The ubiquitous plastic bottle has proven to be a versatile and cost-effective vessel for everything from water to household cleaning products. Despite this undeniable utility, it’s becoming harder to ignore the sheer volume of waste created by the world’s 7.5 billion people. Today’s data visualization from Simon Scarr and Marco Hernandez at Reuters Graphics puts into perspective the immense scale of plastic bottle waste by comparing it to recognizable global landmarks, and even the entirety of Manhattan....

Part of the reason for this is the Earth’s atmospheric ability to burn up inbound space rocks before they reach the surface, a process that ensures that most meteors never become meteorites. Of the 33,162 meteorites found in the past 100 years, only 625 were seen. Today’s visualization from data designer Tiffany Farrant-Gonzalez groups these 625 observed meteorites by the year they fell, classification, mass, and landing location on Earth....

Lack of faith in government and politics is nothing new, but in times of uncertainty, that lack of trust can coalesce into movements that challenge the authority of ruling parties and even threaten the stability of nations. This visualization uses data from the Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Monitor to look at how much various populations trust their government and public institutions. Tracking Trust in Government Since the beginning of the pandemic, global trust in government has improved by eight percentage points, but that is only a small improvement on an otherwise low score....

In 2017, airlines moved over four billion passengers, a number that continues to grow each year. As more and more people around the world can afford to scratch their travel itch, new connections and airports will be created to meet that demand. Remarkably, the world’s air transport network doubles in size every 15 years, and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) estimates that it will do so again by the year 2030....

The map above, from BryceTech, is a comprehensive look at the world’s spaceports (both orbital and sub-orbital) as well as ballistic missile test sites. The World’s Major Spaceports Though the graphic above is a detailed list of many types of rocket launch sites, we’ll focus on major sites that are sending satellites and passengers into sub-orbit, orbit, and beyond. Editor’s note: The above table includes all sites that are operational, as well as under construction, as of publishing date....

Billionaire’s Paradise: The World’s Wealthiest People in 2015 The landscape of global billionaires is changing for the better. In this year’s list of the super wealthy, more women (up 15% to 197) have made the list than last year’s. In addition, some very young tech founders have cracked the list including personnel from Uber, Airbnb and Snapchat. There are now 46 billionaires on the list under the age of 40. Also important is that the majority of billionaires on this list are self-made....

We sleep in warm and comfortable houses, while keeping our food fresh and refrigerated. We have screens in our pockets and throughout our homes that help us to connect with our friends and family – and we can drive across town in minutes to see them, if need be. Oddly enough, many of these subtle aspects of modern living would not be possible without the existence of very specific minerals and the developments in technology that allow them to be used to their full potential....

on Did you know that nearly one-fifth of all the gold ever mined is held by central banks? Besides investors and jewelry consumers, central banks are a major source of gold demand. In fact, in 2022, central banks snapped up gold at the fastest pace since 1967. However, the record gold purchases of 2022 are in stark contrast to the 1990s and early 2000s, when central banks were net sellers of gold....

Today, shipping costs have come back down to Earth, with some routes approaching pre-pandemic levels. The graphic above, using data from Freightos, shows just how dramatically costs have fallen in a short amount of time. The Freightos Baltic Index (FBX)—a widely recognized benchmark for global freight rates—has fallen 80% since its peak in late 2021. Why Shipping Costs Matter The vast majority of trade is conducted over the world’s oceans, so skyrocketing shipping costs can wreak havoc on the global economy....

It’s said that in China, a new skyscraper is built every five days. China is building often, and they are building higher. In fact, just last year, China completed 77 of the world’s 144 new supertall buildings, spread through 36 different Chinese cities. These are structures with a minimum height of 656 feet (200 meters). For comparison’s sake, there are only 113 buildings in New York City’s current skyline that are over 600 feet....

While the final stage of the tournament typically takes place in one or two nations, this year’s will be played across 11 different countries. Running from June 11th to July 11th 2021, the opening game between Italy and Turkey will kick off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and the final will take place at London’s Wembley Stadium. COVID-19’s Impact on Teams and Spectators Aside from the initial year-long delay, COVID-19 has changed how teams and spectators will participate in the tournament....

The stars have fascinated humanity since the beginning of civilization, from using them to track the different seasons, to relying on them to navigate thousands of miles on the open ocean. Today, travelers trek to the ends of the Earth to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way, untouched by light pollution. However, if you’re in the city and the heavens align on a clear night, you might still be able to spot somewhere between 2,500 to 5,000 stars scattered across your field of vision....

However, if you want more quantitative proof of the housing bubble that is plaguing the Bay Area, this map should do it. Using data from the real estate website Trulia, this animation plots the number of million dollar homes in the Bay Area. In 2012, just under 20% of homes in San Francisco were worth over $1 million. Today, over 57% of homes have hit the mark, meaning that the majority of homes are now selling for over seven figures....

Teams are more important now than ever before, but many of them are struggling to step up and drive high performance when it matters most. Creating a Culture of Accountability Today’s infographic from the bestselling author Dr. Vince Molinaro demonstrates how leaders can create an environment where truly accountable teams can flourish, and employees are inspired to do their best work. Download Dr.Vince Molinaro’s How to Build an Accountable Team...

How America’s Middle Class Has Shrunk Since 2000 This interactive visualization shows how America’s middle class has changed since the turn of the millennium. The middle class, as defined by Pew Charitable Trust, means earners making 67% to 200% of a state’s median income. In all 50 states, the middle class has shrunk since 2000. In the above visualization, hover over any state to see the details and data. Even more concerning is two other data sets: median income and the percentage of income that goes toward housing are both trending in an alarming fashion....

In fact, if you hold a U.S. Treasury bond or a T-Bill in your portfolio right now, you are already a creditor to the United States government. And as you can see in today’s chart from HowMuch.net, foreign countries like China and Japan can also accumulate large positions in U.S. Treasurys, making them significant players in the overall United States debt pie. U.S. Debt: The Big Picture The United States federal debt currently sits at $22 trillion, and it’s held by a range of domestic and foreign investors....

With the aim of tracking market performance around the world, these indexes incorporate securities from various regions. However, while the number of securities may be relatively well diversified across countries, a dollar perspective tells a different story. When market capitalization is taken into account, country weightings may become much more unbalanced. Today’s visualization is based on a concept by S&P Dow Jones Indices that shows the percentage of U.S.-based companies in global sectors and industries as of December 31, 2019....

The Evolution of Data “Big Data” is a technology buzzword that comes up quite often. Most investors understand that it describes the current ecosystem in which there is exponentially more data, and that the wealth of information can be processed to create insights for companies. However, the evolution of how we got here is a little more fuzzy. As the above infographic notes, it all started with ZIP codes. Born in 1963, ZIP codes allowed companies and marketers to gather more information on customers in a way that was not possible before....

Where in the United States can the most multi-million dollar homes be found – and which specific cities have the highest growth rates for high-end property listings? Million Dollar Homes Today’s interactive visualization comes to us from Overflow Data, and it shows the percentage of homes worth greater than a million dollars in each state, as well as D.C. The first thing that stands out here is the skewed distribution....

The World’s Most Famous Case of Deflation (Part 1 of 2) The Money Project is an ongoing collaboration between Visual Capitalist and Texas Precious Metals that seeks to use intuitive visualizations to explore the origins, nature, and use of money. The Great Depression was the most severe economic depression ever experienced by the Western world. It was during this troubled time that the world’s most famous case of deflation also happened....