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2025-11-16 01:44:21

Mapped: Countries That Eat the Most Meat Per Capita

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Meats are some of the world’s most popular sources of protein, though regional appetites are often shaped by differences in wealth, culture, and local agriculture.

In this graphic, we visualize the countries that eat the most meat at a per capita level based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO).

Data & Discussion

The data for this visualization comes from the UN FAO, accessed via World Population Review. It measures the annual amount of meat consumed per person, in kilograms, across countries worldwide in 2022.

Rank	Country	Meat Consumption per capita (kg)
1	Tonga	148
2	Mongolia	132
3	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	124
4	Hong Kong SAR	123
5	United States	123
6	Marshall Islands	118
7	Argentina	113
8	Israel	113
9	Macau	113
10	Australia	112
11	Bahamas	108
12	Nauru	108
13	Samoa	105
14	Spain	105
15	Brazil	98.8
16	Portugal	98.4
17	French Polynesia	96.2
18	Belarus	94.5
19	Croatia	94.2
20	Iceland	93.4
21	Antigua and Barbuda	92.9
22	Chile	92.1
23	Saint Lucia	91.8
24	Canada	91.0
25	Ireland	90.7
26	Saint Kitts and Nevis	89.7
27	Barbados	88.9
28	Qatar	88.8
29	Taiwan	88.5
30	Montenegro	88.4
31	Bahrain	88.1
32	New Zealand	86.6
33	Luxembourg	86.1
34	France	84.6
35	United Kingdom	84.1
36	Latvia	83.7
37	South Korea	83.4
38	United Arab Emirates	83.2
39	New Caledonia	82.5
40	Kuwait	82.4
41	Russia	81.7
42	Poland	81.6
43	Lithuania	81.4
44	Bolivia	79.8
45	Dominica	79.4
46	Greece	78.9
47	Panama	78.7
48	Austria	78.0
49	Grenada	77.6
50	Guyana	77.5
51	Mexico	77.5
52	Seychelles	76.7
53	Hungary	76.6
54	Cyprus	76.3
55	Serbia	74.6
56	Italy	73.6
57	Norway	72.2
58	Finland	71.6
59	Germany	71.3
60	Malaysia	70.8
61	China	70.6
62	Kazakhstan	70.2
63	Estonia	68.9
64	Tuvalu	68.2
65	Sweden	68.1
66	Romania	67.9
67	Denmark	67.0
68	Switzerland	66.7
69	Gabon	65.4
70	Malta	65.4
71	South Africa	65.2
72	Netherlands	65.1
73	Jamaica	64.9
74	Belgium	64.5
75	Uruguay	63.8
76	Colombia	62.9
77	Trinidad and Tobago	62.6
78	Micronesia	62.4
79	Bulgaria	60.8
80	Cuba	60.6
81	Slovakia	60.6
82	Slovenia	60.4
83	Japan	60.4
84	Costa Rica	60.3
85	Mauritius	60.1
86	Armenia	59.5
87	Turkmenistan	59.0
88	Suriname	58.9
89	Papua New Guinea	58.8
90	Saudi Arabia	58.5
91	Dominican Republic	57.8
92	Zimbabwe	56.6
93	Peru	54.3
94	Vietnam	53.6
95	Ecuador	53.3
96	Albania	53.2
97	Belize	52.0
98	Fiji	51.9
99	Republic of the Congo	49.1
100	Chad	48.9
101	Bosnia and Herzegovina	48.9
102	Ukraine	48.0
103	Turkey	46.8
104	Guatemala	46.0
105	Libya	45.5
106	Oman	44.9
107	El Salvador	42.9
108	Kiribati	42.9
109	Uzbekistan	42.4
110	North Macedonia	42.3
111	Azerbaijan	40.5
112	Lebanon	40.3
113	Georgia	40.2
114	Honduras	39.5
115	Maldives	38.9
116	Moldova	38.8
117	Cape Verde	38.8
118	Kyrgyzstan	38.2
119	Jordan	37.9
120	Venezuela	36.9
121	Tajikistan	35.9
122	Central African Republic	35.7
123	Vanuatu	35.3
124	Philippines	35.1
125	Mauritania	33.7
126	Nicaragua	32.5
127	Egypt	32.4
128	Paraguay	32.2
129	Iran	31.9
130	Morocco	31.5
131	Malawi	30.8
132	Tunisia	30.2
133	Laos	30.0
134	Timor-Leste	29.8
135	Comoros	29.3
136	Botswana	29.3
137	Namibia	27.9
138	Eswatini	26.1
139	Thailand	25.9
140	Burkina Faso	24.9
141	Gambia	23.3
142	Angola	23.3
143	Iraq	22.0
144	South Sudan	21.7
145	Sao Tome and Principe	21.3
146	Senegal	21.1
147	Pakistan	21.1
148	Liberia	20.4
149	Myanmar	20.1
150	Haiti	19.7
151	Sudan	19.4
152	Indonesia	19.2
153	Zambia	18.1
154	Algeria	18.1
155	Benin	17.8
156	Ghana	17.7
157	Nepal	16.8
158	Syria	16.6
159	Solomon Islands	16.1
160	Yemen	16.0
161	Bhutan	15.7
162	Cameroon	15.0
163	Djibouti	14.7
164	Guinea-Bissau	13.7
165	Guinea	12.9
166	Cambodia	12.4
167	Sri Lanka	11.9
168	Tanzania	11.8
169	Somalia	11.3
170	Ivory Coast	11.2
171	Lesotho	11.2
172	Mozambique	11.1
173	Kenya	10.9
174	Togo	10.7
175	Uganda	9.6
176	Sierra Leone	9.5
177	Mali	7.7
178	Nigeria	7.6
179	Niger	7.6
180	Afghanistan	6.8
181	India	6.6
182	Ethiopia	6.6
183	Rwanda	6.2
184	Madagascar	5.5
185	Bangladesh	4.4
186	DR Congo	4.0
187	Burundi	3.7

