See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Mapped: The Top Export in Every U.S. State (2025) See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Aircraft is the top export in 13 states—the most of any category. Tech leads the West, while energy dominates much of the South. Pharmaceuticals are the top export in six states, concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. America’s $2.1 trillion export economy isn’t powered by a single industry—it’s a patchwork of 50 specialized engines. This map shows the top international goods export for every U.S. state, based on data from the U.S. International Trade Administration. From aircraft in Washington to oil and gas in Texas, each state specializes in a different piece of the global economy. Notably, over half of U.S. states are tied to strategic sectors like aerospace, semiconductors, and energy—industries increasingly shaped by geopolitical tensions and supply chain shifts. The Industries Driving U.S. Exports by State Aircraft is the most widespread top export, leading in 13 states across the country. Aerospace and defense is the only U.S. manufacturing sector with a net trade surplus, fueling almost $1 trillion in economic activity annually. In states like Washington and Florida, it ranks as the largest export category overall. Below is a state-by-state breakdown of the top export category in 2025, based on NAICS-4 classifications: StateTop Export 2025Category ArkansasAircraftTransportation ConnecticutAircraftTransportation FloridaAircraftTransportation GeorgiaAircraftTransportation HawaiiAircraftTransportation KansasAircraftTransportation KentuckyAircraftTransportation MaineAircraftTransportation MarylandAircraftTransportation New HampshireAircraftTransportation OhioAircraftTransportation OklahomaAircraftTransportation WashingtonAircraftTransportation DelawareMedicineMedical IllinoisMedicineMedical IndianaMedicineMedical MassachusettsMedicineMedical North CarolinaMedicineMedical PennsylvaniaMedicineMedical Rhode IslandMedicineMedical AlabamaVehiclesTransportation MichiganVehiclesTransportation MissouriVehiclesTransportation South CarolinaVehiclesTransportation West VirginiaVehiclesTransportation NevadaPrimary MetalsIndustrial New JerseyPrimary MetalsIndustrial New YorkPrimary MetalsIndustrial UtahPrimary MetalsIndustrial IdahoSemiconductorsTech New MexicoSemiconductorsTech OregonSemiconductorsTech VermontSemiconductorsTech ArizonaIT HardwareTech CaliforniaIT HardwareTech WisconsinIT HardwareTech MississippiRefiningEnergy North DakotaRefiningEnergy VirginiaRefiningEnergy South DakotaChemicalsIndustrial WyomingChemicalsIndustrial LouisianaOil & GasEnergy TexasOil & GasEnergy ColoradoMeatpackingAgriculture NebraskaMeatpackingAgriculture MinnesotaMedical DevicesMedical TennesseeMedical DevicesMedical MontanaCattleAgriculture AlaskaFishingAgriculture IowaMachineryIndustrial Semiconductors and Tech Anchor the West Semiconductors dominate exports across parts of the West, including New Mexico and Oregon—highlighting the growing importance of domestic chip manufacturing. Semiconductors made up 46% of New Mexico’s exports, totaling $7 billion in 2025. In Oregon, they were valued at more than $9 billion. In California and Arizona, IT hardware and computer equipment are leading exports, reinforcing the region’s central role in global tech supply chains. These states are increasingly critical to U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on foreign chip production, especially amid rising competition with China. Biotech and Pharmaceuticals Power the Northeast and Midwest Pharmaceuticals are the top export in six states, driven by dense R&D ecosystems in the Northeast and Midwest. Massachusetts alone hosts more than 1,000 life sciences companies, making it a global hub for drug development and production. Indiana, meanwhile, is home to Eli Lilly’s global headquarters, with over 13,000 employees in Indianapolis alone. This concentration of talent, capital, and research institutions continues to fuel high-value medical exports across the region. America’s Energy Export Powerhouse in the South The U.S. energy export boom is concentrated in the South, where a tightly integrated network of production, processing, and shipping powers global supply. Texas anchors the system with $137 billion in oil and gas exports, while Louisiana’s ports and natural gas output connect U.S. energy to global markets. Neighboring Mississippi plays a key role in refining, turning raw inputs into export-ready fuels. As global energy markets tighten, this regional dominance is becoming more important. In April, U.S. crude and petroleum exports surged to a record 12.9 million barrels per day, driven by conflict in the Middle East. Why This Matters From aerospace hubs to semiconductor corridors and energy strongholds, America’s export economy is deeply regional—and increasingly strategic. As global trade becomes more fragmented and geopolitics reshape supply chains, the industries dominating each state today could play an outsized role in shaping the country’s economic resilience looking ahead. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the share of U.S. exports by state in 2025.

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Mapped: Where Young Adults Use Social Media Most in Europe See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Social media use among Europe’s young adults is near-universal in many countries, often exceeding 95%. Italy (80.3%) and Germany (84.2%) have the lowest rates on the continent. Northern Europe and the Balkans lead, with several countries approaching full adoption. Social media use among young adults (aged 16–29) in Europe is nearing saturation, with many countries approaching universal adoption. But two of Europe’s largest economies stand apart. Data from Eurostat and Ofcom shows a clear gap. While countries in Northern Europe and the Balkans lead, major economies like Germany (84.2%) and Italy (80.3%) lag behind their peers. Nearly Universal Adoption With Two Exceptions In countries like Denmark or Czechia, social media use is close to universal among young adults. Germany and Italy break from this pattern, highlighting how cultural and structural factors continue to shape digital behavior. Below is the full ranking of 34 European countries by social media use among young adults: RankCountryUse of Social Networks in 2025 among young adults 1 Cyprus98.3 2 North Macedonia97.7 3 Czechia97.2 4 Serbia97.2 5 UK97.0 6 Denmark96.9 7 Finland96.6 8 Austria96.1 9 Montenegro96.1 10 Switzerland95.8 11 Norway95.7 12 Ireland94.4 13 Netherlands94.2 14 France93.9 15 Latvia93.8 16 Turkey93.4 17 Romania92.1 18 Malta91.9 19 Spain91.6 20 Portugal91.6 21 Estonia91.4 22 Hungary91.1 23 Slovenia91.0 24 Croatia90.7 25 Greece90.6 26 Poland90.5 27 Lithuania89.8 28 Bulgaria89.4 29 Slovakia88.7 30 Sweden88.4 31 Belgium88.3 32 Luxembourg84.8 33 Germany84.2 34 Italy80.3 --Average92.4 Cyprus and North Macedonia have the highest rates of young-adult social media use in Europe, followed closely by Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Serbia, and the United Kingdom. In these countries, social media functions as essential infrastructure, used for everything from coordinating study groups to maintaining social circles. Being offline can make young people effectively invisible in networks that increasingly operate online. Germany and Italy: The Exceptions While social media use exceeds 90% across much of Europe, Germany and Italy stand apart. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has 84.2% of young adults on social media, well below many of its neighbors. Italy is lower still at 80.3%, meaning one in five young adults are not on any social platform, the highest share on the continent. In Germany, stricter privacy norms shaped by GDPR have contributed to a more cautious approach to online presence. Policymakers are even considering restrictions on youth access, with leaders citing the dangers of online socialization. In Italy, lower usage may reflect a stronger role for offline social life. Everyday interactions, from evening strolls to time spent in cafes, continue to provide alternatives to digital connection. Migration’s Relationship With Social Media High social media use in the Balkans is partly linked to emigration. Roughly a quarter of Western Balkan citizens, for example, move abroad in search of higher wages and better job opportunities. For families split across different countries or even different continents, social media plays a key role in maintaining communication. Diaspora has helped social media usage overcome the digital skepticism seen in countries like Germany or Italy. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about this topic, check out the We’re Spending More Time Watching Videos on Social Media on Voronoi.

