What is Next Life?
If you were born again, where would it be, and into which household? Next Life is a browser game that answers with World Bank data. You are drawn as one of the babies born this year and live from birth to death in about 3 minutes. Countries come up in proportion to how many babies are actually born there, so the countries with the most births come up most often.
How it works
- Birth: your country is drawn, along with whether you start in a city or the countryside and which of five income groups your household falls in.
- Eight stages: from childhood to old age, you make one or two choices per stage, like staying in school, starting work, or leaving for another country.
- The receipt: your age at death, cause of death, schooling, family, income, and what you left behind are printed on a single life receipt, next to lives of people born elsewhere on the same day.
- Sharing: save the receipt image or send the link. Whoever opens it sees a summary of your receipt, then starts a life of their own.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It is free and there is no sign-up. It never asks for your name or contact details.
Are the numbers real?
Any sentence followed by a year in parentheses is a real value from the World Bank World Development Indicators. Numbers marked "estimate" (life-length rank, income, wealth) are calculated by this game from those values. Names and events are made up.
How is my country picked?
Each country is weighted by its yearly births (population × crude birth rate). Any of 213 countries and territories can come up, and the ones with the most births come up most often.
Do my choices change the outcome?
Yes. Each choice moves the Health, Happiness, Learning, and People scores, which feed into how long you live and what you earn. Still, the country and household you are born into matter most.
Where are my results stored?
Not on a server. Your past lives stay in this browser only, and a share link holds just the numbers needed to recalculate that life.
What languages can I play in?
English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean. Switch with the language links at the top right.