Top 5 Beef Eaters

The top five beef eaters are Argentina (46 kg/person), Zimbabwe (44.4), the U.S. (38), Israel (36.1), and Brazil (34.6).

Argentina leads thanks to its long-standing asado culture (traditional Argentinian barbeque), where beef is both a national tradition and a staple of everyday meals. Close behind is Zimbabwe, where beef plays a large part in the national diet, making the country an outlier in the massive Africa region.

Top 5 Pork Eaters

The top five pork eaters are Croatia (57.4 kg/person), Spain (56.5), Montenegro (53.5), Hong Kong (52.6), and Poland (51.6).

At the top are Croatia and Spain, where pork features prominently in everything from cured meats to regional stews. Montenegro and Hong Kong also rank highly, each with strong cultural preferences for pork across everyday meals.

In Montenegrin cuisine, one of the most well-known specialties is Njeguški pršut, a dry-cured ham similar to Italian prosciutto.

Top 5 Chicken Eaters

The top five chicken eaters are Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (94.1kg/person), Tonga (90.6), Marshall Islands (74.8), Samoa (74.8), and Israel (70.8).

All of these countries, with the exception of Israel, are island nations. Chicken is an affordable, accessible protein source that is easier to raise in places with limited land.

Top 5 Goat & Lamb Eaters

The top five goat and lamb eaters are Mongolia (68.5 kg/person), Bahrain (23.4), New Caledonia (21.9), Turkmenistan (20.3), and Chad (19.0).

Mongolia eats the most goat and lamb by a wide margin, reflecting its pastoral lifestyle. The country’s landscape is harsh and infertile, making crops difficult to grow. The fat of the animal is also vital for survival in the cold.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Countries With the Biggest Food Supplies on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2025-11-15 23:22:39

Ranked: The World’s Most Powerful Rivers

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.

Rivers are the arteries of our planet, moving freshwater across continents and shaping entire ecosystems.

Our latest visualization ranks the world’s 30 most powerful rivers measured by their average flow rate, shining a spotlight on waterways whose sheer volume dwarfs anything humans can engineer.