See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app. America Now Spends More on Interest Than Defense See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways U.S. interest payments surpassed defense spending in 2024 for the first time in nearly a century. The gap is projected to widen significantly, with interest costs reaching $2.1 trillion by 2036—almost double defense spending. Rising debt and higher rates are making interest the fastest-growing part of the federal budget. For the first time since the late 1920s, the U.S. is spending more on interest payments than on national defense. That shift marks a turning point in federal priorities. As debt levels climb and borrowing costs rise, interest payments are taking up a growing share of the budget—projected to hit $2.1 trillion by 2036, far outpacing defense spending. This chart compares annual U.S. net interest payments and defense outlays from 1996 to 2036, based on data from the White House and projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) as of February 2026. U.S. Interest vs. Defense Spending (1996–2036P) In 2024, U.S. interest payments reached $879.9 billion, surpassing defense spending of $850.7 billion. Projections through 2036 show interest payments continuing to pull ahead, even as defense spending rises. The table below shows how annual U.S. net interest payments and defense spending changed from 1996 to 2025, along with projections from 2026 to 2036: YearU.S. Annual Net Interest Payments (billions)U.S. Annual Defense Spending (billions) 1996$241.1$266.0 1997$244.0$271.7 1998$241.1$270.2 1999$229.8$275.5 2000$222.9$295.0 2001$206.2$306.1 2002$170.9$349.0 2003$153.1$404.9 2004$160.2$454.1 2005$184.0$493.6 2006$226.6$520.0 2007$237.1$547.9 2008$252.8$612.4 2009$186.9$656.7 2010$196.2$688.9 2011$230.0$699.4 2012$220.4$670.5 2013$220.9$625.8 2014$229.0$596.4 2015$223.2$583.4 2016$240.0$584.8 2017$262.6$590.2 2018$325.0$622.7 2019$375.2$676.4 2020$345.5$713.8 2021$352.3$741.6 2022$475.9$752.1 2023$658.3$806.2 2024$879.9$850.7 2025$970.0$893.0 2026P$1,039.0$885.0 2027P$1,108.0$901.0 2028P$1,218.0$928.0 2029P$1,324.0$938.0 2030P$1,432.0$966.0 2031P$1,548.0$986.0 2032P$1,670.0$1,006.0 2033P$1,784.0$1,034.0 2034P$1,904.0$1,051.0 2035P$2,019.0$1,068.0 2036P$2,144.0$1,100.0 How Interest Overtook Defense Spending Between 1996 and 2001, U.S. defense spending averaged about 30% higher than net interest costs, as falling interest rates and budget surpluses kept debt servicing relatively low. That gap widened sharply after 9/11. Military spending doubled over the following decade, reaching $699 billion in 2011, while interest costs rose more slowly to $230 billion. During the low-interest-rate era of the 2010s, borrowing costs stayed low even as federal debt nearly doubled—from $9.0 trillion in 2010 to $16.8 trillion in 2019—masking the long-term cost of that debt. After COVID-19, that dynamic reversed. A surge in borrowing combined with higher interest rates pushed debt servicing costs sharply higher, with net interest outlays nearly tripling to $970 billion by 2025. At a projected $1.0 trillion in 2026, America’s net interest bill is set to become the fastest-growing major budget item. By 2036, net interest outlays will more than double to $2.1 trillion, while defense spending is projected to reach $1.1 trillion. If current projections hold, the U.S. will spend far more on servicing its debt than on national defense within a decade, raising questions about how future budgets will balance economic stability, security, and growth. Why This Shift Matters This crossover isn’t just symbolic. It marks a fundamental shift in how the U.S. allocates its resources—toward servicing past borrowing rather than funding current priorities. As interest costs rise, a growing share of federal spending is effectively locked in, reducing flexibility for areas like defense, infrastructure, and research. Over time, this can crowd out new investments and make it harder for policymakers to respond to economic downturns or emerging challenges. In other words, higher interest payments don’t just reflect rising debt—they actively shape what the government can afford to do next. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about which NATO countries dominate defense spending, check out this graphic, which visualizes NATO countries by their estimated defense spending.

Published 3 hours ago on April 29, 2026 By Cody Good Graphics & Design Athul Alexander Abha Patil Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Email The following content is sponsored by BullionVault 3 Costs Impacting Gold Returns Key Takeaways Price premiums, including spreads and trading fees, directly impact how much value investors retain when buying and selling gold. Where gold investments are stored plays a critical role in shaping the cost, security, and overall value.Ongoing management fees, particularly in financial products, can reduce returns over time, giving physical gold a potential cost advantage as investments grow. Commodity price spikes historically capture mass attention, but few have drawn as many eyes as gold. The metal has been on a record-setting bull run, making it a persistent topic of interest since at least 2023. The historic, multi-year price rally raises an important consideration: how investors choose to access gold can significantly impact their returns. There are several different paths to gold investment, each with its own costs and benefits that shape overall performance. This graphic, in partnership with BullionVault, shows the key cost factors that impact gold returns. How to Invest in Gold Every gold investment starts as a 400-troy-ounce wholesale bar. From this foundation, investors have three options, each with a distinct cost structure that can affect returns over time. They are: Retail products, like coins and small bars Financial products, such as ETFs Wholesale bullion, often stored in professional vaults Retail and wholesale investments allow for physical ownership of gold with the decision-making power over where and how the gold is held. In contrast, ETFs offer investors shares in a trust to gain easy access and exposure to the price of gold. Across all methods, three key factors shape returns: price premiums, storage and insurance costs, and ongoing management fees. The Hidden Premiums of Gold Investment Every gold investment includes a premium, regardless of the path taken. This premium comes from two factors: the price spread and trading costs. The price spread indicates the percentage gap between gold’s buy and sell price. It captures real-world costs like minting, shipping and delivery, and dealer markups. Trading costs are the commissions and trading platform access fees, as a percentage of trade value. Together, these premiums determine how much value investors retain when entering or exiting a position. Here is a table that shows how spreads and trading fees compare across different gold investment methods, using a baseline $10K investment. FormCost Coins$800 Bars$500 BullionVault$115 ETF$50 Investment Value$10,000 Source: Daily Gold Price; ETF.com; BullionVault. Minimizing these combined costs can help investors retain more capital when seeking gold exposure. Gold Storage and Ownership Trade-offs Where gold is kept directly affects the cost, security, and value of the investment. Storage options include homes with or without a safe, bank deposit boxes, and professional vaults. This table shows what first-year storage costs can look like across methods using a $10K baseline: Storage OptionCost Basic home safe$1,985 Safety deposit box$1,125 BullionVault$48 ETF$32 Investment Value$10,000 Source: London Gold Exchange & BullionVault. While home storage offers full control, it often requires additional spending on a safe and insurance. Bank deposit boxes may limit access and exclude insurance coverage.Meanwhile, ETFs remove storage concerns but also eliminate ownership benefits, while charging expense ratios to cover the operating and management fees of the fund. In contrast, professional vaults can offer lower costs and stronger security through institutional-scale infrastructure. Platforms like BullionVault, provide access to these vaults, passing on lower costs and economies of scale to individual investors. Long-Term Cost Efficiency for Gold Investment Across most metrics, ETFs often appear cheaper at the start, but their cost advantage can change as investments frow. Ongoing fees, though small, can compound and reduce returns over time. The table below compares the weighted average monthly cost of ETF ownership with BullionVault’s monthly costs. Investment ValueBV Storage Fee /MonthUS Weighted Avg ETF (0.32%) 10004.000.27 50004.001.33 100004.002.67 150004.004.00 200004.005.33 250004.006.67 300004.008.00 350004.009.33 400004.0010.67 450004.5012.00 500005.0013.33 550005.5014.67 600006.0016.00 650006.5017.33 700007.0018.67 750007.5020.00 800008.0021.33 850008.5022.67 900009.0024.00 950009.5025.33 10000010.0026.67 Fee as a % of investment value0.01% ($4 minimum)0.32% Source: BullionVault. *Average weighting based on each ETF’s gold holdings. Based on this structure, once an investment exceeds $15K worth of gold, BullionVault can become more cost-efficient than the average U.S. ETF. Ultimately, investors that reduce trading, storage, and management fees can retain more of gold’s value. BullionVault offers an easier way to buy, store and sell physical gold at wholesale prices, with access to five professional-market vaults worldwide. You may also like Gold6 months ago Gold or Stocks? $10K After 25 Years Gold or Stocks? See how $10K since 2000 grew, and why gold leads on wealth preservation. Gold6 months ago Charted: A Decade of Central Bank Gold Purchases Central bank gold buying has reshaped the market over the past decade. This piece charts the trend and spotlights 2025’s leading buyers—and why it matters. Subscribe Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Join 375,000+ email subscribers: *Sign Up

