Hard Numbers

15: Facebook turned 15 years old on Monday. Around 1.5 billion people used the social network every day in December, more than reside in any single country on Earth.

13: Last year was the 13th successive year that freedom declined around the world, according to Freedom House. Political rights and civil liberties were curbed in 68 countries in 2018, with the worst repression coming in Nicaragua, Tanzania, and Venezuela.

4: Just 4 percent of likely 2020 US voters have a favorable view of former Starbucks boss Howard Schultz, who is considering an independent run for the presidency. That means that as of right now, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and even Jar Jar Binks would handedly beat Schultz out in a head-to-head matchup.

2.3: Russia's economy grew 2.3 percent last year, according to an estimate issued by Russian statistics agency Rosstat. The official figure, which comes as President Vladimir Putin's popularity has been falling, was .6 percentage points higher than the projection of the International Monetary Fund.

More from GZERO Media

A photo of a portion of Donald Trump's face and GZERO World with ian bremmer - the podcast
- YouTube

Listen: On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer examines the impact of Donald Trump’s return to office, exploring how his populist victory and the GOP’s control could reshape US governance amid historian Nicole Hemmer’s warning of “accelerating democratic erosion” and journalist Molly Ball's concerns over eroding checks on executive power.

Donald Trump gestures after taking the oath of office during his first inauguration in Washington, DC, in January 2017.

Olivier Douliery/ABACAPRESS.COM via Reuters

The US Justice Department on Friday charged three men with plotting to assassinate Donald Trump on the orders of the Iranian government.

Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are guarded by police after violence targeting Israeli football fans broke out in Amsterdam overnight, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 8, 2024.
REUTERS/Ami Shooman/Israel Hayom

At least five people were hospitalized and 62 were arrested.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and former President Donald Trump, meeting in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024.
Reuters

Given the tumultuous nature of his initial four years in office, the world is now bracing for the impact of Trump’s return.

A protester looks on near a burning barricade during a "national shutdown" against the election outcome, in Maputo, Mozambique, on Nov. 7, 2024.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

In Mozambique, the opposition has accused the ruling FRELIMO party of stealing the country’s Oct. 9 election, and protests have since led to violence.