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2026-02-05 21:06:13

Mapped: Where Birth Rates Are Highest in the U.S.

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Birth rates in the U.S. have been declining for decades, but that decline has hit some states faster than others.

The projections in this visualization are from SmartAsset, who analyzed results from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 1-Year American Community Survey. The number shown for each state represents births per 1,000 people, and is based on most recent fertility rate data and state demographics.

Utah’s Demographic Advantage

Utah ranks first in the nation, with an estimated 9.7 babies born per 1,000 people each year. The state’s relatively young population plays a major role, as younger adults are more likely to be in childbearing years. Cultural and religious influences also contribute, with larger family sizes remaining more common than in many other states.

Large States, Strong Numbers

Texas and California rank near the top both in absolute and relative terms. California is projected to see more than 340,000 births per year, while Texas exceeds 278,000. On a per-capita basis, both states are driven by younger populations and higher shares of immigrants.

Where Birth Rates Lag

States in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest tend to rank lower. Maine, Vermont, and West Virginia sit near the bottom, with fewer than eight babies born per 1,000 people annually. Older populations, higher living costs, and delayed family formation all play a role.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Countries With the Biggest Gains in Life Expectancy on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-02-05 14:44:28

Mapped: Which European Countries Pay the Highest Salaries

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Salaries across European countries vary widely, with the contrast especially apparent between Eastern and Western Europe.

While some European workers earn salaries comparable to those in the United States, others take home less than €20,000 (roughly $23,700) a year, highlighting the wide income gap within Europe’s economy.

This visualization shows the average annual full-time salary in every European country in 2024, using data from Eurostat and the OECD. OECD figures have been converted to euros using 2024 exchange rates.

Europe’s Highest-Paying Countries

Luxembourg ranks first in Europe, with an average full-time salary of around €83,000, also placing it among the highest-paying countries in the world.

Besides being driven by high-paying industries such as IT and finance, Luxembourg also uses a wage indexation system that automatically adjusts salaries in line with inflation to maintain purchasing power.

Here’s a look at average full-time salaries across 31 European nations:

Rank	Country	Average full-time salary in 2024 (euros)
1	Luxembourg	€82,969
2	Iceland	€77,189
3	Switzerland	€75,062
4	Denmark	€71,565
5	Norway	€64,029
6	Ireland	€61,051
7	Belgium	€59,632
8	Austria	€58,600
9	Netherlands	€58,248
10	Germany	€53,791
11	United Kingdom	€51,657
12	Finland	€49,428
13	Sweden	€46,525
14	France	€43,790
15	Slovenia	€35,133
16	Spain	€33,700
17	Italy	€33,523
18	Malta	€33,499
19	Lithuania	€29,104
20	Cyprus	€27,611
21	Estonia	€26,546
22	Portugal	€24,818
23	Czechia	€23,998
24	Croatia	€23,446
25	Latvia	€22,262
26	Poland	€21,246
27	Romania	€21,108
28	Slovakia	€20,287
29	Hungary	€18,461
30	Greece	€17,954
31	Bulgaria	€15,387

Iceland ranks second among Europe’s highest-paying countries with the average worker taking home just over €77,000. The country has also has strong union coverage, with around 90% of all employees covered by a trade union—potentially allowing for greater leverage in wage negotiations.

Several Nordic and Western European countries also rank highly. Switzerland, Denmark, and Iceland all report average salaries above €70,000 per year. Meanwhile, Germany and France—Europe’s two largest economies—sit near the middle, with average full-time wages of €53,791 and €43,790, respectively.

The East–West Divide in European Salaries

Moving south and east within Europe, average salaries drop significantly.

While Southern European countries such as Spain, Italy, and Portugal cluster closer to the €30,000 mark, Eastern European nations sit at the bottom of the ranking. Bulgaria reports Europe’s lowest average full-time salary at just €15,387, preceded by Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania.

However, while headline salaries are useful for comparison, they don’t tell the full story. Countries with higher wages also tend to have higher living costs, especially for housing, childcare, and services. Meanwhile, lower-wage countries often benefit from cheaper housing and everyday expenses, partially offsetting income gaps.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

How have median incomes changed in the world’s largest economies from 1994 to 2024? Find out in this visualization on Voronoi.

2026-02-05 03:08:04

Charted: Silver Price Rallies Over Time (1965–2026)

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.