Published 1 day ago on April 29, 2026 By Cody Good Graphics & Design Athul Alexander Abha Patil Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Email The following content is sponsored by BullionVault 3 Costs Impacting Gold Returns Key Takeaways Price premiums, including spreads and trading fees, directly impact how much value investors retain when buying and selling gold. Where gold investments are stored plays a critical role in shaping the cost, security, and overall value.Ongoing management fees, particularly in financial products, can reduce returns over time, giving physical gold a potential cost advantage as investments grow. Commodity price spikes historically capture mass attention, but few have drawn as many eyes as gold. The metal has been on a record-setting bull run, making it a persistent topic of interest since at least 2023. The historic, multi-year price rally raises an important consideration: how investors choose to access gold can significantly impact their returns. There are several different paths to gold investment, each with its own costs and benefits that shape overall performance. This graphic, in partnership with BullionVault, shows the key cost factors that impact gold returns. How to Invest in Gold Every gold investment starts as a 400-troy-ounce wholesale bar. From this foundation, investors have three options, each with a distinct cost structure that can affect returns over time. They are: Retail products, like coins and small bars Financial products, such as ETFs Wholesale bullion, often stored in professional vaults Retail and wholesale investments allow for physical ownership of gold with the decision-making power over where and how the gold is held. In contrast, ETFs offer investors shares in a trust to gain easy access and exposure to the price of gold. Across all methods, three key factors shape returns: price premiums, storage and insurance costs, and ongoing management fees. The Hidden Premiums of Gold Investment Every gold investment includes a premium, regardless of the path taken. This premium comes from two factors: the price spread and trading costs. The price spread indicates the percentage gap between gold’s buy and sell price. It captures real-world costs like minting, shipping and delivery, and dealer markups. Trading costs are the commissions and trading platform access fees, as a percentage of trade value. Together, these premiums determine how much value investors retain when entering or exiting a position. Here is a table that shows how spreads and trading fees compare across different gold investment methods, using a baseline $10K investment. FormCost Coins$800 Bars$500 BullionVault$115 ETF$50 Investment Value$10,000 Source: Daily Gold Price; ETF.com; BullionVault. Minimizing these combined costs can help investors retain more capital when seeking gold exposure. Gold Storage and Ownership Trade-offs Where gold is kept directly affects the cost, security, and value of the investment. Storage options include homes with or without a safe, bank deposit boxes, and professional vaults. This table shows what first-year storage costs can look like across methods using a $10K baseline: Storage OptionCost Basic home safe$1,985 Safety deposit box$1,125 BullionVault$48 ETF$32 Investment Value$10,000 Source: London Gold Exchange & BullionVault. While home storage offers full control, it often requires additional spending on a safe and insurance. Bank deposit boxes may limit access and exclude insurance coverage.Meanwhile, ETFs remove storage concerns but also eliminate ownership benefits, while charging expense ratios to cover the operating and management fees of the fund. In contrast, professional vaults can offer lower costs and stronger security through institutional-scale infrastructure. Platforms like BullionVault, provide access to these vaults, passing on lower costs and economies of scale to individual investors. Long-Term Cost Efficiency for Gold Investment Across most metrics, ETFs often appear cheaper at the start, but their cost advantage can change as investments frow. Ongoing fees, though small, can compound and reduce returns over time. The table below compares the weighted average monthly cost of ETF ownership with BullionVault’s monthly costs. Investment ValueBV Storage Fee /MonthUS Weighted Avg ETF (0.32%) 10004.000.27 50004.001.33 100004.002.67 150004.004.00 200004.005.33 250004.006.67 300004.008.00 350004.009.33 400004.0010.67 450004.5012.00 500005.0013.33 550005.5014.67 600006.0016.00 650006.5017.33 700007.0018.67 750007.5020.00 800008.0021.33 850008.5022.67 900009.0024.00 950009.5025.33 10000010.0026.67 Fee as a % of investment value0.01% ($4 minimum)0.32% Source: BullionVault. *Average weighting based on each ETF’s gold holdings. Based on this structure, once an investment exceeds $15K worth of gold, BullionVault can become more cost-efficient than the average U.S. ETF. Ultimately, investors that reduce trading, storage, and management fees can retain more of gold’s value. BullionVault offers an easier way to buy, store and sell physical gold at wholesale prices, with access to five professional-market vaults worldwide. You may also like Gold6 months ago Gold or Stocks? $10K After 25 Years Gold or Stocks? See how $10K since 2000 grew, and why gold leads on wealth preservation. Gold6 months ago Charted: A Decade of Central Bank Gold Purchases Central bank gold buying has reshaped the market over the past decade. This piece charts the trend and spotlights 2025’s leading buyers—and why it matters. Subscribe Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Join 375,000+ email subscribers: *Sign Up

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Ranked: America’s Top Non-Ivy League Universities See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways MIT and Stanford rank ahead of every Ivy League university in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. California has three of the top five non-Ivy schools: Stanford, Caltech, and UC Berkeley. Public universities make up a major part of the list, including UC Berkeley, Michigan, UCLA, and Purdue. The Ivy League is often shorthand for elite higher education in the U.S., but many of America’s highest-ranked universities sit outside that group. Two non-Ivy schools, MIT and Stanford, rank ahead of every Ivy League university in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. This graphic ranks the top 25 non-Ivy League universities in the U.S. using 2026 data from QS World University Rankings, which scores universities based on academic reputation, research, employability, sustainability, and global engagement. Surpassing the Ivy Leagues MIT and Stanford are the clearest examples of how U.S. academic prestige extends beyond the Ivy League. Both rank ahead of every Ivy League university in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, with MIT earning a perfect score of 100 and Stanford scoring 98.9. The following data table lists non-Ivy League universities in the U.S. alongside their QS score for 2026. RankUniversityStateScore 1MITMassachussetts100 2Stanford UniversityCalifornia98.9 3CaltechCalifornia94.3 4University of ChicagoIllinois93 5UC BerkeleyCalifornia91.2 6Johns HopkinsMaryland89.7 7Northwestern UniversityIllinois85.1 8University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichigan84.7 9UCLACalifornia84.4 10Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvania82.3 11New York UniversityNew York81.1 12Duke UniversityNorth Carolina79 13UC San DiegoCalifornia76.9 14UT AustinTexas76.4 15University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinois75.9 16University of WashingtonWashington72.7 17Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania72.6 18Boston UniversityMassachussetts71.1 18Purdue UniversityIndiana71.1 20University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin66.6 21UC DavisCalifornia66.3 22Rice UniversityTexas65.7 23Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia65.5 24UNC Chapel HillNorth Carolina63.2 25Texas A&MTexas63 Decades of academic excellence have turned MIT and Stanford into intellectual centers that power their regions. More than 100 MIT alumni have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, and the university is best known for its contributions to engineering, science, and technology. Meanwhile, Stanford played a key role in the mid-20th-century creation of Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. Its alumni include the presidents of six countries and multiple Supreme Court justices. California’s Clear Concentration California has the strongest showing of any state in the ranking, led by Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and UCLA. This concentration reflects the state’s mix of private research powerhouses and major public universities. The UC system spans 10 campuses across the state and serves roughly 300,000 students. In addition to UC Berkeley, the Los Angeles (84.4), San Diego (76.9), and Davis (66.3) campuses are also world-renowned for their academic rigor and contributions to both STEM fields and the social sciences. Alongside high-research universities like Caltech, the UC system has helped shape California’s reputation as a center of intellectual rigor and entrepreneurship. Major Schools in the Midwest While regions west of the Mississippi River have relatively few leading universities outside of Texas, Illinois anchors another hub of major non-Ivy colleges, especially around its largest city. The University of Chicago (93) is the fourth-best non-Ivy school in the country. Founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1890, it served throughout the 20th century as a key center for law, nuclear research, chemistry, and political economy. Meanwhile, Northwestern University (85.1), located in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, counts nearly 50 Pulitzer Prize winners among its alumni. Outside the Chicago area, the Midwest is home to leading universities such as the University of Michigan (84.7), Purdue University (71.1), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (75.9). Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about this topic, check out the The U.S. Dominates the World University Ranking on Voronoi.

