HARD NUMBERS

9,200: Central Americans and Mexicans seeking clandestine passage to the US pay up to $9,200 for the journey, the Department of Homeland Security reported last year. That’s more than three times what they paid just a decade ago. ​

96: Flows of migrants into Europe across the Mediterranean have fallen 96 percent since 2015, according to EU data. That reflects closer cooperation between Europe and countries like Turkey, Libya, and Morocco in stemming the migrant tide. But the political blowback is still intensifying because of anti-immigration parties that surged after the peak of arrivals in 2015–2016.

90: Direct Chinese investment into the US has fallen by more than 90 percent, to just $1.8 billion, in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year, according to the Rhodium Group.

2: In the knockout round of the World Cup this year there are only two teams from outside Europe and South America — the regions that have produced every single one of the tournament’s winners. That’s the lowest figure in 20 years. While individual powerhouses like Germany, Spain, and Italy (which didn’t qualify) are absent, the regional concentration of power remains the same as ever. #NotSuchaWorldCup