Unlike gold, silver plays a dual role as both a monetary metal and an industrial input, making it especially sensitive to shifts in supply, demand, and investor sentiment.

This chart highlights four major silver price rallies between 1965 and 2026, showing how quickly prices can surge during periods of economic stress or market disruption. Prices shown are not adjusted for inflation, and 2026 figures reflect data as of February 2, 2026.

The data for this visualization comes from Macrotrends and Kitco.

The Hunt Brothers and the 1980 Silver Spike

Maybe the most notorious silver rally occurred between 1979 and 1980. During this period, billionaire brothers Nelson and William Hunt attempted to corner the silver market by amassing physical silver and futures contracts.

At their peak, the Hunts controlled nearly one-third of global silver supply. Prices surged from $7.69 to $49.45 per ounce in just one year, a gain of 543%. The rally ultimately collapsed after regulatory intervention, leading to sharp losses and long-lasting market reforms.

Post-Financial Crisis Momentum (2009–2011)

Silver’s next major rally followed the 2008 global financial crisis. As central banks introduced aggressive monetary stimulus and interest rates fell, investors sought hard assets as a hedge against currency debasement.

Between 2009 and 2011, silver prices climbed from $12.59 to $49.47 per ounce, a 293% gain over two years.

The Pandemic and the 2025–2026 Breakout

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked another sharp rally in 2020, with prices rising 107% in a single year.

However, the most dramatic move came this year, when silver surged from $29 at the beginning of 2025 to a new all-time high above $121 in February 2026.

China’s tighter controls on silver exports constrained global supply, while escalating geopolitical tensions increased demand for safe-haven assets.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out All of the World’s Silver Reserves by Country, in One Visualization on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-02-04 23:36:17

Countries Spending the Most on Research and Development

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For decades, the U.S. stood as the global leader in research and development (R&D) spending, however, China is increasingly challenging the scientific balance of power.

Backed by rapid growth and strategic investment, China’s share of global R&D has surged from 4.0% in 2000 to 27.4% in 2024. South Korea and India are also increasing their R&D presence, helping push Asia to the forefront of global innovation.

This graphic shows R&D spending by country, based on data from the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The Global Leaders in R&D Spending

Below, we rank countries by their R&D spending (in purchasing power parity-adjusted constant 2015 U.S. dollars):

Ranking	Country	R&D Spending 2024	Global Share	R&D Spending (% of GDP)
1	China	$785.9B	27.4%	2.7%
2	U.S.	$781.8B	27.2%	3.5%
3	Japan	$186.0B	6.5%	3.5%
4	Germany	$132.2B	4.6%	3.1%
5	South Korea	$126.4B	4.4%	5.3%
6	UK	$86.5B	3.0%	2.8%
7	India	$75.7B	2.6%	0.7%
8	France	$65.8B	2.3%	2.2%
9	Türkiye	$43.2B	1.5%	1.4%
10	Brazil	$38.4B	1.3%	1.2%
11	Russia	$38.1B	1.3%	0.9%
12	Canada	$33.2B	1.2%	1.8%
13	Italy	$32.5B	1.1%	1.3%
14	Spain	$29.0B	1.0%	1.5%
15	Israel	$26.5B	0.9%	6.3%
16	Australia	$25.1B	0.9%	1.9%
17	Netherlands	$23.0B	0.8%	2.2%
18	Switzerland	$20.8B	0.7%	3.3%
19	Belgium	$19.9B	0.7%	3.3%
20	Sweden	$19.9B	0.7%	3.6%
21	Egypt	$16.4B	0.6%	1.0%
22	Austria	$15.6B	0.5%	3.3%
23	Thailand	$15.1B	0.5%	1.2%
24	Singapore	$11.7B	0.4%	1.9%
25	UAE	$11.4B	0.4%	1.5%
26	Denmark	$10.4B	0.4%	3.0%
27	Malaysia	$10.2B	0.4%	1.0%

China ranks first globally, spending $785.9 billion on R&D in 2024.

Much of that investment is shaped by China’s centralized funding model, where a large share of research flows through government labs aligned with national priorities such as energy, biotech, and frontier technologies.

The U.S. ranks second at $781.8 billion. Unlike China, American R&D is driven primarily by the private sector, with Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta among the world’s largest corporate R&D investors.

Together, China and the U.S. R&D investment account for 54.7% of the global total.

