One in Eight Billion

Be born anywhere on Earth and live a life shaped by real statistics

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Practice on your own, no connection needed.

Progress is saved only in this browser. Clearing site data removes it. The timer pauses while you are away.

How to play

One in Eight Billion gameplay screenshot
  • You are born at random somewhere in the world. Your chance of being born in a country is proportional to the number of babies born there each year.
  • Your family's income, schooling, illnesses, work and lifespan are all drawn at random from real local statistics.
  • Life moves on year by year. At crossroads (school, leaving home, marriage, children, health, retirement) you choose, or let fate decide.
  • Four other people are born around the world in the same second, and their lives unfold alongside yours. When your life ends, you can compare.

Playing guide

These options and rules describe the current JoyPip version. Choose a mode above before starting; rules are also available during play.

Step-by-step examples

Select a step to see what changes. These are partial examples, not full starting positions.

Detailed rules and controls

Where the data comes from
  • Country data comes from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), using the latest values from around 2024 for 216 countries and territories.
  • The statistics used: births, life expectancy, infant and under-5 mortality, adult mortality, completion rates at each school level, share of people below poverty lines, urbanization, fertility, child marriage, maternal mortality, employment structure, unemployment and causes of death.
  • Every life is generated at random from these statistics. It does not depict any real person, nor is it a judgment of any country.
How the simulation works
  • At birth, your family's situation is set by three poverty lines ($3, $4.20 and $8.30 per person per day, adjusted for purchasing power). The poorer the family, the harder it is to finish school and the higher the risk of illness and death.
  • The share of people who finish primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and university matches local completion rates. Lifespan is computed year by year from a local mortality curve and averages out to the local life expectancy.
  • Your choices nudge the outcome: staying in school makes finishing more likely, seeing a doctor lowers the risk a little. But they cannot change the big picture set by where you were born.

Frequently asked questions

How is the chance of being born in each country calculated?

In this game you are born in rural Niger, where your family lives on less than $3 per person per day. At 9, your parents want you to leave school and help at home; you beg to stay and finish primary school, while the child born in Japan in the same second later graduates from university. You live to 58, a little below the local average. Every one of these events was drawn at random from real local statistics.

Do I need a download or a linked email?

Play directly in your browser without a download. Linking email is an optional way to recover your account. Before clearing browser data, consider whether you need to keep your account or local records.

Do matches earn or spend coins?

Earn coins by checking in and spend them on cosmetics. Matches never cost or award coins.

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