Today, exports make up roughly 25% of total global production. One of the common influences on these exports, unsurprisingly, is oil. In fact, petroleum is the top export across over 50 nations, and along with many other resource-driven materials makes up a sizable share of the global export market. Since 2000, the total value of all exported global trade of goods and services has tripled to $19.5 trillion. This infographic from HowMuch....
From the right to vote, to owning property and assets, women’s legal and economic rights have come a long way. International Women’s Day, held annually on March 8th is an opportunity to commemorate global improvements around gender equality. One big driver for this is women’s political participation—however, progress in this area has not been distributed evenly worldwide. Women’s Political Power: Share of Ministers in Cabinets In this map, we dig into how much political power women hold around the world....
However, a surprising number of countries have ruling monarchs, and in this visual we break down the kinds of royal leadership across the 43 countries that still have them. Types of Monarchies A monarch in the simplest sense is a country’s king, queen, emir, or sultan, and so on. But before diving in, it’s important to break down the distinctions between the types of monarchies that exist today. Generally, there are four kinds:...
Analysts at Deutsche Bank recently gathered critical data on how much a pint of beer costs in various major cities around the world. Sticker Shock Many of the cities that topped the price list have a higher cost of living, and it’s no surprise to see Singapore and Oslo rank near the top. The city of Dubai, however, is a unique case. Technically, drinking is only permissible for expats and non-Muslim residents in Dubai, and being drunk in public can come with serious consequences....
Shifting Human Geography The stages of urbanization can be roughly broken into two parts. 1500s – 1900s Most people lived an agrarian life until the first Industrial Revolution. The urban population quadrupled over this lengthy timeframe, from 4.1% to 16.4%. Urbanization accompanied the moves away from agricultural employment, but it was still a slow burn until the 20th century. 1900s – Present The expansion of the global economy and population saw urbanization skyrocket along with it....
North America’s Devastating Wildfires, Viewed From Space If you live on the west coast of North America, it’s likely that you’ve felt a bit smoked out, lately. Wildfires in British Columbia, Canada are already the worst in the province’s history, while California has had a particularly rough season with human deaths, evacuations, and billions of dollars of damage. Oregon has one confirmed death from a wildfire in mid-July, and Washington hasn’t gotten off easy, either....
In just a few short decades, the world of online gaming has exploded in popularity. Estimated to reach $196 billion in revenue by 2022, it is now considered to be one of the fastest growing industries on the planet. The infographic above explores the humble beginnings of the online gaming market and dives into the technological possibilities driving its future. The Birth of Online Gaming Although video game prototypes were created by scientists as early as the 1950s, the very first gaming console was not introduced to consumers until the ‘70s....
But as the global population grows older, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the already rising number of retirees, there is still a large degree of variance in the quality of public pension plans around the world. Which countries have invested in robust public pension programs, and which lag behind? This graphic, using 2021 data from Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index, compares retirement income systems worldwide. How the Index Ranks Pension Plans Because a country’s pension system is unique to its particular economic and historical context, it’s difficult to draw direct comparisons....
Yet, despite the consequences, cyber criminals continue to wreak havoc across the globe. But some countries seem to be targeted more than others. Using data from Specops Software, this graphic looks at the countries that have experienced the most significant cyber attacks over the last two decades. The U.S. comes in first place, with 156 recorded cyber attacks. That’s an average of 11 significant attacks per year, which is more than Russia’s had in 14 years....
Of these ultra wealthy individuals, just over 100 are millennials, born between the years 1981 and 1996. This young generation represents around 3.8% of all billionaires on a global basis with a combined net worth of $573.1 billion. This visualization, using data from Forbes, ranks the richest 25 millennial billionaires and details their source of wealth, total net worth, nationality, and age. Note: Forbes categorized billionaires by current age (2021)....
