Ola Rosling is the President and Co-Founder of the Gapminder Foundation, the independent educational non-profit he established with his wife, Anna Rosling Rönnlund, and his late father, Professor Hans Rosling. Widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in promoting a fact-based worldview, Ola has helped shift how the... Read more
Ola Rosling is the President and Co-Founder of the Gapminder Foundation, the independent educational non-profit he established with his wife, Anna Rosling Rönnlund, and his late father, Professor Hans Rosling. Widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in promoting a fact-based worldview, Ola has helped shift how the world understands progress, poverty, and sustainable development. His work directly challenges the dangerous misconceptions that shape public opinion and policy, replacing them with reliable data and clear-eyed analysis. Through Gapminder, he has made complex global statistics accessible to millions, from students and educators to business leaders and heads of state empowering societies to think more rationally, make smarter decisions, and act on opportunities grounded in reality rather than fear. Gapminder has become a globally recognized force for evidence-based education, developing free tools and resources that reveal the true state of the world in health, wealth, and human development.
A pioneer in data visualization, Ola led the development of the Trendalyzer software in 1999, transforming complex statistics into engaging, animated graphics. Following Google’s acquisition of Trendalyzer in 2007, he and his team created the Motion Chart for Google Spreadsheets and, as Product Manager for Google Public Data, made official statistics accessible to billions of people directly through Google Search.
Since returning to Gapminder in 2011, Ola has focused on designing free educational resources that promote what he coined in 2014 as Factfulness, a mindset that replaces fear and ideology with data-driven clarity. Together with Anna and Hans, he co-authored the international bestseller Factfulness (2018), which has become an essential guide for leaders seeking to navigate complexity with reason and optimism.
As a speaker, Ola Rosling delivers more than insights, he offers audiences practical tools to challenge their assumptions, sharpen critical thinking, and embrace a worldview grounded in evidence. His presentations are eye-opening, often surprising, and always inspiring, leaving audiences better equipped to understand global trends, spot real opportunities, and make wiser decisions in business, policy, and everyday life.