Visual CapitalistModify

2026-04-20 12:32:47

Why Europe Will Miss Its 2030 Digital Skills Target

Europe’s push to build a digitally skilled population is losing momentum. At the current pace, the region is unlikely to meet its 2030 target.

The chart above, created by The European Correspondent using European Commission DESI data, shows how basic digital skills have changed across EU countries from 2022 to 2025, along with projected progress to 2030. While some countries are making rapid progress, others are slipping, with 10 EU nations reporting outright declines, leaving the EU on track to fall well short of the 80% goal.

This uneven progress points to a growing divide across the bloc. As digital skills become essential for jobs and public services, parts of Europe may fall further behind.

How Digital Skills are Evolving Across Europe

At the current pace, the EU would need to increase digital skills adoption nearly nine times faster to meet its 80% target by 2030, highlighting how far off track the region is despite recent gains.

At the top of the rankings, the Netherlands and Finland lead with around 80% or more of adults possessing basic digital skills, followed closely by Ireland and Denmark. At the other end, Romania and Bulgaria remain the lowest, with fewer than half of citizens meeting the baseline threshold.

“Basic digital skills” refers to the ability to perform tasks across four domains—information, communication, problem-solving, and software use, based on the EU’s DESI framework.

Which Countries Are Moving Forward and Backward?

A notable warning sign: 10 EU countries are moving in reverse. Latvia, Croatia, Slovakia, and others reported lower shares of adults with basic digital skills in 2025 than in 2022, an unexpected shift from what was once steady progress.

On the other side of the ledger, Hungary led the bloc with a 9.8 percentage-point gain, followed closely by Czechia at 9.42 points. Estonia and Belgium also posted notable improvements. That mix of momentum and backsliding makes the regional picture look less like a steady climb and more like a very uneven Wi-Fi signal.

Why the 80% Target Matters

The EU’s 80% target is part of its broader Digital Decade program, designed to ensure citizens can work, learn, and access services in an increasingly digital economy. The European Commission says just 55.6% of the EU population currently has at least basic digital skills, while policymakers have warned that nearly half of EU adults still lack them even as 90% of jobs require some level of digital ability.

The stakes are economic. With roughly 90% of jobs now requiring some level of digital skills, countries that fall behind risk slower growth, weaker job markets, and reduced access to essential digital services.

2026-04-20 01:12:31

Ranked: The World’s 15 Largest Defense Budgets

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.

For the first time on record, the top 15 military spenders allocated more than $2 trillion to defense in 2025.

Total global defense spending also reached a record $2.6 trillion, signaling a major shift in geopolitical priorities.

Using data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, this visualization ranks the 15 countries driving this surge in military spending.

While the U.S. still operates on an entirely different scale, the biggest shift is happening in Europe, where countries are no longer just maintaining military capacity but expanding it significantly.

The $2 Trillion Arms Race: Defense Spending by Country

The U.S. defense budget reached $921 billion in 2025, larger than the combined military spending of China, Russia, Germany, the UK, India, Saudi Arabia, France, and Japan.

Looking ahead, Donald Trump has proposed increasing defense spending to $1.5 trillion by 2027, although this plan has not been enacted. If realized, this would represent roughly 90% higher spending than the Cold War peak in real terms.

China ranked second globally with $251.3 billion in defense spending in 2025. Its share of Asia’s military spending has climbed to 44%, up from 39% in 2017, highlighting its expanding regional influence.

Below is the breakdown of the 15 nations with the largest defense budgets in 2025.

Rank	Country	Defense Budget 2025 (USD)
1	United States	$921.0B
2	China	$251.3B
3	Russia	$186.2B
4	Germany	$107.3B
5	United Kingdom	$94.3B
6	India	$78.3B
7	Saudi Arabia	$72.5B
8	France	$70.0B
9	Japan	$58.9B
10	Ukraine	$44.4B
11	South Korea	$43.8B
12	Italy	$40.1B
13	Israel	$39.7B
14	Australia	$37.3B
15	Poland	$33.2B

Russia’s defense budget reached $186.2 billion in 2025, rising by more than $40 billion in a single year and equivalent to 7.3% of GDP.

However, spending is expected to decline in 2026, the first drop since the invasion of Ukraine. With a growing deficit, the country faces mounting economic pressure, though higher oil prices have recently provided some relief.

Europe’s Expanding War Chest

With Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and pressure from the U.S., European NATO members have committed to spending 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2035.

This would translate to roughly $1.2 trillion by 2035, the largest defense buildup among these countries since the Cold War.

Outside of Russia, Europe holds six of the world’s 15 largest defense budgets, led by Germany ($107.3 billion) and the UK ($94.3 billion). Both countries increased spending by tens of billions between 2024 and 2025.

What was once gradual growth has become a sharp acceleration, making defense one of the fastest-growing spending categories across advanced economies.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s largest armies in 2026.

2026-04-19 22:47:31

Ranked: Teacher Salaries Around the World

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.