Ranked: The World’s Largest Importers in 2025 See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways The U.S. imports $3.5T in goods, over $900B more than China. Asia and Europe dominate global imports, accounting for most of the top 30. Germany stands out, importing far more relative to its economy than other major powers. Despite rising trade tensions, the world’s largest economies remain deeply dependent on imports to function. In 2025, the United States remained the world’s top importer, accounting for more than 13% of global goods imports. From energy and raw materials to finished products, global supply chains remain critical to both consumption and industrial output. This graphic ranks the world’s 30 largest importers using the latest available data from the World Trade Organization. The U.S. is the World’s Top Import Market In 2025, the United States remained the world’s largest importer by a wide margin. The $3.5 trillion imported by the U.S. is nearly a trillion dollars more than second-place China ($2.6 trillion). The massive surge in U.S. imports from countries like Canada, China, Japan, and Mexico in recent decades has led to Washington running an over $1 trillion trade deficit, larger than any other country. The strong U.S. dollar also makes imports cheaper—reinforcing America’s role as the world’s largest buyer of goods. This data table lists the world’s top 30 largest importers alongside their total import value in 2025. RankCountryValue (Billion USD)Global Share (%) 1 United States3,50713.2 2 China2,5839.7 3 Germany1,5435.8 4 United Kingdom9493.6 5 Netherlands8703.3 6 Hong Kong8323.1 7 France7863.0 8 Japan7562.8 9 India7532.8 10 Mexico6832.6 11 Italy6692.5 12 South Korea6322.4 13 United Arab Emirates6192.3 14 Canada5772.2 15 Belgium5382.0 16 Spain5131.9 17 Switzerland5071.9 18 Singapore5061.9 19 Taiwan4941.9 20 Vietnam4541.7 21 Poland4211.6 22 Turkey3651.4 23 Thailand3451.3 24 Malaysia3401.3 25 Australia3111.2 26 Russia3031.1 27 Brazil2941.1 28 Saudi Arabia2541.0 29 Czech Republic2531.0 30 Indonesia2420.9 -- Top 30 Importers21,89982.5 Many across the U.S. push for the country to reduce its imports and produce more domestically, particularly in manufacturing. High-value goods such as cars, of which the U.S. imported over $216 billion in 2024, are particular points of tension, as well as products made overseas by U.S. firms like Apple’s iPhones. However, the reality of international supply chains is that even many locally-made products require different imported input components, from car parts to steel to processors. As a result, trade protectionism in the world’s largest consumer market also has an impact on American manufacturers. China: A Different Type of Importer While the U.S. imports primarily finished consumer goods, China’s import profile looks very different—focused heavily on raw materials that power its manufacturing engine. Primary goods such as iron, oil, and soybeans dominate Chinese imports, although there are also key finished products like semiconductors which are essential for local manufacturing. China maintains a fairly major trade surplus of over $1 trillion, although Beijing does run a deficit with certain large emerging markets like Brazil. Neighboring Hong Kong also imported over $832 billion worth of goods in 2025, with only $232 billion of these being retained imports for local consumption, contrary to goods which were then reexported. Germany: Punching Above Its Weight Germany stands out among major economies: despite its smaller size, it imports far more relative to GDP than either the U.S. or China, reflecting its deep integration into global supply chains. Germany’s $1.5 trillion in 2025 imports is over half of the Chinese total and over 40% of the total for the far larger U.S. economy. Close trade ties within Europe have made Germany one of the most interconnected economies in global trade. Meanwhile, the country has long depended on foreign energy imports to power its world-renowned domestic industry. Learn More on the Voronoi App If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Global Trade Dominance: U.S., EU, or China (2000 vs. 2024) on Voronoi.Use This Visualization

Published 9 hours ago on April 28, 2026 By Ryan Bellefontaine Graphics & Design Abha Patil Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Email The following content is sponsored by National Public Utilities Council Mapped: The States Most Prepared for Power Demand Surges Key Takeaways Florida leads all states with 3,003 MW in potential peak demand savings. Alabama and Minnesota also rank highly, each exceeding 2,000 MW. Rhode Island and Wyoming report no demand-response capacity. Extreme weather, electrification, AI, and data centers are putting more pressure on America’s power grids. As demand rises, utilities need flexible tools to reduce strain before outages occur. But which states lead on flexibility? This graphic, in partnership with the National Public Utilities Council, shows the states most prepared for power demand surges using peak potential demand savings data from the EIA. The States That Can Cut the Most Power Demand Demand-response programs help utilities lower electricity use during high-stress periods. For example, customers may reduce consumption or shift usage away from peak hours, often in exchange for compensation. Here is a table showing potential peak-demand savings in MW by state in 2024. StatePotential Peak Demand Savings in 2024 (MW) FL3,003 AL2,153 MN2,009 NC1,858 MI1,550 SC1,324 GA1,266 IL1,143 NY1,070 CA1,061 TX1,050 AR1,024 TN991 OK869 NE857 ND854 WI830 CO795 IA759 KY732 IN671 OH668 MD613 AZ555 MS522 ID466 UT336 MO307 LA267 DE246 NV200 SD180 OR178 VA163 KS143 CT135 MA120 WA112 VT72 NM69 HI58 MT52 PA43 WV34 NJ27 DC20 AK18 ME15 NH5 RI0 WY0 Florida ranks first, with 3,003 MW in potential peak demand savings. Alabama follows at 2,153 MW, while Minnesota places third at 2,009 MW. Together, these states demonstrate how demand-response capacity can buffer the grid during grid stress. Meanwhile, data center power demand continues to rise as AI adoption grows. The Southeast Leads the Rankings Florida and Alabama lead the nation, supported by demand-response programs from utilities including FPL, Duke Energy Florida, Alabama Power, and TVA. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia also rank in the top seven. As a result, the Southeast stands out for its ability to manage demand spikes. These programs can help utilities avoid outages without adding new generation immediately. Where Capacity Is Limited—and Why It Matters At the other end, Rhode Island and Wyoming report no demand-response capacity. That leaves fewer options to cut demand when electricity use surges. Several northeastern states, including New Hampshire, Maine, and New Jersey, also report minimal demand-response capacity. As U.S. electricity demand rises from data center construction after years of slower growth, demand-response programs give utilities an important tool to manage peak stress. 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See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Ranked: The World’s 50 Largest Banks by Assets See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways The world’s 50 largest banks hold $101.6 trillion in assets combined. Chinese banks dominate the ranking, led by the four largest banks in the world. JPMorgan Chase ranks fifth by assets, but remains the world’s most valuable bank by market capitalization. Banks sit at the center of the global financial system, and the assets they hold help move credit, deposits, and liquidity through the economy. Together, the world’s 50 largest banks hold $101.6 trillion in assets, a total approaching the world’s $111 trillion government debt load in 2025. This graphic ranks the 50 largest banks in the world by total assets, using data from CompaniesMarketCap as of April 15, 2026. The figures represent each bank’s total assets for the most recent reporting period and include cash and cash equivalents, loans, investments, properties, and equipment. Chinese and American Banks Hold the Most Assets Chinese banks dominate the top of the ranking. The four largest banks in the world are all Chinese state-owned lenders: ICBC, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Bank of China. Together, those four institutions hold $25.5 trillion, or roughly one-quarter of the $101.6 trillion total of the top 50 banks. The data table below shows the values of the 50 largest global banks’ assets, along with the country of each bank. RankBankTotal Assets (Billions, USD)Country 1ICBC$7,300 China 2Agricultural Bank of China$6,800 China 3China Construction Bank$6,200 China 4Bank of China$5,300 China 5JPMorgan Chase$4,400 United States 6Bank of America$3,400 United States 7BNP Paribas$3,300 France 8HSBC$3,200 United Kingdom 9Crédit Agricole$2,800 France 10Mitsubishi UFJ Financial$2,700 Japan 11Citigroup$2,700 United States 12Postal Savings Bank of China$2,500 China 13Santander$2,200 Spain 14Bank of Communications$2,200 China 15Wells Fargo$2,200 United States 16Barclays$2,100 United Kingdom 17Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group$2,000 Japan 18Mizuho Financial Group$1,900 Japan 19Société Générale$1,800 France 20Goldman Sachs$1,800 United States 21CM Bank$1,800 China 22Royal Bank Of Canada$1,700 Canada 23Deutsche Bank$1,700 Germany 24UBS$1,600 Switzerland 25Japan Post Bank$1,600 Japan 26Toronto Dominion Bank$1,500 Canada 27Industrial Bank$1,500 China 28Morgan Stanley$1,400 United States 29CITIC Bank$1,400 China 30Shanghai Pudong Development Bank$1,400 China 31Lloyds Banking Group$1,300 United Kingdom 32ING$1,200 Netherlands 33Intesa Sanpaolo$1,100 Italy 34China Minsheng Bank$1,100 China 35Scotiabank$1,100 Canada 36Schweizerische Nationalbank$1,100 Switzerland 37Bank of Montreal$1,100 Canada 38UniCredit$1,000 Italy 39China Everbright Bank$1,000 China 40Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria$1,000 Spain 41NatWest Group$962 United Kingdom 42Commonwealth Bank$944 Australia 43Standard Chartered$920 United Kingdom 44State Bank of India$878 India 45ANZ Bank$857 Australia 46CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce)$832 Canada 47Ping An Bank$820 China 48CaixaBank$780 Spain 49Nordea Bank$769 Finland 50DBS Group$699 Singapore The U.S. comes next, led by JPMorgan Chase with $4.4 trillion in assets and Bank of America with $3.4 trillion. The rest of the top 10 is rounded out by three European banks (BNP Paribas, HSBC, Crédit Agricole) and one Japanese lender (Mitsubishi UFJ). A large part of banks’ assets are cash and liquid assets, partly because regulators require them to withstand market stress and funding pressure. Regional Concentration Among Global Banks Asia leads the ranking, holding nearly half of the assets of the world’s 50 largest lenders. Region# of BanksAverage Assets per BankTotal Assets (USD, Billions) Asia19$2,584$49,097 Europe18$1,602$28,831 North America11$2,012$22,132 Other2$901$1,801 That dominance is driven overwhelmingly by 13 Chinese banks, which alone account for about 39% of the total. Europe ranks second, largely on volume rather than scale: it has nearly as many banks on the list as Asia (18 vs. 19), yet those institutions are generally smaller, averaging just $1.6 trillion in assets per bank compared with Asia’s $2.6 trillion. North America is anchored by six U.S. banks and five Canadian ones, giving the region fewer banks than Europe but larger institutions on average. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn about the assets held by central banks, check out this graphic, which visualizes the top 20 central banks by assets.

