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No… But looking at a map based on the Mercator projection, you would think so. Today’s infographic comes from the design studio Art.Lebedev and shows the true size of the world’s land masses in order from largest to smallest using data from NASA and Google. Check out the actual shape and size of each land mass without any distortions. Distorting Reality: Mercator Misconceptions Maps can deceive your eyes but they are still powerful tools for specific purposes....

Over that time, we’ve built an audience of over 85 million annual visitors, and now more than 300,000 people get our free daily email. But all of that is just scratching the surface of what’s possible. Introducing the VC App Today we’re unveiling our team’s most ambitious project yet and we need your help. We’re using Kickstarter to raise funds to build the VC App, to put all of the world’s best data storytelling at your fingertips....

Since then, we’ve seen detailed, daily coronavirus coverage in most of the major news outlets. With such a wealth of information available, it can be hard to keep track of the big picture of what’s happening around the world. Today’s graphic, adapted from Information is Beautiful, is an efficient look at where the virus is fading away, and where new infection hotspots are emerging. The Ebb and Flow of Coronavirus Cases First, the good news: the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases has started to level off on a global basis....

“If you can’t grow it, you have to mine it” is a famous saying that encapsulates the importance of minerals and metals in the modern world. From every building we enter to every device we use, virtually everything around us contains some amount of metal. The above infographic visualizes all 2.8 billion tonnes of metals mined in 2021 and highlights each metal’s largest end-use using data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS)....

While using such a metric certainly gives a quick snapshot of wealth per capita, it doesn’t necessarily show the complete picture. Some argue, for example, that calculating the mean doesn’t factor in the gap between the richest and poorest in a population—also known as wealth inequality. For this reason, we’ve compared this number to median wealth for each country, providing a separate angle on which countries really have the most wealth per capita....

BONUS GIFT Subscribe to VC+ and receive ‘Our Best of VC+ in 2022’. Everyone who subscribes before Dec 30th will receive a specially curated list of all the best VC+ dispatches that have been sent out to members over the last year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Read on to discover more about what you’ll get from the Global Forecast Series and all the regular VC+ content....

But, just looking at revenue numbers doesn’t give a full picture on how these companies compare – and many investors care much more about a different performance metric: profit. Thankfully, today’s data visualization from Ishtyaq Habib shows the top 100 biggest companies by market value, but uses circles to represent both the revenue and profit for each company. There’s also an interactive version of the same chart here as well, which highlights the specific numbers for each company highlighted....

Flying Under The Radar Bank Executives Not Aware of Key Fintech Startups The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays. Mid-afternoon single malt scotch. Summers in the Hamptons. Six-digit bills for yacht maintenance. If you thought bankers live in a bubble, you are correct. Today’s chart is even further evidence: banks are unaware of the very products and services that are vying to pull the rug from under them....

What makes an economy competitive at the global level, and why? It’s a question that economists, investors, and politicians have been asking themselves for decades. And to help answer it, the World Economic Forum has created the Global Competitiveness Index, or GCI. How can we measure competitiveness? To figure out how countries compare on the world stage, the GCI is calculated based on 114 economic metrics ranging from the quality of infrastructure to the amount of government debt....

Millennials Making More Happen With Less [Chart] Recent survey sheds light on millennial spending habits The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays. Despite the Western world’s general shift towards healthier eating, it may surprise you to learn that McDonald’s shares traded at all-time highs just days ago. How is this possible? Part of the reason is that although millennials will tell you otherwise, the name of the game for courting many millennials is still convenience....

Today’s visualizations highlight the number of vaccine doses that different countries have purchased, as well as the companies and organizations that have pre-sold them. The data has been collected via the Launch and Scale Speedometer at the Duke Global Health Innovation Center with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Breaking Down COVID-19 Vaccines by Country Although high income countries are currently buying the larger shares of doses, India has ordered 1....

Awareness around this practice has risen substantially in recent years, but how can investors determine if it’s a good fit for their portfolio? To answer this question, MSCI has identified three common motivations for using ESG in one’s portfolio, which have been outlined in the graphic above. The Three Motivators According to this research, the three primary motivations for ESG investing are defined as ESG integration, incorporating personal values, and making a positive impact....

Vinyl chloride, which was being transported on a number of the 150 train cars owned by Norfolk Southern, is a key cause for concern in the aftermath of the derailment. The chemical is a known carcinogen, and is dangerous when released into the environment. In this piece, we’re providing a timeline, an explainer on the chemicals being carried by the train, the impact zone of the derailment and release of said chemicals, and the other basics you need to know....

Over this timeframe, international trade has transformed significantly—not just in terms of volume and composition, but also in terms of the countries that the rest of the world leans on for their most important trade relationships. Now, a critical shift is occurring in the landscape, and it may surprise you to learn that China has already usurped the U.S. as the world’s most dominant trading partner. Trading Places: A Global Shift Today’s animation comes from the Lowy Institute, and it pulls data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) database on bilateral trade flows, to determine whether the U....

While COVID-19 has triggered a tsunami of challenges for retailers the world over, they can take solace in knowing that retail events throughout the year can contribute to an uptick in sales. But consumer spending for events like Back to School, Halloween, or Easter pales in comparison to what people spend between Thanksgiving and New Years—otherwise known as “the holidays”. The graphic above explores holiday spending across the world, as well as some of the major events that contribute to it, based on MoEngage and AppFollow’s Holiday Marketing Guide....

Three Major Reasons for Gold in 2016 Presented by: Advantage Gold This year looks to be another one of increased volatility as the market see-saws in different directions. Here are three compelling reasons why 2016 may be the perfect time to add gold to your portfolio. 1: “Stay the Course” Financial experts often mention that “buying and holding” stocks through good and bad times is the best way to guarantee returns....

However, in the last decade, a new option has emerged called “precious metals streaming” – in which streaming companies essentially offer capital up front to mining companies in exchange for metal later. If properly executed, the end result is a win for both parties that can ultimately provide value to investors. Precious Metals Streaming Today’s infographic from Silver Wheaton explains the precious metals streaming model, and the arbitrage opportunity that creates value for both the streamer and the miner seeking to acquire capital:...

A nest egg like that is a near-guarantee that you could surmount any curveball the world throws at you, whether it is an unexpected family emergency or anything else. While $1 million certainly sounds like a lofty milestone to many, it’s actually quite a common achievement: Millionaire households in the U.S.: 11.3 million (8.95%) Total households in the U.S.: 126.2 million And contrary to popular belief, to become a 401(k) millionaire, you don’t need to strike it rich with a lucky stock pick, or use a crystal ball to forecast the future of the market....

Rare coins can hold their value quite well over time, while remaining small and portable as physical assets. A rare coin can also sell for many multiples of the metal contained within, and this additional premium is known as its numismatic value. The caveat to rare coins is that the market is often illiquid, specialized, and partially arbitrary. Just like collecting fine art or other unique assets such as colored diamonds, it is not typically a game for amateurs....

Of course, there are the benefits and limitations to each platform to be considered – but even more importantly, the audience and activity on each platform can differ considerably. The demographics of Pinterest vary from those of YouTube or Facebook, and content creators need to think about these fundamental differences in order to maximize user engagement. Breaking Down the Top Social Networks The following infographic comes to us from Tracx, and it dives deep into the demographic differences between the top seven social networks....