In some countries, teaching is a six-figure career. In others, salaries remain far lower even after decades of experience.

This chart compares statutory salaries for upper secondary teachers across OECD countries, using PPP-adjusted 2022 dollars. Data comes from the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2025 report.

To put this in perspective, the highest-paid teachers earn more than double the OECD average top salary of about $76,000, highlighting how wide the global pay gap can be.

Where Teacher Pay Reaches Six Figures

Luxembourg stands far ahead, with starting salaries near $100,000 and top pay reaching over $170,000.

Germany and Switzerland also offer six-figure peak salaries, but still trail Luxembourg by a wide margin. This gap shows how much outliers can skew global comparisons.

Country	Starting Salary	After 15 Years	Top of Scale
Luxembourg	$99,621	$137,418	$173,165
Germany	$90,567	$107,491	$122,251
Switzerland	$90,469	—	$137,378
Mexico	$61,856	$75,953	$75,953
Norway	$61,833	$69,446	$77,382
Austria	$61,742	$83,166	$126,691
Spain	$61,074	$70,856	$87,304
Türkiye	$59,766	$67,091	$77,396
Denmark	$59,762	$77,664	$77,664
Netherlands	$58,805	$102,711	$121,026
Australia	$57,477	$81,842	$92,959
United States	$52,893	$76,442	$83,410
Sweden	$51,479	$58,755	$67,678
Scotland	$51,285	$64,368	$64,368
Canada	$50,077	$87,285	$87,299
Finland	$48,930	$61,685	$65,386
Iceland	$48,176	$61,204	$61,204
OECD Average	$47,339	$63,925	$76,535
France	$47,220	$53,086	$74,214
Ireland	$43,344	$70,865	$81,631
New Zealand	$41,726	$67,121	$67,121
England	$41,468	$63,995	$63,995
Portugal	$41,321	$52,740	$87,367
Italy	$40,947	$50,917	$63,432
Lithuania	$39,107	$44,970	$51,172
S. Korea	$37,773	$65,765	$104,786
Slovenia	$36,597	$56,323	$67,365
Japan	$34,863	$54,168	$68,276
Colombia	$31,723	$57,853	$57,853
Israel	$31,176	$44,444	$63,367
Chile	$30,977	$46,525	$57,433
Hungary	$30,692	$34,949	$42,039
Poland	$28,712	$41,355	$43,101
Czechia	$27,348	$30,359	$35,962
Costa Rica	$26,678	$33,673	$40,668
Brazil	$24,526	—	—
Slovakia	$23,371	$26,913	$30,102
Greece	$23,363	$30,627	$45,153
Dataset Average	$47,265	$63,165	$76,219

Mid-Tier Countries Show Strong Growth Potential

While starting pay is moderate in countries like Canada and the Netherlands, long-term earnings can rise significantly. In Canada, salaries increase from roughly $50K to over $87K, one of the largest jumps in the dataset.

The Netherlands also shows one of the steepest pay progressions in the dataset.

Where Teacher Pay Falls Furthest Behind

At the lower end of the scale, starting salaries in countries like Slovakia, Greece, and Brazil can fall below $30K. Even at peak levels, earnings often remain below the OECD average, highlighting major disparities in how education systems compensate teachers.

In some countries, salaries increase very little over time, limiting long-term earnings. This can contribute to teacher shortages, lower retention, and differences in education quality.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Comparing Education Levels Across 45 Countries on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-04-19 19:42:13

Mapped: America’s Best States to Live In

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.

What makes a state a great place to live in 2025?

Using data from WalletHub, which evaluates 51 metrics across affordability, economic opportunity, safety, and health, this map ranks all 50 U.S. states by quality of life.

The results point to a shift in where Americans can achieve the highest standard of living. While coastal states still lead in income and infrastructure, many Midwest and Mountain states are rising by combining affordability, safety, and economic stability.

Ranked: Where Quality of Life Is Highest in America

Massachusetts tops the ranking thanks to a combination of high incomes, leading healthcare access, and a dense network of top universities, but coastal states no longer dominate the list.

States like Idaho (#2) and New Hampshire (#7) show that quality of life is increasingly driven by safety and economic stability, not just taxes or climate.

Below is the full breakdown of all 50 states, ranked by their total score. Figures are rounded.

One of the clearest trends in the 2025 rankings is the rise of the Midwest as a quality-of-life leader.

With Wisconsin (#4) and Minnesota (#5) in the top five, the region stands out for balancing strong economic, health, and educational outcomes with relatively better affordability.

States Ranking Near the Bottom

The lowest-ranked states cluster into a clear pattern at the bottom of the map.

New Mexico (#50) and Louisiana (#49) remain the only states to score around 40 points, hampered by systemic gaps in healthcare infrastructure and safety.

Moreover, the bottom quartile of the list contains many of the nation’s most “affordable” states. This creates a “livability paradox”: states with the lowest costs often rank poorly overall, as weaker healthcare, safety, and economic mobility offset their affordability advantages.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on average salary by state.