Japan ranks a distant third, investing $186.0 billion in 2024. Since 2000, its share of global R&D has fallen by 7.2 percentage points, the second-largest decline after the U.S. Toyota has long led corporate R&D spending in Japan, with Honda also investing heavily.

Europe also places three countries in the global top 10, including Germany (#4), the UK (#6), and France (#8). However, each has seen its share of global R&D shrink since 2000.

Still, there are bright spots. In 2024, EU corporate R&D investment rose 13.0% in healthcare, while energy surged 19.8%, outpacing growth in China, the U.S., and Japan.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the Global Innovation Index in 2025.

2026-02-04 21:02:48

Mapped: Which Countries Rely Most on Imports

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Global imports are valued at approximately 28% of GDP, with trillions of dollars in goods and services moving across borders each year.

In dozens of countries, imports exceed 50% of GDP, especially in trade-oriented nations and smaller economies. While elevated ratios are common in major trade hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong, they can also signal a heavier reliance on imported food and commodities.

This graphic shows import reliance by country, based on data from the World Bank.

Import Reliance Amid Global Uncertainty

Import dependence has become a central issue in foreign policy, as many countries work to de-risk their supply chains.

Among the biggest focus areas are critical minerals and advanced semiconductors. Beyond this, European countries have ramped up renewable energy to reduce reliance on Russian oil. As a whole, imports account for 46% of GDP across EU countries.

Below, we show goods and services imports as a share of GDP by country, with data as of 2024 (or the latest data available):

Rank	Country	Imports as a Share of GDP (%)
1	Hong Kong SAR	178
2	Luxembourg	160
3	San Marino	155
4	Singapore	144
5	Djibouti	115
6	Nauru	111
7	Seychelles	103
8	Ireland	102
9	Kiribati	102
10	Malta	100
11	Somalia	99
12	Lesotho	99
13	Cyprus	93
14	UAE	92
15	Slovak Republic	86
16	Timor-Leste	85
17	Kyrgyz Republic	84
18	Vietnam	84
19	Cuba	82
20	Marshall Islands	82
21	Palau	80
22	Belgium	80
23	Mauritius	78
24	Maldives	78
25	Armenia	76
26	Aruba	76
27	Estonia	75
28	Slovenia	75
29	North Macedonia	75
30	Lebanon	74
31	Cambodia	72
32	Kosovo	72
33	Micronesia	71
34	Netherlands	71
35	Hungary	71
36	Solomon Islands	71
37	Bahrain	70
38	Mongolia	70
39	Lithuania	69
40	Namibia	68
41	Latvia	67
42	Belarus	67
43	Thailand	67
44	Montenegro	66
45	Malaysia	66
46	Tonga	65
47	Czechia	63
48	Switzerland	62
49	Denmark	61
50	West Bank and Gaza	60
51	Brunei Darussalam	58
52	Serbia	58
53	Nicaragua	58
54	Honduras	58
55	Moldova	57
56	Jordan	57
57	Libya	57
58	Guinea	56
59	Tunisia	56
60	Georgia	56
61	Croatia	55
62	Bosnia and Herzegovina	54
63	Cabo Verde	54
64	Bulgaria	54
65	Belize	54
66	Eswatini	54
67	Bhutan	53
68	Austria	53
69	Mozambique	53
70	Mauritania	52
71	El Salvador	52
72	DR Congo	52
73	Sweden	52
74	Faroe Islands	51
75	Greenland	51
76	Afghanistan	51
77	Morocco	50
78	Macao SAR	50
79	Taiwan	49
80	Samoa	49
81	Oman	49
82	Tajikistan	48
83	Ukraine	48
84	Poland	48
85	Greece	48
86	French Polynesia	46
87	Portugal	44
88	Botswana	44
89	Iceland	44
90	Senegal	43
91	Albania	43
92	Puerto Rico (US)	43
93	Romania	42
94	Finland	42
95	Bahamas	41
96	Congo	40
97	South Korea	40
98	Philippines	40
99	Paraguay	40
100	Panama	39
101	Rwanda	39
102	Kuwait	38
103	Uzbekistan	38
104	Mexico	38
105	Germany	38
106	Azerbaijan	37
107	Comoros	34
108	Ghana	34
109	France	34
110	Norway	34
111	Gambia	33
112	Iraq	33
113	Nepal	33
114	Spain	33
115	Costa Rica	33
116	Canada	33
117	Qatar	32
118	Burkina Faso	32
119	United Kingdom	32
120	Madagascar	32
121	Guatemala	31
122	Central African Republic	31
123	Malawi	31
124	Italy	30
125	Chile	30
126	South Africa	30
127	Dominican Republic	29
128	New Caledonia	29
129	Iran	29
130	Zambia	28
131	Gabon	27
132	Mali	27
133	Turkiye	27
134	Guinea-Bissau	27
135	Ecuador	27
136	New Zealand	26
137	Israel	26
138	Uganda	26
139	Kazakhstan	26
140	Saudi Arabia	26
141	Bolivia	26
142	Equatorial Guinea	25
143	Cote d'Ivoire	25
144	Uruguay	24
145	Japan	24
146	India	23
147	Zimbabwe	23
148	Sierra Leone	23
149	Egypt,	23
150	Bermuda	23
151	Kenya	23
152	Peru	23
153	Niger	23
154	Australia	23
155	Sri Lanka	23
156	Benin	22
157	Tanzania	22
158	Colombia	21
159	Indonesia	20
160	Algeria	20
161	Angola	19
162	Haiti	19
163	Cameroon	19
164	Chad	18
165	Brazil	18
166	Russia	18
167	Pakistan	17
168	China	17
169	Bangladesh	16
170	United States	14
171	Argentina	13
172	Ethiopia	12
173	Turkmenistan	11
174	Venezuela	9
175	Sudan	1

