Our objective was to create an interactive research project highlighting, using granular details and data, the progress in human development in terms of health and income over the past two decades, and what could be done to further improve that. In particular, we wanted to uncover the real extent of progress in places where until recently, their improvements were obscured by country averages. In this report, we share the findings from a new dataset that breaks the world down into more than 40,000 microregions, thereby using a view that’s 230 times more granular than a country perspective. This enabled us to create this pixelated version of the world that uses cutting-edge statistical techniques including the use of night-time satellite imagery. This report therefore offers a much more nuanced view of development than previous research, while also enhancing our understanding of global progress in ways that can help business and governments make better, more targeted decisions. To do so, we created a video where one of the article’s co-authors used interactive data visualizations to introduce the main points of the project’s findings. Then we divided the research into six chapters, with each chapter further explaining—using interactive graphics and data visualizations—the main points of our findings, including on how improvements in income relate to health, and where development is needed the most. Since our interactive project was first published in December 2022, it has attracted tens of thousands of readers, and has introduced a growing number of audiences to how McKinsey can help leaders achieve sustainable, inclusive growth.