By turning data into art, this interactive installation transforms grains of rice into a powerful picture of opportunity. Each grain tells a story about the economic potential unlocked when we invest in care, capital, and contraceptives. When we invest in women, it sparks economic growth and creates a fairer, more prosperous world for everyone.
About the installation
The evidence is clear: when we invest in women—in their health, their livelihoods, and their leadership—everyone benefits. These investments strengthen families, build more resilient economies, and create communities that prosper for generations.
Yet today, more than two billion women live in countries where gender equality is ranked as poor or very poor. Despite overwhelming evidence of the benefits, the world is still falling short.
The good news? Investing in women delivers outsized social and economic returns. This limited-run exhibition spotlights three proven, high-impact investments leaders can make today to unlock economic growth and prosperity for generations to come.
You simply cannot have a discussion about long-term sustainable financing unless you genuinely have gender equality at the heart of it.
Mark Suzman, CEO, Gates Foundation
This installation was developed by the Gender Equality Program, Advocacy and Communications team at the Gates Foundation and Stan’s Café Theatre (UK) in partnership with the Gates Foundation Discovery Center.
Where to Invest for Change
Improve Access to Care
Investing in quality care would unlock USD $3.1 trillion in global GDP by creating up to 300 million high-quality, well-paid caregiver jobs by 2035 and by supporting more mothers to enter and stay in the workforce.
Improve Access to Contraception
Every USD $1 invested in family planning yields more than USD $26 in health and economic returns. Globally, access to contraception prevents more than 272,000 maternal deaths from childbirth every year.
Expand Access to Capital
Closing the $1.7 trillion gender funding gap for women entrepreneurs would add $6 trillion to the global economy and improve incomes and financial stability for women, their families, and communities.
About Stan’s Café Theatre
Stan’s Cafe is a group of artists from a variety of disciplines, but mostly theatre makers, working under the artistic direction of James Yarker. The company consists of an evolving team of long-term collaborators and associated artists.
Of All the People in All the World is a travelling exhibition experience that uses grains of rice to bring once abstract statistics to startling and powerful life. Each grain of rice = one person, and you are invited to compare the one grain that is you to the millions that are not. Exhibition team members carefully weigh out quantities of rice to represent a host of human statistics specific to the exhibition’s location and theme.