Focus on a World Map of Fertility

Use the FRED map below to compare the fertility rate across nations. Countries with a fertility rate below 2.1 either add population with immigration or experience population loss. Learn more about the topic with this FRED Blog Reading Q&A

From the FRED Blog

The post “The trend in teenage fertility” uses data from the World Bank to compare adolescent fertility rates in the United States, Italy, China, Ecuador, and the Republic of Congo.

Quiz Yourself on Fertility and Economic Growth

Q1. Hover the mouse pointer over the 1963 date on the FRED graph to read the data. At that time, what was the average number of children a woman in China had during her lifetime?

Q2. As of 2020, which of the four countries shown in the graph recorded the lowest fertility rate?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn more about those data.

Q1. The FRED graph shows the change in the size of the working age population in Canada, the United States, and Japan. Between January 1995 and December 2022, in which country did the size of the working age population shrink?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn how the graph was created.

Q1. The FRED graph shows the real hourly wage in the United Kingdom and population growth both in England and in the UK. Compare the timing of economic and population growth. Which one happened first?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn more about those data.

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.

Focus on Survey-Based Inflation Expectations

Read this Economic Brief from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond to learn about consumer-based surveys of inflation expectations and use the FRED graph below to compare survey responses with the actual consumer price index inflation rate.

From the FRED Blog

The post “How to measure inflation expectations” discusses how the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis uses data from the U.S. Treasury Department to calculate several breakeven inflation rates.

Quiz Yourself on Inflation Expectations

Q1. Hover the mouse pointer over the January 2023 date on the graph to read the data. What is the average expected inflation rate one year from that date?

Q2. As of January 2023, which is lower, the 2-year expected inflation or 3-year expected inflation?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn more about those data.

Q1. Compare the average 1-year inflation rate expected on February 2021 (the green line) with the annual consumer price index inflation rate registered on February 2022 (the blue line). Which one was higher?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn how the graph was created.

Q1. The graph shows an index measuring consumer expectations about future inflation rates in the euro area (19 countries). Increasing index values represent higher inflation expectations and decreasing index values represent lower inflation expectations. As of December 2022, are inflation expectations in the euro area (19 countries) rising or falling?

Read this FRED Blog post to learn more about those data.

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.

Focus on Recognizing Diversity in Data

Earn a free set of digital badges by demonstrating your skills and experience in recognizing diversity in data. Digital badges are a great way to show your ongoing commitment to learning. Add them to your email signature or share them through social media

From the FRED Blog

The post “Comparing unemployment rates by race: The Great Recession vs. COVID-19” uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to describe the labor market experiences of different racial and ethnic groups during the 2007-2009 and 2020 recessions

Use This Lesson Plan To Teach the Composition Effect

This lesson plan explains why the composition effect makes it difficult to describe diverse populations with a single statistic. It includes prompts for both in-class and out-of-class assignments.

Focus on Real Wages

This Page One Economics essay discusses how price indexes can be used to transform nominal wages and interest rates into real wages and rates—that is, inflation-adjusted values. The essay includes multiple-choice questions suitable for both in-class and out-of-class assignments.

From the FRED Blog

The post “How inflation helps the stock market set records” uses data from the Nikkei Research Institute and the OECD to adjust the value of the headline Japanese stock market index for inflation and discuss its evolution over time.

Quiz Yourself on Inflation

Q1. What are the units of the global price of poultry data?

Q2. What are the units of the global price of food data?

Q3. Between early 2020 and late 2022, which global food prices increased the most?

Q1. Since 1982-1984, which price category has registered the highest inflation?

Q2. As of October 2022, which price category registered the highest inflation?

Q1. Between January 2020 and November 2022, when was year-over-year monthly consumer price inflation for used cars and trucks in the U.S. the highest?

Q2. As of November 2022, did the price of used cars and trucks increase or decrease relative to their price a year earlier?

You can share these graphs with your students using this dashboard. To customize this dashboard, just click the “Save to My Account” button at the top of the dashboard.