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization The States Landing the Most Foreign Investment See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Arizona leads by a wide margin, attracting nearly $200B in foreign investment since 2020. The top five states account for over half of all announced investment. Semiconductor, EV, and clean energy projects are driving the largest commitments. Since 2020, nearly $1 trillion in foreign capital has been committed to U.S. projects—often through a small number of very large investments. Using data from fDi Intelligence, this map shows where that capital is being deployed, based on announced commitments between 2020 and 2025. Arizona accounts for the largest share at nearly $200 billion, driven by major semiconductor projects. Other leading states, including Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia, are attracting investment tied to EVs, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. Arizona Leads in U.S. Foreign Investment Arizona captured over 20% of total U.S. foreign capital commitments since 2020, fueled by TSMC’s $165 billion megaproject. As the largest single foreign direct investment (FDI) project in U.S. history, it highlights how semiconductor manufacturing is becoming a cornerstone of domestic industrial policy. Over the next decade, these facilities are expected to generate thousands of jobs and anchor long-term supply chains in the region. The table below ranks all states by announced FDI. The top five alone account for more than half of total inflows, reflecting how a small number of large projects are shaping the national picture. RankState or DistrictForeign Direct Investment2020-2025Share 1Arizona$196.2B20.3% 2Texas$158.3B16.4% 3North Carolina$49.9B5.2% 4California$49.9B5.2% 5Georgia$41.2B4.3% 6New York$38.7B4.0% 7Louisiana$37.4B3.9% 8Indiana$29.5B3.1% 9Tennessee$25.4B2.6% 10Ohio$25.2B2.6% 11Illinois$24.9B2.6% 12Kentucky$23.8B2.5% 13Florida$23.0B2.4% 14South Carolina$21.9B2.3% 15Michigan$18.2B1.9% 16Virginia$17.7B1.8% 17Pennsylvania$17.4B1.8% 18New Jersey$12.6B1.3% 19Alabama$11.6B1.2% 20Oklahoma$11.2B1.2% 21Maryland$10.2B1.1% 22Massachusetts$9.9B1.0% 23Colorado$9.1B0.9% 24New Mexico$8.3B0.9% 25Nevada$8.2B0.8% 26Kansas$7.5B0.8% 27Wisconsin$7.4B0.8% 28West Virginia$6.3B0.7% 29Washington$5.7B0.6% 30Mississippi$5.5B0.6% 31Missouri$5.4B0.6% 32Utah$4.9B0.5% 33Oregon$4.7B0.5% 34Arkansas$4.5B0.5% 35Minnesota$4.3B0.4% 36Connecticut$3.4B0.3% 37Alaska$3.2B0.3% 38North Dakota$2.8B0.3% 39Vermont$2.6B0.3% 40Idaho$2.6B0.3% 41South Dakota$2.5B0.3% 42Wyoming$2.5B0.3% 43Maine$2.3B0.2% 44New Hampshire$1.8B0.2% 45Iowa$1.8B0.2% 46Delaware$1.7B0.2% 47Nebraska$1.2B0.1% 48Washington D.C.$1.1B0.1% 49Rhode Island$850M0.1% 50Hawaii$590M0.1% 51Montana$130M0.01% Texas attracted $158 billion in investment, led by Samsung’s $44 billion chip facility. Beyond semiconductors, the state is also seeing strong inflows into data centers and clean energy, reinforcing its position as one of America’s top investment hubs. Automakers are also investing heavily in the Southeast. Toyota is building a $13.9 billion EV battery plant in North Carolina, while Hyundai is investing $12.7 billion in Georgia, cementing the region’s role in EV supply chains. The States Being Left Behind Beyond the top tier, investment levels drop off quickly. While leading states are attracting tens—or even hundreds—of billions, many others are seeing only modest inflows. Overall, 20 states attracted less than $5 billion each, with Montana ($130 million), Hawaii ($590 million), and Rhode Island ($850 million) ranking at the bottom. Many of these states have smaller labor pools that limit their ability to support large-scale projects. Meanwhile, higher-cost states like Oregon and Minnesota face regulatory pressures that may be limiting their ability to capture more investment. Instead, foreign investment is increasingly clustering in states that can support large-scale industrial projects—particularly in semiconductors, EVs, and clean energy—leaving much of the country on the sidelines. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the share of U.S. exports by state.

Mapped: The Countries Most in Debt to the IMF This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Argentina owes over $60B to the IMF—far more than any other country. More than 80 countries currently owe the IMF, spanning every region. African nations make up the largest share of borrowers, though typically with smaller loans. Dozens of countries are currently relying on the International Monetary Fund as economic pressures strain public finances. This map, created by Iswardi Ishak using International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, shows outstanding IMF credit by country as of April 2026. While borrowing is widespread, a handful of countries account for a disproportionate share—led by Argentina, which stands far ahead of the rest. The Biggest IMF Borrowers Argentina isn’t just the largest IMF borrower—it’s in a league of its own, owing nearly four times more than the next-largest country. With over $60 billion in outstanding credit, Argentina’s total reflects a long cycle of inflation crises, currency instability, and repeated IMF programs stretching back decades. Below, we break down the global distribution of IMF debt and highlight the largest borrowers. RankMemberIMF Debt (USD, millions)IMF Debt as share of GDP (%) 1 Argentina60,1768.7 2 Ukraine15,4816.9 3 Egypt10,6692.5 4 Pakistan10,5002.6 5 Ecuador10,0827.3 6 Côte d'Ivoire5,1895.3 7 Kenya4,2162.9 8 Bangladesh4,1570.8 9 Ghana3,9473.3 10 Angola3,5102.3 11 Congo (DRC)3,2013.5 12 Costa Rica2,5552.3 13 Ethiopia2,5412.1 14 Sri Lanka2,5372.6 15 Jordan2,3713.7 16 Tanzania1,9232.0 17 Zambia1,8314.4 18 Cameroon1,6842.6 19 Sudan1,4283.2 20 Uganda1,3781.9 21 Morocco1,3500.7 22 Jamaica1,2785.6 23 Papua New Guinea1,2373.6 24 Serbia1,2261.1 25 Senegal1,2143.0 26 Benin1,1634.2 27 Moldova1,0164.6 28 Madagascar9884.7 29 Rwanda8304.8 30 Niger6742.7 31 Honduras6581.6 32 Suriname62010.5 33 Chad6102.4 34 Barbados5746.8 35 Nepal5651.2 36 Tunisia5550.9 37 Mauritania5433.8 38 Mali5201.5 39 Gabon5142.2 40 Sierra Leone5066.1 41 Congo, Republic of4993.2 42 Afghanistan4992.5 43 Burkina Faso4801.5 44 Georgia4661.1 45 Togo4323.2 46 Guinea4221.4 47 Malawi3882.1 48 South Sudan3546.2 49 Paraguay3340.6 50 Central African Republic2998.6 51 North Macedonia2781.5 52 Liberia2644.7 53 El Salvador2480.6 54 Myanmar2360.3 55 Haiti2210.6 56 The Gambia2177.8 57 Kosovo2051.5 58 Tajikistan1800.9 59 Somalia1681.2 60 Seychelles1496.6 61 Burundi1441.8 62 Uzbekistan1190.1 63 Cabo Verde1183.4 64 Kyrgyzstan880.4 65 Mongolia820.3 66 Guinea-Bissau812.7 67 Armenia710.2 68 Nicaragua620.3 69 Equatorial Guinea450.3 70 Sao Tome & Principe444.5 71 Djibouti410.9 72 Bosnia and Herzegovina380.1 73 Comoros382.1 74 St. Lucia281.1 75 St. Vincent and the Grenadines272.3 76 Maldives240.3 77 Grenada231.6 78 Samoa211.5 79 Albania210.1 80 Tonga202.8 81 Lesotho150.5 82 Dominica131.7 83 Solomon Islands90.5 The next largest borrowers include Ukraine, Egypt, and Pakistan. Meanwhile, dozens of countries owe under $1 billion, particularly across Africa. Suriname stands out on a relative basis rather than in absolute terms. The South American nation has the highest IMF debt as a share of GDP, reflecting a severe economic crisis in the early 2020s. After years of fiscal mismanagement, declining oil revenues, and mounting external debt, Suriname defaulted on its sovereign obligations in 2020. This triggered an IMF-supported restructuring program aimed at stabilizing public finances and curbing inflation. The adjustment process has involved significant austerity measures and currency depreciation. Why Countries Turn to the IMF Countries typically borrow from the IMF during periods of economic distress. These situations often fall into a few common categories: Balance of payments crises: When nations cannot pay for imports or service external debt. Currency instability: Sharp devaluations or loss of foreign reserves. Fiscal imbalances: Large government deficits and rising public debt. For example, Argentina has repeatedly sought IMF assistance amid inflation and currency crises, while nations like Sri Lanka and Pakistan have turned to the IMF during severe external debt pressures. How IMF Debt Works Unlike traditional loans, IMF financing is denominated in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), an international reserve asset created by the IMF. SDRs are based on a basket of major currencies: U.S. dollar Euro Chinese yuan Japanese yen British pound Countries receive SDR allocations or loans, which can then be exchanged for hard currency. For this dataset, IMF figures were converted into U.S. dollars (roughly $1.44 per SDR). Africa’s Prominent Role Among Borrowers Africa stands out not for the size of its IMF loans, but for how widespread they are. The continent has the highest number of borrowing countries, reflecting persistent structural challenges that make external financing a recurring necessity. This reflects structural challenges such as: Commodity dependence Limited fiscal capacity Exposure to external shocks Many African nations borrow relatively smaller amounts, but their reliance on IMF support is widespread. Criticism and Controversy Despite its role as a financial backstop, the IMF has faced criticism over its policy conditions. Loan programs often require economic reforms, such as austerity measures, that can be politically and socially challenging. Critics argue these conditions can slow growth or worsen inequality, while supporters say they are necessary for long-term stability. Learn More on the Voronoi App Explore related insights on global debt dynamics in this visualization: Africa’s Chinese Debt.