The data for this visualization comes from Wikipedia’s compiled list of river discharges, which aggregates measurements from hydrological services and academic studies around the globe.

The Amazon’s Unmatched Output

At 224,000 m³ of water per second, the Amazon releases more flow than the next four rivers on the list combined.

If it were a pump, the river could fill 83 Olympic-sized swimming pools every second.

Rank	River System	Region	Average Flow Rate (m³/s)	Countries
1	Amazon–Ucayali–Apurímac	South America	224,000	PER, COL, BRA
2	Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna	Asia	42,800	IND, BGD, CHN
3	Congo	Africa	41,400	COD, COG, AGO
4	Orinoco	South America	39,000	VEN, COL
5	Yangtze (Chang Jiang)	Asia	31,900	CHN
6	Río de la Plata	South America	27,225	ARG, URY
7	Mississippi	North America	21,300	USA
8	Yenisei	Asia	20,200	MNG, RUS
9	Lena	Asia	18,300	RUS
10	St. Lawrence	North America	17,600	CAN, USA
11	Mekong	Asia	15,856	CHN, MMR, LAO, THA, KHM, VNM
12	Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady)	Asia	15,112	MMR
13	Ob	Asia	13,100	RUS
14	Amur	Asia	12,360	CHN, RUS
15	Tocantins	South America	11,796	BRA
16	Pearl (Xi)	Asia	10,700	CHN
17	Mackenzie	North America	9,800	CAN
18	Volga	Europe	8,380	RUS
19	Magdalena	South America	8,058	COL
20	Niger	Africa	7,900	GIN, MLI, NER, BEN, NGA
21	Columbia	North America	7,407	USA, CAN
22	Fly	Oceania	7,355	PNG, IDN
23	Yukon	North America	6,860	CAN, USA
24	Salween	Asia	6,600	CHN, MMR, THA
25	Danube	Europe	6,510	DEU, AUT, SVK, HUN, HRV, SRB, ROU, BGR, MDA, UKR
26	Kapuas	Asia	6,012	IDN
27	Indus	Asia	5,589	CHN, IND, PAK
28	Mamberamo	Oceania	5,500	IDN
29	Sepik	Oceania	5,000	PNG
30	Essequibo	Oceania	4,951	GUY

The Amazon’s vast drainage basin—covering an area roughly the size of the contiguous U.S.—collects rainfall from nine countries.

The river’s low-lying gradient allows that water to surge unimpeded toward the Atlantic.

Even in its driest months, the Amazon moves enough water to equal the peak flow of most other major rivers, underscoring its outlier status in the global hydrological system.

Related: The Amazon rainforest was named after the river. See how the forest plays a critical role in global food supply.

Asia’s Dense Network of Giant Waterways

While South America claims the undisputed champion in the Amazon, Asia dominates the rest of the top 10.

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna, Yangtze, Yenisei, and Lena systems all exceed 18,000 m³/s.

These rivers drain the towering Himalayas and the Siberian taiga, channeling seasonal snowmelt and monsoon rains into fertile floodplains that support over a billion people.

Rapid economic growth along their banks makes the stability of their flow regimes critical.

From irrigation in India’s breadbasket to hydropower in China’s industrial heartlands, Asia’s great rivers remain lifelines for energy and food security.

Related: The Indo–Gangetic plain supports 9-14% of the world’s entire population.

The Longest Rivers Aren’t Always the Most Powerful

Africa’s mighty Congo is the lone representative from the continent in the top five, but its 41,400 m³/s rank shows how the equatorial rainforests centralize runoff into a single channel.

North America’s Mississippi and St. Lawrence illustrate how large basins paired with moderate precipitation translate into respectable yet smaller discharges.

Meanwhile, Europe’s Volga and Danube barely crack the list, reflecting the continent’s temperate climate and complex network of dams and diversions.

Finally, rivers in Oceania such as the Fly, Mamberamo, and Sepik punch above their watershed size thanks to Papua New Guinea’s torrential rainfall, reminding us that local climate can outweigh geography.