Hong Kong has the highest import-to-GDP ratio in the world at 178%, driven largely by its role as a major re-export hub.

More than half of these re-exported goods originate in China, passing through Hong Kong before being shipped to the rest of the world. In total, the value of Hong Kong’s re-exports exceeds half a trillion dollars.

Singapore, with an import-to-GDP ratio of 144%, is similarly a key re-export—or entrepôt—economy.

Meanwhile, island nations such as Cyprus, Cuba, and Taiwan tend to be more import-dependent due to limited domestic production. In Cuba, up to 80% of food is imported, mainly from the Netherlands and Spain.

Moreover, Taiwan is heavily reliant on imported energy, with most of its oil shipped from the Middle East. The country also imports billions of dollars’ worth of oil derivatives from Russia, which are essential inputs in semiconductor manufacturing.

In North America, Mexico has the highest import-to-GDP ratio at 38%, followed by Canada at 33%. Despite recording $3.4 trillion in imports in 2024, the U.S. has the sixth-lowest import dependence globally, at 14%, given the sheer size of its economy and diverse domestic production.

Also sitting at the bottom are Sudan (1%) and Venezuela (9%), where ongoing crises and corruption have severely disrupted trade flows.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s biggest exporters.

2026-02-04 02:47:03

Charted: Political Affiliation by Generation in the U.S.

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.

Political identity in the U.S. is changing, and the divide is increasingly generational.

Younger Americans are stepping away from traditional party labels, while older generations remain more closely tied to the two-party system.

This visualization shows how political affiliation varies across generations, highlighting the growing role of independents in American politics.

The data comes from Gallup. It is based on annual averages from Gallup’s telephone interviews, asking respondents whether they identify as Republican, Democrat, or independent. “No opinion” responses are excluded, and figures may not total 100% due to rounding.

Younger Generations Favor Being Independents

A majority of both Generation Z and Millennials identify as independents. Among Gen Z, 56% say they are independent, compared with just 17% identifying as Republican and 27% as Democrat. Millennials show a similar pattern, with 54% identifying as independent.

Party Loyalty Rises With Age

Political affiliation becomes more evenly split among older generations. Generation X shows a more balanced distribution, with 31% Republican, 25% Democrat, and 42% independent. Among Baby Boomers, party identification nearly overtakes independence altogether.

The Silent Generation is the most partisan group, with roughly seven in 10 identifying as either Republican or Democrat. This cohort came of age during periods when party affiliation was more stable and closely tied to identity, such as the New Deal era and the Cold War.

Implications for U.S. Politics

The rise of independents among younger generations has major implications for elections and governance. While independents may still lean toward one party, their lack of formal affiliation makes voter behavior less predictable. It also complicates messaging for political parties trying to mobilize younger voters.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Distribution of Income in America (2024 vs 1974) on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.