Hard Numbers

180: Chinese exports support as many as 180 million jobs in China, or nearly one-quarter of formal employment there. But exports have fallen to their lowest level in two years as US tariffs on Chinese goods contribute to a broader economic slowdown.

103:The number of people seeking asylum in Mexico jumped by 103 percent between 2017 and 2018, reaching 29,600. One consequence of President Trump's push to deter asylum seekers from coming to the US is that more are staying in Mexico. Whether the government is equipped to handle a larger number of asylum seekers will be an important test for new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

84: Life expectancy in Japan is 84 years, the highest in the world, and due to a low birth rate Japan's population is graying fast. Nearly 30 percent of the country is older than 65. That has raised big questions about how the Japanese government is going to pay for the health care needs of its people as they age.

24: This year, 24 of Africa's 54 countries are scheduled to hold legislative, general, or presidential elections. Given their potentially outsized political and regional impact, we are watching the votes in Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Libya especially closely.

7: Later this week, the Greek parliament will likely hold its seventh vote of no confidence in less than eight years, after the country's defense minister resigned in protests against a contentions agreement that Athens had reached with (the Former Yugoslav Republic of) Macedonia to just call the country North Macedonia. For more background here, check out Willis's piece "Call Me By Your Name – The Former Yugoslav Edition."