Notable in its absence is the world’s longest river, the Nile. It has a lower average discharge (3,075 m³/s) because of massive water loss to evaporation through the arid Sahara desert.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Wettest and Driest Countries on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2025-11-15 21:06:29

Mapped: U.S. Incarceration Rates by State

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.

Millions of prisoners are detained in America, but incarceration rates vary widely by state.

Overall, detaining inmates costs an estimated $182 billion each year across 1,566 state prisons, 3,116 local prisons, and 98 federal facilities. Despite being the world’s largest economy, America has the fourth-highest incarceration rate globally.

This graphic shows prisoners per 100,000 people by state, based on data from the Prison Policy Initiative.

Incarceration Rates Are Highest in the South

Below, we rank states by incarceration rates, using 2021 state-level data applied to the 2024 national prison population:

With 1,067 prisoners per 100,000 people Louisiana has a staggeringly high rate of people behind bars.

Not only is this nearly double the national average, it is more than 12 times higher than in Canada. Despite being the “incarceration capital of the world”, it has the second-highest murder rate in the country, after Mississippi.

Making matters worse, several prisoners, including juveniles, face life sentences in Louisiana without the chance of parole.

As we can see, Southern states make up eight of the 10 highest incarceration rates, disproportionately impacting people of color. Over the past 25 years, penalties for non-violent offenses have also become increasingly severe, with detainees serving longer sentences.

By contrast, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island have the lowest rates in the nation—however, they remain higher than most countries.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the cost per prisoner by U.S. state.

2025-11-15 04:37:37

Charting the Relationship Between Democracy and Corruption

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.

How does the level of democracy in a country influence corruption?

According to new data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project and a visualization by Our World in Data, the correlation is clear: democratic societies tend to be less corrupt.

The chart maps countries across two indices: Electoral Democracy (measuring free, fair, and meaningful elections) and the Political Corruption Index (focused on bribery and public theft), both scaled from 0 to 1.

Exploring the Democracy-Corruption Correlation

Here is a full list of selected countries with their scores across both indices, based on the latest V-Dem data:

At a glance, Denmark stands out as the best performer, with near-perfect scores for democracy and minimal corruption.

Conversely, authoritarian regimes like Myanmar, Russia, and China have low democracy scores and relatively high corruption, though corruption levels vary even among less democratic states. Interestingly, no country appears in the upper-right quadrant, combining high democracy with high corruption, emphasizing the strong inverse relationship.

Why Democracies Tend to Be Cleaner

As outlined in V-Dem’s policy brief, democracies inherently support anti-corruption mechanisms. These include:

• Independent courts and investigative bodies
• Active civil societies and free media
• Checks and balances that discourage misuse of public office

These structures make it harder for corrupt activities to go unnoticed or unpunished. In contrast, authoritarian systems often lack such safeguards, allowing corruption to flourish unchecked.

Comparing with Perceptions of Corruption

While this dataset relies on expert-based assessments, public perception also plays a role in understanding corruption. For more context, see our previous post on which countries are perceived as the most corrupt globally.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Explore more political data like this in our related post on The State of Democracy Around the World.

2025-11-15 02:22:56

The 20 Highest Paying Careers That Don’t Need a College Degree

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.

The U.S. labor market is evolving, and so are the pathways to high-paying careers. While a college degree has long been considered essential for financial success, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that numerous careers offer six-figure salaries without requiring a four-year diploma.

The visualization above, by Julie Peasley, breaks down the top 20 highest paying jobs that don’t require a college degree, from nuclear reactor operators to transportation managers.

Here are the top 20 jobs by median salary:

Air traffic controllers ($144,580), commercial pilots ($122,670), and nuclear reactor operators ($122,610) take the top three spots, with many trade-heavy and supervisory roles also appearing above the $100,000 threshold.

The Rise of High-Paying Blue-Collar Careers

A growing number of Americans are reconsidering the cost-benefit equation of college, especially as student debt burdens rise. Trade jobs are not only paying more, but also seeing increased interest from Gen Z workers looking for faster, debt-free entry into the workforce.