Ranked: The World’s Biggest Coal Consumers See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways China accounts for 55.8% of global coal consumption, using more than the rest of the world combined. China and India together make up nearly 70% of global coal demand. The U.S. ranks third at 4.8%, followed by Indonesia (2.9%) and Japan (2.7%). Vietnam and Indonesia saw the fastest coal consumption growth from 2023 to 2024. Coal consumption is highly concentrated among a small number of major economies, with China sitting far ahead of every other country. This chart ranks the world’s largest coal consumers using data from the Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, highlighting how demand is distributed across major economies. China’s Outsized Role in Global Coal Use China consumed 92.2 exajoules of coal in 2024, equal to 55.8% of the global total. This reflects the scale of the country’s industrial base, electricity needs, and continued reliance on coal-fired power, even as it rapidly expands renewable energy capacity. Below we list the biggest coal consumers based on 2024 data: RankCountryExajoules of coal use (2024)Share 1 China92.255.8% 2 India23.013.9% 3 U.S.7.94.8% 4 Indonesia4.72.9% 5 Japan4.52.7% 6 Russia3.82.3% 7 South Africa3.52.1% 8 South Korea2.91.7% 9 Vietnam2.51.5% 10 Türkiye1.81.1% 11 Germany1.61.0% 12 Australia1.50.9% 13 Kazakhstan1.50.9% 14 Other13.88.4% 15 World Total165.1100.0% Together, China and India account for nearly 70% of global coal consumption, underscoring how concentrated demand is between the world’s two most populous countries. Beyond these two giants, the U.S. ranks third with 4.8% of global consumption, followed by Indonesia (2.9%), Japan (2.7%), and Russia (2.3%). Where Coal Consumption is Still Growing As countries transition toward cleaner energy, coal demand is moving in different directions. While usage has declined in many advanced economies, it continues to rise in several fast-growing countries where energy demand is still expanding. The following table shows where coal use grew the most in top coal consumers between 2023 and 2024: Country2023 (Exajoules)2024 (Exajoules)Change Vietnam2.32.59.3% Indonesia4.34.79.0% Türkiye1.71.87.1% India22.123.03.7% South Africa3.43.51.9% China90.792.21.4% Vietnam saw the biggest increase at 9.3%, followed closely by Indonesia at 9.0%. Türkiye also posted strong growth at 7.1%, while India’s consumption rose by 3.7%. Even China, already the world’s largest coal consumer by a wide margin, saw demand rise by 1.4% in 2024. While coal use is declining across much of the West, it continues to grow in several emerging economies—highlighting the uneven pace of the global energy transition. Editor’s note: A previous version of this post had incorrect data. It has now been updated to reflect the most recent data based on the Statistical Review of World Energy published in 2025. Learn More on the Voronoi App See the biggest sources of energy around the world in every country in this global map.

