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While Afghanistan is well covered in headlines and news stories, the lion’s share of this coverage is directly related to conflict. As a result, Afghanistan is viewed by many in Western countries as a war-torn desert, with conflict, ideology, and geopolitical power obscuring more practical information about the country and its people. In the Afghanistan map graphic above, we step back and examine Afghanistan from a structural point of view....

Almost half of all university-educated Americans rely on loans to pay for their higher education, with very few graduating debt-free. Total U.S. student debt has more than doubled in the last decade—reaching a record high of $1.5 trillion today. Today’s data visualization from HowMuch.net breaks down the average student debt per capita, to uncover which states shoulder the highest burden in this growing crisis. Students are Paying Through the Nose Before diving into the graphic, let’s take a quick look at why student debt is racking up....

While the country has more billionaires than any other, the U.S. share of global billionaires has actually been shrinking in recent decades. In 2010, about 40% of the world’s billionaire population lived in America⁠—and today, that number is closer to 27%. But who is the richest billionaire in every American state in 2022? This graphic uses data from Forbes to find out. The Richest of the Rich The billionaires on this list have made their fortune in a wide range of industries, including tech, automobiles, asset management, and video games....

Using data from WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, we’ve ranked each region from the greatest average loss in biodiversity, to the least: Latin America and Caribbean has seen the most loss, with a 94% drop in average species populations, while Africa comes in second with a 65% drop. The 5 Major Threats for Biodiversity Loss While the rate of loss varies across regions, WWF has identified five major threats that are linked to drops in species populations across all regions:...

Ever since Apple and other Big Tech companies hit a market capitalization of $1 trillion, many sectors are revving to follow suit—including the automotive industry. But among those car brands racing to reach this total valuation, some are closer to the finish line than others. This visualization uses data from Yahoo Finance to rank the world’s top car manufacturers by market capitalization. What could this spell for the future of the automotive industry?...

Megacities are defined as urban areas with a population of more than 10 million people. This means that the world’s top 20 most populous cities are all megacities. This visualization, using data from Macrotrends, shows the 20 most populous cities in the world. Rapid Urbanization Today, more than 80% of people in higher income countries find themselves living in urban areas, and in upper-middle income countries the number lies between 50-80%....

It is therefore no surprise that apps have become one of the largest consumer ecosystems on the planet, with the global app economy expected to reach $6.3 trillion by 2021. Today’s graphics pull data from a recent report by Sensor Tower that ranks the top 20 most downloaded apps of 2019. New entrants are rising up and threatening the dominance of more established tech companies—but can they sustain their current position on the leaderboard?...

Swiss Bank Accounts: A Look Into Elite Banking Swiss bank accounts have long been a place for the wealthy to store their cash in order to evade hefty taxes. As of late, however, the American government has been cracking down on tax evaders and those that aid them. American tax authorities created an amnesty program for Swiss banks that were willing to cooperate in bringing American tax evaders to justice, in exchange for less severe fines....

A year on from Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, Russian fossil fuel exports are still flowing to various nations around the world. According to estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), since the invasion started about a year ago, Russia has made more than $315 billion in revenue from fossil fuel exports around the world, with nearly half ($149 billion) coming from EU nations. This graphic uses data from the CREA to visualize the countries that have bought the most Russian fossil fuels since the invasion, showcasing the billions in revenue Russia has made from these exports....

While these are necessary measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, such economic interruption is unprecedented in many ways—resulting in some surprising side effects. The Evidence is in NO₂ Emissions Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) emissions, a major air pollutant, are closely linked to factory output and vehicles operating on the road. As both industry and transport come to a halt during this pandemic, NO₂ emissions can be a good indicator of global economic activity—and the changes are visible from space....

Some are more common than others, but it’s interesting to see that the online use of a language doesn’t always reflect how many people speak it. For example, Hindi is the third most spoken language worldwide, but it isn’t one of the top languages used on the internet. Here’s a look at the top 20 most used languages on the internet, compared to their real-world use among the global population....

Take silver. Typically known for sharp, idiosyncratic price movements, it faced double-digit declines in the first half of the decade, falling over 35% in just 2013 alone. By contrast, it jumped over 47% in 2020. Similarly, oil, corn, and others witnessed either steep declines or rapid gains. The above graphic from U.S. Global Investors traces 10 years of commodity price performance, highlighting 14 different commodities and their annual ranking over the years....

Therefore, regrowing, preserving, and managing forests and other natural carbon sinks is crucial to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and nature-based climate solutions are one way to do so. Nature-based solutions refer to conservation, restoration, and land management projects that generate carbon credits by avoiding, reducing or sequestering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With more organizations committing to climate targets, carbon credits from these projects have been in high demand. The above graphic sponsored by Carbon Streaming Corporation looks at the growing demand for carbon credits generated by nature-based projects using data from Ecosystem Marketplace....

In the context of modern times, flags are best known as national symbols — and they’re used to air a country’s past, present, and future vision all rolled into one. The Meaning of Flags Today’s infographic from Just the Flight looks at some the world’s most iconic flags, and the intricate stories and ideals that can be found in their designs. The Americas Since 1777, the star-spangled banner of the United States has gone through several facelifts....

The graphic above shows a timeline of some of the biggest data breaches on record. Each bubble represents the number of records lost in any given breach, with the most sensitive data clustered toward the right side. Before 2009, the majority of data breaches were the fault of human errors like misplaced hard drives and stolen laptops, or the efforts of “inside men” looking to make a profit by selling data to the highest bidder....

Trends and Advances in Renewable Energy When it comes to renewable energy, something has got to give. Green energy has a somewhat dated reputation for not being feasible from an economic perspective. However, it seems with green tech that the inputs slowly, yet incrementally, get better. Every additional percent of efficiency and each reduction in costs takes us a small step further towards a greener future. As the infographic shows, there are many interesting developments in the green sector that are piquing the interest of investors....

It helps make the global economy more resilient, it functions as an integral part of our culture and identity, and research has shown it’s even linked to our physical health. However, despite its importance, Earth’s biodiversity has decreased significantly over the last few decades. In fact, between 1970 and 2016, the population of vertebrate species fell by 68% on average worldwide. What’s causing this global decline? Today’s graphic uses data from WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 to illustrate the biggest threats to Earth’s biodiversity, and the impact each threat has had globally....

However, only a fraction of these entrepreneurial pursuits will eventually operate on a grand scale. With many of these companies propelled by venture capital funding, how do investors provide the cash—and get a piece of the startup pie? Pie in the Sky Today’s creative infographic from Fundera uses pie to visualize each stage of startup funding, from pre-seed funding to initial public offering. It’s worth noting that numbers presented here are hypothetical in nature, and that startups can have all kinds of paths to success (or failure)....

While there is a breathtaking variety of jobs out there, a few large-scale organizations stand out as the top employer in each state. The Largest Employer in Each State The U.S. is the third most populous country in the world, so it takes a lot of manpower to keep the government running. It’ll come as no surprise that, in most states, either the state or federal government is the top employer....

In today’s graphic, we use data from a World Economic Forum survey of 347 risk analysts on how they rank the likelihood of major risks we face in the aftermath of the pandemic. What are the most likely risks for the world over the next year and a half? The Most Likely Risks In the report, a “risk” is defined as an uncertain event or condition with the potential for significant negative impacts on various countries and industries....