries, so places with more births have more weight.
Where the game’s country figures come from
The core country dataset was downloaded from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators on 25 October 2026. For each indicator, it uses the most recent available, non-empty observation within 2015–2025. A download date is not the year every figure describes: indicators can come from different years.
Estimated annual births are calculated as population multiplied by the crude birth rate, divided by 1,000. This is a calculation from two indicators, not a live count of births. Different observation years and rounding can affect the result. Entries missing essential birth, life expectancy, or under-five mortality information were omitted from this dataset.
For some other missing indicators, the game substitutes the median for the corresponding World Bank region. A regional median is an estimate used to fill a gap, not an observed value for that country. Some education measures are also capped for gameplay. Country averages describe broad conditions; they do not describe every household or individual.
Statistics, stories, and artwork
The simulation combines real-world context with authored events and game rules. Its outcomes are fictional. Future events, individual fortunes, and the effects assigned to choices are not forecasts or measurements of a real person’s prospects.
Pixel appearance, clothing, and appearance-group weights are creative choices. They are not statistically representative portraits of a country’s people. A character’s visual seed helps keep their identity recognizable as they age, while the life log carries the details of their story.
About this publication
This blog is published by 1 in 8 Billion. It explores population facts, everyday probability, and the people inside the game. Data articles link to primary sources and identify the relevant dates. Calculated figures, estimates, projections, and illustrative examples are labelled so readers can distinguish them from reported observations. Articles show when they were published and when their sources were checked.
Useful starting points include:
- World Bank World Development Indicators for country indicators and their definitions.
- United Nations World Population Prospects, including its 2024 revision, for population estimates and projections.
- Natural Earth, whose public-domain map data supports the game’s world map.
Questions and corrections
If you spot a mistaken figure, unclear explanation, or broken source link, email contact@1in8billionlife.app with the page address and the detail to check. For help with the app, visit support.