Red Lake: The High-Grade Gold Capital of the World Sponsored by Gold Canyon Resources (TSX-V: GCU) Every major gold producing country has an iconic gold producing trend that is synonymous with prosperity. South Africa has the Witwatersrand Basin and the United States has the Carlin Trend in Nevada. While Canada has had many prolific gold producing regions over the years, including many famous gold rushes, lately the gold capital of Canada rests in Red Lake, Ontario....
The History of Jade: The Emperor’s Stone Infographic presented by Electra Stone In Chinese writing, it is no accident that the character for “emperor” looks almost identical to the character for “jade”. In the West, precious gems such as diamonds or rubies were worn by high-ranking people as status symbols. However, in China, it is jade that has been a symbol of status, spirituality, purity, and health for over 9,000 years....
By looking back at previous years, investors can gain insights into long-term trends and patterns in commodity prices. To help better understand these trends, U.S. Global Investors releases a visualization called the Periodic Table of Commodity Returns at the outset of each year. This year’s edition looks back over the past decade of returns between 2013 and 2022, and features an interactive design that allows users to sort returns by various categories including returns, volatility, and other groupings....
The Shifting Market for Corn in the United States By all accounts, the corn industry is shifting in the United States. Commodity investors would be wise to lend an ear. Two main drivers have made the biggest impact: ethanol subsidies and a movement to genetically modified strains of the seed. Ethanol subsidies have largely contributed to a skyrocketing price. Another big change over the last fifteen years is that corn has moved from being 25% non-genetically engineered to about 90%....
Here are the four current members of this exclusive club: Apple, Microsoft, and Aramco are all still well above the $1 trillion mark for now, but Alphabet’s trajectory could take it out of this list if circumstances don’t change soon. Google has indicated that the decrease in crypto advertising has had a big impact on revenue, and ad budgets continue to be slashed as economic uncertainty continues. Here are the three former members who have seen their market cap dip back below $1 trillion: Though Tesla’s valuation has dipped in recent months, Elon Musk remains bullish on Tesla’s prospects, stating the company could eventually be “worth more than Apple and Saudi Aramco combined”....
With over 1.1 billion speakers worldwide, English is currently the closest we’ve come to a lingua franca, a common language that connects people from different backgrounds. However, Mandarin Chinese may one day catch up. Here’s a look at the top 10 most spoken languages across the globe: While English and Mandarin Chinese come close when looking at their total number of speakers, English has a wider geographical distribution—it’s classified as an official language in 67 different countries worldwide....
However, as simple or as light-hearted as it appears at first glance, today’s infographic actually provides an invaluable amount of context on a subject that is often mired in the ugly details of mathematical models, multipliers, and policy implications. Earth’s Temperature Over 22,000 Years Today’s infographic from XKCD shows the Earth’s temperature since the last ice age glaciation, which was 22,000 years ago. It was around this time that there were vast ice sheets covering North America, northern Europe, and Asia....
So how do you measure the weight of objects in space? You don’t. When it comes to the cosmos, all that matters is mass. Today’s interactive data visualization comes from Reddit user Ranger-UK, and is designed by Daniel Caroli. It delves into the different masses which make up our solar system, and how they all compare in size. A Star Is Born Perhaps not surprisingly, the Sun eclipses all other nearby objects by mass....
This graphic reveals the leaders of the most influential global powers since 1970. Countries were selected based on the 2020 Most Powerful Countries ranking from the U.S. News & World Report. Note: Switzerland has been omitted due to the swiftly changing nature of their national leadership. The 1970s: Economic Revolutions Our graphic starts in 1970, a year in which Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Soviet Union, while on the other side of the Iron Curtain, Willy Brandt was presiding over West Germany....
Since then, the company has always offered a handheld and a home console, enabling them to capture a broader audience of gamers and non-gamers. While handheld systems have regularly outsold their home console counterparts, combining the two into the hybrid Nintendo Switch has proven profitable for Nintendo. The Power of Portable Games The popularity of handheld game consoles isn’t surprising when considering their lower price points and accessibility. Nintendo’s handheld consoles typically cost about 30-50% less compared to the home console of the same generation....
