For most of the late 19th century, governments barely paid for social services such as pensions, healthcare and unemployment support. At the time, countries spent at most one or two percent of their national income on them. Over the 20th century that share rose dramatically, and public social spending became one of the largest items in many national budgets. The shift was gradual and uneven, with rich countries building welfare states at different speeds. Germany under Otto von Bismarck was an early pioneer, creating state health insurance in 1883, accident insurance in 1884 and old-age pensions in 1889. Our World in Data charts this long climb from almost nothing to the welfare systems most people now take for granted.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.