See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Global Helium Production by Country See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways The U.S. and Qatar produce over 75% of the world’s helium, making supply highly concentrated. Helium is essential for semiconductors, MRI machines, and aerospace systems. Supply disruptions—like tensions in the Middle East—can quickly ripple across global tech industries. Helium is often associated with party balloons, but its importance extends far beyond celebrations. This rare gas is one of the most strategic gases in the world, and it’s essential for advanced technologies, including semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace systems, and medical imaging. This visual highlights how global helium production is concentrated among a few key countries. The data for this visualization comes from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. A Duopoly Controls Global Helium Supply The global helium market is unusually concentrated, with just two countries dominating supply. This creates a structural vulnerability: any disruption in either country can have outsized effects on global industries that rely on helium. The United States leads global helium production, accounting for 42.6% of output in 2025. This figure includes helium imported from Canada and refined domestically, boosting its share. Qatar ranks second with 33.2%, meaning the two countries together dominate global supply. CountryProduction (Cubic Feet)World Production (%) United States2,86042.6% Qatar2,22533.2% Russia6369.5% Algeria3885.8% Canada2123.2% China1061.6% Poland1061.6% South Africa180.3% Other1592.4% World Total6,710100.0% Recent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz—a critical shipping route for Qatar—highlight how fragile helium supply chains can be. Any disruption to exports from the region can quickly impact countries like South Korea, where semiconductor manufacturing depends on steady helium imports. Russia’s Output Faces Market Constraints Russia produces about 9.5% of the world’s helium, placing it third globally. However, its ability to supply Western markets is limited by EU sanctions on Russian helium imports. Meanwhile, China accounts for a relatively small share of global helium production, contributing about 1.6% in 2025. Despite its limited domestic supply, the country is a major consumer due to its large semiconductor and electronics industries. This imbalance makes China heavily reliant on imports to meet its growing demand. Helium’s Expanding Industrial Role Helium demand is tightly linked to high-tech and medical industries, where reliability is critical and substitutes are limited. Scientific research accounts for 22% of global consumption, followed by semiconductor production and lifting gas applications at 17% each. Medical use, particularly in MRI machines, represents another 15% of demand. As demand grows across semiconductors, healthcare, and scientific research, helium is becoming less of a niche resource and more of a strategic one. With supply concentrated in just a handful of countries, securing reliable access is emerging as a priority for governments and industries alike. Learn More on the Voronoi App If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Ranked: The Most Consistent U.S. Power Sources on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Published 51 minutes ago on April 27, 2026 By Jenna Ross Graphics & Design Jennifer West Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pinterest Email The following content is sponsored by Terzo Which U.S. States Have the Highest GDP per Capita? Where you live in the U.S. can make a huge difference in economic output per person. GDP per capita varies widely across states, from under $60,000 in Mississippi to nearly $280,000 in Washington, D.C. This chart, produced in partnership with Terzo, breaks down GDP per capita in 2025. It’s part of our Markets in a Minute series, which delivers quick economic insights. GDP per Capita by State Washington, D.C. has the highest GDP per capita. The capital’s economy is concentrated in high-value professional services like consulting, IT, and legal, as well as government spending.  Its large commuter workforce from outside states also boosts the figure, as many workers contribute to economic output without being counted in the local population. State2025 GDP per Capita Washington, D.C.$278k New York$123k Massachusetts$115k Washington$112k Delaware$111k California$108k North Dakota$102k Connecticut$102k Alaska$102k Nebraska$98k Colorado$97k Illinois$95k New Jersey$93k Texas$92k Minnesota$91k Maryland$91k Virginia$90k Wyoming$89k Utah$89k New Hampshire$89k Hawaii$87k South Dakota$86k Nevada$86k Iowa$86k Georgia$82k Ohio$81k Kansas$81k Pennsylvania$81k Tennessee$81k Oregon$80k North Carolina$80k Wisconsin$79k Arizona$78k Florida$78k Indiana$78k Rhode Island$75k Vermont$75k Missouri$75k Louisiana$74k Maine$73k Michigan$72k Montana$72k New Mexico$72k South Carolina$68k Idaho$67k Kentucky$67k Oklahoma$67k Alabama$66k Arkansas$64k West Virginia$62k Mississippi$56k Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau. Figures rounded. New York takes the second spot as a global financial hub with strong output in other high-value industries, including real estate and professional services.  Massachusetts and Washington also top the ranks. While Massachusetts drives value through professional services like biotechnology, Washington is home to big tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft. Resource Economies Outside of more service-based economies, both North Dakota and Alaska pump out over $100,000 in GDP per capita.  Both states are driven by natural resources and mining, ranking as the third (North Dakota) and fifth-highest (Alaska) producers of crude oil in America. These states also have some of the lowest populations in the country, driving up output per person. More recently in 2026, both states have seen monetary benefits from oil transport disruptions and rising prices. North Dakota typically sells crude oil at a discount to benchmark pricing, but has been earning $7 more per barrel above the benchmark. 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See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization How Much Clean Energy Have Countries Added Since 2015? See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways The UK, Japan, and Germany have added the most clean electricity since 2015. France remains the cleanest electricity system, already above 90%. India and Russia have seen the slowest progress in shifting their energy mix. The shift to clean electricity is accelerating—but not evenly across the world’s largest economies. This chart ranks how much each country has increased its share of clean power since 2015, revealing clear leaders and laggards in the global energy transition. Using data from Ember and IMF DataMapper, the visualization tracks electricity generated from nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, and other renewables across the top 10 economies by GDP as of January 2026. Europe Pulls Ahead in Clean Power Growth European economies dominate the rankings for clean energy gains. The UK leads all major economies, increasing its clean electricity share by 19.5 percentage points since 2015, followed closely by Germany. Italy has followed a similar path, replacing coal with a mix of renewables and natural gas. Meanwhile, France maintained its position as a global leader, with over 90% of its electricity coming from clean sources, largely due to its long-standing reliance on nuclear power. CountryClean Energy (2015)Clean Energy (2024) Change (p.p.) United States33.2%41.9%+8.7 China26.9%38.2%+11.3 Germany43.9%58.5%+14.6 Japan15.4%31.3%+15.9 United Kingdom45.4%64.9%+19.5 India17.5%22.5%+5.0 France92.1%94.9%+2.8 Italy38.9%50.2%+11.3 Russia34.0%35.9%+1.9 Brazil76.7%89.4%+12.7 The gap between leaders and laggards is now stark. The UK and Japan have added over 15 percentage points of clean electricity since 2015, while Russia and India have added less than 5—underscoring how uneven the transition remains. Mixed Progress in Asia’s Largest Economies Asia shows a mixed pace of change. China has made double-digit gains in clean electricity share, but surging demand means coal use has still grown in absolute terms. India’s transition has been slower, with clean energy rising modestly to just over 22%. Japan, on the other hand, saw one of the largest increases in clean share, reflecting a gradual restart of nuclear power alongside renewable expansion after the Fukushima disaster. The U.S. and Others Show Diverging Trends The United States sits in the middle of the pack, with steady but less dramatic gains. Growth in wind and solar has lifted its clean share, but continued reliance on natural gas has slowed the overall pace of transition compared to European peers. Russia, meanwhile, showed minimal change, with its electricity mix remaining relatively stable over the decade. Learn More on the Voronoi App If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Ranked: The Countries Building the Most Nuclear Power on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Mapped: Where Americans Keep the Most of Their Paycheck See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Midwestern states lead, with households keeping about one-third of their income after essentials. In the least affordable states, families keep as little as 9–11%. The gap between top and bottom states exceeds $2,000 per month in disposable income. How much of your paycheck do you actually keep? In some states, families keep about a third of their income after covering essentials and taxes. In others, almost all of it goes toward bills. Using data from the Common Sense Institute, this map shows the share of income a median U.S. family of four has left after paying for housing, food, childcare, insurance, and taxes. In top-ranked states like Iowa, households keep nearly 35% of their income, about $2,900 per month. In Hawaii, that figure drops to just 9%. That’s a difference of more than $2,000 per month in disposable income. Ranked: The States Where Your Paycheck Goes the Furthest Midwestern states dominate the rankings, largely due to lower housing and childcare costs. Iowa ranks first, with households keeping 34.7% of their income, followed by South Dakota (34.6%) and North Dakota (33.5%). This table shows the share of income left for a median-income family of four in 2025, after accounting for shelter, utilities, groceries, health and car insurance, childcare, and gas. Taxes reflect combined state and federal income taxes. RankStateShare of Income Left After Expenses and Taxes 1Iowa34.7% 2South Dakota34.6% 3North Dakota33.5% 4Kansas33.4% 5Alaska33.3% 6Ohio31.7% 7Missouri31.5% 8Wyoming31.3% 9Mississippi30.9% 10Kentucky29.5% 11Indiana29.1% 12Arkansas29.0% 13West Virginia28.7% 14Tennessee28.3% 15New Mexico27.7% 16Vermont27.4% 17Alabama27.2% 18Washington26.7% 19Idaho26.5% 20Minnesota26.2% 21Montana26.1% 22Michigan25.7% 23North Carolina25.4% 24Georgia25.3% 25Connecticut25.2% 26Virginia25.0% 27New Hampshire24.7% 28Illinois24.3% 29Oklahoma24.2% 30Wisconsin24.0% 31Pennsylvania23.8% 32Louisiana23.8% 33South Carolina23.8% 34Utah23.6% 35Texas23.6% 36Nebraska23.5% 37Delaware22.4% 38Maine21.5% 39Nevada21.2% 40Maryland20.5% 41New Jersey20.4% 42Colorado20.2% 43Rhode Island20.0% 44Arizona19.6% 45Florida18.1% 46Oregon16.8% 47New York16.2% 48Massachusetts16.0% 49California10.9% 50Hawaii9.0% -- U.S. Average24.7% Several other states, including Ohio, Missouri, and Wyoming, also rank near the top, with residents keeping around 30% or more of their income. Texas stands out as the most affordable large state, yet still ranks just 39th overall. Despite having no state income tax, lower median incomes and rising living costs limit how much households actually keep. Taxes alone don’t define affordability. Where Americans Keep the Least Income After Bills In the least affordable states, families spend up to 91% of their income on essentials and taxes, leaving little room for savings or unexpected expenses. Hawaii families are most strained, with 9% of income left, followed by California at 10.9%. Between 2019 and 2025, California households saw one of the largest declines in affordability across states. Massachusetts, despite high incomes, ranks near the bottom. Childcare alone consumes 24% of household income, showing how a single cost category can erode income advantages. Rising Costs Across Basic Necessities Household budgets have tightened in recent years. Since 2019, essential expenses have risen by about $15,400 per year for the average family. While incomes increased 30.7% over the same period, most of those gains were offset by higher costs: Shelter and utilities: +33.9% Groceries: +25.1% Health insurance: +22.8% Car insurance: +40.9% Gas: +16.5% Childcare: +39% For many households, higher earnings haven’t increased flexibility. They’ve just kept up. As costs continue to rise unevenly across regions, where Americans live is becoming one of the biggest determinants of financial stability, potentially reshaping migration patterns, housing demand, and long-term economic opportunity. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the number of years it takes to save for a home by state.

Europe’s $32 Trillion Economy, by Country See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Germany leads Europe’s economy in 2026 with $5.4 trillion in projected GDP. The UK ($4.3 trillion) and France ($3.6 trillion) rank second and third, respectively. Europe’s six largest economies account for over $20 trillion in output. Europe’s economy is projected to reach $32.3 trillion in nominal GDP in 2026, but a large share of that output is concentrated in just a handful of countries. This graphic breaks down each European country by its projected 2026 nominal GDP, using data from the April 2026 update of the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook. Germany is the continent’s largest economy, followed by the UK and France, while Italy, Russia, and Spain complete the group of Europe’s six biggest economies. Europe’s Biggest Economies Are Still in the West Europe’s economic core remains firmly in the west, where Germany, the UK, and France together generate over $13 trillion in output. RankCountry2026 Nominal GDP (billions $) 1 Germany5,453 2 United Kingdom4,265 3 France3,596 4 Italy2,738 5 Russia2,656 6 Spain2,091 7 Netherlands1,450 8 Switzerland1,147 9 Poland1,134 10 Ireland779 11 Belgium777 12 Sweden760 13 Austria624 14 Norway599 15 Denmark504 16 Romania481 17 Czechia433 18 Portugal381 19 Finland338 20 Greece308 21 Hungary271 22 Ukraine225 23 Slovakia169 24 Bulgaria148 25 Croatia117 26 Serbia112 27 Luxembourg110 28 Lithuania106 29 Belarus102 30 Slovenia87 31 Latvia54 32 Estonia52 33 Cyprus45 34 Iceland44 35 Bosnia & Herzegovina37 36 Albania33 37 Malta31 38 Moldova22 39 North Macedonia22 40 Kosovo14 41 Montenegro10 --All of Europe32,323 France, Germany, and the UK built their economic strength through early industrialization and decades of diversification across manufacturing, finance, and services. The UK’s economic transformation then spread to neighboring Western European countries, which became industrial heavyweights of their own. The three Benelux countries of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, for example, have a combined GDP of over $2.2 trillion. The Energy Giants of Europe In contrast to the role played by industry in Britain and Germany, or agriculture in France, energy is a major driver of Russia’s large economy ($2.7 trillion). Russia is a major energy producer, with hydrocarbons like oil and natural gas making up over half of the country’s exports. Despite not being part of OPEC, which helps regulate oil prices, Moscow is often an active participant in discussions shaping oil markets. The second-largest economy in Northern Europe is also a major oil and gas player. Despite having a population of around 5 million people, Norway’s economy is just shy of $600 billion, supported by its impressive energy reserves. The Rise of Southern Europe While northwestern Europe still dominates overall output, growth momentum is shifting south, where economies like Spain and Portugal are expanding faster than their larger peers. Today, Southern Europe hosts dynamic economies like Spain ($2.1 trillion) and Portugal ($381 billion), which are projected to grow by roughly 2% each in 2026, more than double the rates of peers like France and Germany. This shift has been supported by the post-COVID recovery in tourism, greater energy self-sufficiency, and higher public investment. Learn More on the Voronoi App If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Since 1960, Singapore has risen from 3x poorer than Western Europe to twice as rich on Voronoi.Use This Visualization

