About

Many years ago, I heard someone say with complete certainty, “I have no idea what that amount of money even means,” referring to a news headline about an enormous sum.

For some reason, that sentence stayed with me. And despite my tendency to look for visual ways to explain almost everything around me, I had never had the opportunity to find a way to make sense of extraordinarily large amounts of money. Until now.

The Long Number is a journey designed to put your own economic position — or the one you would like to reach — into perspective against two extremes we talk about constantly, but rarely see on the same scale: extreme poverty and the largest fortunes in the world.

It is an exercise in giving numbers a sense of proportion, so their meaning is no longer hidden behind words like a lot, enormous, excessive, staggering or simply unimaginable.

The aim is to spark reflection, start conversations and, over time, turn The Long Number into a useful reference for the general public, students, researchers and policymakers.

This project is constantly evolving. Come back from time to time — there will probably be something new to explore.

Francisco Javier González y García
Creator of The Long Number
GyGinfographics