Numbers

$2,423 Average tax refund so far this year, up 4% from 2005, an increase that the IRS attributes to overwithholding from paychecks

$10 billion Amount overwithheld by Americans annually, effectively giving the government an interest-free loan

39 Most common length of pregnancies, in weeks, for U.S. mothers who gave birth in 2002--the most recent year for which data are available--compared with 40 weeks in 1992

21% Decline from 1992 to 2002 in the number of U.S. babies born late

30 million Bags lost by airlines globally in 2005--a record high--of which 240,000 were never returned to their owners

$2.5 billion Amount airlines spent returning lost luggage to its owners last year, up from $1.6 billion in 2004

5% Tax on disposable wooden chopsticks in China under a timber-conservation law that takes effect April 1

45 billion Pairs of disposable chopsticks the Chinese use each year

Sources: USA Today (2); March of Dimes (2); USA Today (2); National Geographic News (2)