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a story about models. It is also a story about infrastructure, chips, enterprise adoption, and the growing role AI is playing in how businesses operate and how content gets created. For AI Week, we partnered with Terzo to explore the infrastructure, markets, and adoption patterns shaping the AI economy. From hyperscaler spending to business usage and the rise of AI-generated content, the series revealed how quickly AI is reshaping business and technology. Below, we’ve compiled six key takeaways. 1. AI Usage by Businesses by State in 2026 Geography still shapes technology adoption, and this map shows where businesses are using AI the most across America and how that usage varies from state to state. Explore the map 2. AI Chip Sales by Company Behind every leading AI model is a massive amount of computing power, and this graphic compares the companies supplying that capacity with a financial lens. See the ranking 3. Big Tech AI Spending Over Time From cloud giants to data center buildouts, this graphic tracks how AI-driven capital spending has evolved across the biggest tech companies and why that surge matters for the future of infrastructure. See the graphic 4. Which AI Models Are Businesses Paying For? Using business payment data over time, this chart shows how the enterprise AI market is evolving and which model providers are gaining traction with paying customers. View the chart 5. The Smartest AI Models in 2026 Measured against a well-known IQ-style benchmark, this ranking offers a snapshot of how leading AI models stack up on abstract reasoning tasks at this stage of the race. View the ranking 6. Content Created by Humans vs. AI Online publishing is changing quickly, and this graphic shows how the balance between human- and AI-written articles has shifted over time in a large sample of web content. See the comparison Looking Ahead: The AI Economy Is Expanding Fast Taken together, these visuals point to a larger trend: AI is no longer confined to research labs or product demos. It is now influencing how companies spend, how hardware markets are valued, how enterprises choose tools, and how digital content is produced. Terzo is helping spotlight the data behind this shift through AI Week, our sponsored series on the infrastructure, markets, and adoption patterns shaping the next phase of artificial intelligence.

Ranked: Who Uses the World’s Coal? See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways China accounts for 51.7% of global coal consumption, using more than all other countries combined. The top six countries make up 87% of global demand. India is a distant second at 11.7%, followed by Indonesia (9.0%). The U.S. and Australia each contribute about 5% of global demand. Coal consumption is more concentrated than any other major fuel globally. This chart ranks the world’s largest coal consumers using data from the Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, highlighting how demand is distributed across major economies. Why China Uses So Much Coal China consumes 4,780 million tonnes of coal annually, over half the global total, reflecting its role as the world’s largest industrial producer and its continued reliance on coal for electricity generation despite rapid growth in renewables. Below we list the biggest coal consumers based on 2024 data: RankCountryMillions of tonnes of coal (2024)Share 1 China4,780.051.7% 2 India1,085.111.7% 3 Indonesia836.19.0% 4 U.S.464.65.0% 5 Australia462.95.0% 6 Russia427.24.6% 7 South Africa235.02.5% 8 Germany91.91.0% 9 Türkiye87.00.9% 10 Poland85.20.9% 11 Colombia52.70.6% 12 Vietnam43.80.5% 13 Canada42.60.5% -- Other547.45.9% -- World9,241.5100.0% Together, the top six countries account for 87% of global coal consumption, underscoring how demand is concentrated in a small number of large economies. Beyond China, coal consumption is heavily concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region. India (11.7%), Indonesia (9.0%), and Australia (5.0%) are other major Asia-Pacific consumers, while the U.S. also sits at 5.0% of demand. Where Coal Consumption is Still Growing As countries transition toward cleaner energy, coal demand is expected to diverge. While usage is declining in many advanced economies, it remains resilient in fast-growing regions where energy demand continues to rise. The following table shows where coal use is still growing between 2023 and 2024: RankCountryCoal Use (2023)Coal Use (2024)Growth (YoY) 1 Türkiye74.287.016.9% 2 Pakistan17.419.19.5% 3 Indonesia775.2836.17.6% 4 India1011.31085.17.0% 5 China4723.34780.00.9% While coal use is declining across much of the West, it continues to grow in several emerging economies—highlighting the uneven pace of the global energy transition. Learn More on the Voronoi App See the biggest sources of energy around the world in every country in this global map.Use This Visualization

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app. Use This Visualization Ranked: U.S. Cities by Share of Income Spent on Food and Housing See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways In San Diego and Miami, nearly half of income goes to food and housing. Sun Belt cities like Orlando and Tampa now exceed one-third of income on essentials. High wages in San Jose cut the cost burden to just 18.3%, the lowest in the dataset. How much of your income goes to basic living costs? This chart ranks major U.S. cities by the share of income spent on food and housing for a single adult in 2025, based on data from the Urban Stress Index, along with market rents and Numbeo food prices. In the most expensive cities, the burden is steep. San Diego tops the list at 47%, meaning nearly half of income goes toward just these two categories. By contrast, in San Jose, that share drops to 18.3%—showing how higher wages can offset even the highest costs. Where Cost of Living Hits Hardest San Diego (47%) and Miami (45.4%) stand out as the most strained cities, where food and housing alone consume nearly half of income. In both metros, rent growth continues to outpace wage gains, while strong population inflows in Miami are keeping housing demand elevated. The pressure isn’t limited to coastal hubs. In Florida, Orlando and Tampa both exceed 34% of income, highlighting how affordability challenges have spread to fast-growing Sun Belt cities once seen as lower-cost alternatives. This table shows the share of income spent on food and housing for a single adult in each city, based on market-rate one-bedroom rents and Numbeo food price indices. RankCityShare of Income Spent on Food and Housing 1San Diego, CA47.0% 2Miami, FL45.4% 3Boston, MA38.3% 4Los Angeles, CA38.1% 5Orlando, FL37.7% 6Boise, ID36.1% 7Tampa, FL34.4% 8Atlanta, GA34.3% 9New York, NY34.1% 10Washington, DC33.7% 11Chicago, IL33.5% 12Madison, WI32.2% 13Kansas City, MO31.6% 14Portland, OR30.6% 15Nashville, TN30.6% 16Charlotte, NC30.5% 17Pittsburgh, PA29.6% 18Boulder, CO29.0% 19Phoenix, AZ28.6% 20Salt Lake City, UT28.2% 21Raleigh, NC28.1% 22Denver, CO28.0% 23Minneapolis, MN27.5% 24Dallas, TX27.5% 25San Antonio, TX27.5% 26Columbus, OH27.5% 27Cleveland, OH27.2% 28Seattle, WA26.6% 29Austin, TX26.2% 30Houston, TX25.5% 31San Francisco, CA23.0% 32Detroit, MI23.0% 33San Jose, CA18.3% --Dataset Average30.9% Boston and Los Angeles remain firmly in the “stretched” category, where over a third of income goes to basics. Notably, cost burdens in these metros exceed those in New York City, despite the Big Apple having the second-highest rental costs in the country. The Cities Where Income Goes Furthest At the other end of the spectrum, San Jose flips the equation. Despite some of the highest prices in the country, residents spend just 18.3% of income on food and housing, less than half the burden seen in San Diego. Beyond the tech hub, other relatively affordable cities include: Detroit: 23% San Francisco: 23% Houston: 25.5% Austin: 26.2% San Francisco’s presence here is especially notable. While prices are among the highest in the U.S., incomes are also elevated enough to reduce relative strain. Additionally, rent prices have increased just 2% since 2021, among the slowest rates across major U.S. cities. Ultimately, affordability isn’t just about how much things cost; it’s about how much income those costs consume. And in a growing number of U.S. cities, that share is rising faster than many workers’ paychecks. Learn More on the Voronoi App To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the average annual cost of living by state.