2026-04-19 00:24:20

Ranked: The Busiest U.S. Airports by Flights

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.

Most airport rankings focus on passenger traffic, but that only tells part of the story. A different metric, aircraft movements, shows how often planes are actually taking off and landing.

Using Federal Aviation Administration data, this visualization by Julie Peasley ranks the busiest U.S. airports by total flights in 2025.

At the top, Chicago O’Hare operates at an almost continuous pace, with a takeoff or landing every 37 seconds.

U.S. Airports With the Most Flights

Here’s a look at America’s top airports by flights:

Chicago O’Hare leads by a wide margin, followed by Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth. Notably, the top four airports all exceed 700,000 annual operations, underscoring their immense throughput and operational complexity.

To put this in perspective, here’s how quickly flights move at the top airports:

• O’Hare (ORD): every 37 seconds
• Atlanta (ATL): every 39 seconds
• Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): every 42 seconds
• Denver (DEN): every 45 seconds

Even small differences translate into tens of thousands of additional flights per year.

Why the Busiest Airport Isn’t Always the Most Crowded

Passenger rankings favor bigger planes. Flight rankings favor more planes. That’s why airports like Chicago O’Hare and Denver rise to the top. They move aircraft more frequently, not just more people.

For context, some of the world’s busiest passenger airports do not appear at the top of this list. That’s because larger aircraft can carry more people per flight, reducing total movements even at high-traffic hubs.

O’Hare’s lead comes down to frequency. Over a full day, that 37-second pace adds up to more than 2,300 flights, far ahead of any other U.S. airport.

Meanwhile, airports like Phoenix Sky Harbor and Charlotte Douglas also rank highly because of their roles as connecting hubs, handling constant waves of arrivals and departures throughout the day.

The Role of Connectivity and Hub Strategy

Airports with strong airline hub operations naturally generate more aircraft movements. Carriers schedule tightly coordinated banks of flights to maximize connections, leading to frequent takeoffs and landings.

According to broader aviation analysis, highly connected airports tend to prioritize network efficiency over sheer passenger volume. This helps explain why hubs like Denver and Dallas/Fort Worth rank so highly, since they act as central nodes in national air travel.

Just How Busy Is “Busy”?

To put these numbers in perspective, even the 10th-ranked airport, New York’s JFK, handles a flight roughly every 67 seconds. At the top end, O’Hare’s near-continuous operations require precise coordination between air traffic control, ground crews, and airlines.

This near-constant flow of aircraft highlights how modern air travel depends on precision and coordination at scale. As flight demand grows, the busiest airports aren’t just moving more people. They’re managing an increasingly nonstop stream of planes.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

For more aviation insights, check out U.S. Airports with Most Bird Strikes on the Voronoi app.

2026-04-18 21:35:30

Ranked: The Best-Selling Video Games in History

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.

Video games have produced some of the best-selling entertainment products ever—but the top spot isn’t as clear-cut as it seems.

This ranking uses updated sales data from HP (2026) to compare the top-selling video games of all time, led by Tetris at more than 520 million units sold. However, its position is debated because the game has been released across dozens of platforms since 1984.

If each version is counted separately, Minecraft would take the crown, highlighting how the industry’s biggest hits span generations, platforms, and business models.

Is Tetris Really the Best-Selling Game Ever?

Tetris is widely considered the best-selling video game of all time, but that title depends on how its many versions are counted.

Since 1984, the game has been rereleased across dozens of platforms, contributing to its 520 million total. Some analysts count each version separately. Under that approach, Minecraft would rank as the best-selling single-release game in history.

Despite gaming’s decades-long history, most of the top-selling titles were released after 2010. Franchises like Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, and Terraria reflect the shift toward digital distribution, live-service updates, and global player communities.

The Rise of the Creeper

In 2009, Swedish game developer Mojang Studios launched early access for Minecraft, a sandbox game that allows players to create, fight, and mine while engaging with a massive online community.

Nearly two decades later, Minecraft has become the defining game of the modern era, with 350 million copies sold worldwide. It was acquired by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014.

Today, the game’s large fan community has led to the development of the annual Minecon convention, as well as a 2025 film adaptation, A Minecraft Movie, which grossed over $960 million at the box office.

GTA V and the Rockstar Reign

In November 2026, Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to be released. Much of the anticipation stems from its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, which generated over $1 billion in sales within three days of its 2013 launch, making it the fastest-selling entertainment product in history at the time.

Since then, Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 225 million copies worldwide, surpassing even bundled titles like Nintendo’s Wii Sports (83 million).

Few games released since Grand Theft Auto V have matched its commercial success. Red Dead Redemption 2, also developed by Rockstar Games, has reached 82 million sales, ahead of titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (79 million), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (60 million), and Super Mario Bros. (58 million).

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out the Top 10 Best-Selling Console Video Games of 1980.