Many of these roles require certification, apprenticeships, or specialized training. For example, air traffic controllers must complete a rigorous FAA training program, but no degree is necessary. Similarly, commercial pilots flying non-airline routes, such as charter or medevac, often need licenses but not a bachelor’s degree.

Skilled Trades Dominate the List

What stands out in this ranking is the sheer number of high-paying skilled trades:

• Elevator and escalator installers ($106,580)
• Power plant operators ($99,670)
• Petroleum pump system operators ($97,540)

These careers offer strong wages without the need for a college degree, often relying on apprenticeships or vocational training instead.

Another key factor driving renewed interest in these careers is their reputation as being relatively “AI-proof.” Unlike many white-collar jobs facing disruption from artificial intelligence and automation, skilled trades typically require hands-on work in dynamic environments, making them less susceptible to technological replacement. For many young workers, this blend of job security and solid pay is an increasingly attractive proposition.

Education vs. Earnings

While these careers are exceptions to the rule, it’s still true that more education often leads to higher earnings on average. Our previous post, Charted: U.S. Salary by Education Level, shows how median income rises steadily with each level of formal education.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

View the related post: How Much More Does a Graduate Degree Earn by State?

2025-11-15 01:36:34

Published

1 day ago

on

November 14, 2025

By

Ryan Bellefontaine

Graphics & Design

• Zack Aboulazm

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The following content is sponsored by Payactiv

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View the full-size version of this graphic

Explainer: What is Earned Wage Access and Why Do You Need it?

Key Takeaways

• Employer-integrated Earned Wage Access unlocks payroll-verified, already-earned wages, causing workers to avoid taking on new debt.
• Conversely, direct-to-consumer estimated advances bet on future pay, use bank pulls, and trap workers in debt cycles.
• Offering responsible, employer-integrated EWA boosts stability, morale, and retention while cutting turnover costs.

Workers are navigating tight budgets as everyday costs climb. Tools that bridge timing gaps now shape whether people fall behind or finally catch their breath.

Created in partnership with Payactiv, this graphic contrasts employer-integrated access to already-earned pay with direct-to-consumer estimated advances, showing how verification, repayment, and employer involvement drive different outcomes for workers and organizations.

How Earned Wage Access Works

Employer-sponsored Earned Wage Access (EWA) connects directly to employee Time & Attendance and payroll systems. Employees can securely unlock wages they’ve already earned, not guesses about future income. Because access is based on employer-verified hours, amounts are precise, predictable, and aligned with actual pay.

Repayment is simple: on the regular pay cycle, the employer settles with the provider, so workers aren’t stuck repaying a lender or juggling collections. When properly structured, this model is often treated as non-credit because it’s access, not an advance.

Over time, this model helps workers transition from crisis management to stability, supporting savings habits, dignity, and reducing day-to-day financial stress.

This model is also very in demand. In Visa’s Earned Wage Access Insights Report, 95% of employees say they’d be interested in working for an employer who offers Earned Wage Access.

What Estimated Wage Advances Do

Estimated wage advance apps target workers directly, bypassing employer payroll. Instead of verified hours, they rely on projected earnings, which can misalign with reality if shifts change, hours drop, or income varies.

Repayment typically pulls from a worker’s own bank account and involves “instant transfer” fees, tips, and credit-like charges, or paycheck reroutes. As these costs and shortfalls accumulate, they can create debt spirals, anxiety, broken autopay, and bank switching—shifting risk back onto people who can least afford it.

Why Real EWA Matters

The real difference isn’t just speed. It’s who is in the partnership, how pay is verified, and how repayment flows.

Employer-integrated EWA provides workers with a safer way to access their earned wages, while direct-to-consumer estimated advances create a two-way relationship that resembles debt.

Demand for responsible EWA is strong, and employers that offer integrated access often see higher morale, better retention, and lower turnover costs—sometimes in the millions.

The Bottom Line

If it’s earned, it’s access. If it’s estimated, it’s an advance.

Earned Wage Access reinforces the worker–employer relationship while supporting long-term stability, and workers are asking for it.

Find out more in Payactiv’s EWA Blueprint

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