2026-01-22 11:20:30
With a population smaller than a mid-sized American suburb and an economy heavily dependent on Danish subsidies, Greenland would seem an unlikely candidate for the center of a geopolitical firestorm. Yet this autonomous Danish territory—home to just 57,000 people and a GDP of roughly $3.3 billion—has become one of the most talked-about places on Earth.
On conventional maps, where bigger countries stand out, Greenland certainly looks important. The island visually rivals Africa in size, appearing as an imposing landmass stretching across the top of the globe. But that impression is a 500-year-old cartographic illusion.
In 1569, Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator created a map projection that would become the default for classrooms, atlases, and eventually Google Maps. The Mercator projection preserves angles and shapes that are essential for navigation, but at a significant cost: it dramatically inflates landmasses as they approach the poles.
The result? Greenland appears roughly the same size as Africa. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger.
According to data from climate scientist Neil Kaye and the interactive mapping tool at Engaging Data, Greenland is the single most exaggerated territory on Earth by percentage. It is actually 73.9% smaller than is shown on a Mercator map.
In absolute terms:
A 2020 study published in ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information surveyed over 130,000 people worldwide and found that this distortion meaningfully shapes how we perceive geography.
Participants consistently overestimated the size of high-latitude countries like Greenland, Canada, and Russia while underestimating equatorial nations. In other words, they had a cognitive bias baked in by decades of exposure to Mercator maps.
Despite the cartographic exaggeration, Greenland is no small place. At 2.17 million square kilometers, it ranks as the 12th largest country or territory in the world, larger than Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Indonesia. It’s the world’s largest island, more than three times the size of Texas, and about 26% bigger than Alaska.
Its location adds to the intrigue. Thule Air Base in northwest Greenland sits almost exactly halfway between Washington, D.C. and Moscow along the polar route, a geography that has made the island strategically valuable since the Cold War. In an era of hypersonic missiles and renewed Arctic competition, that position remains critical.
From Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, the straight-line distance to Washington is nearly the same as to Copenhagen.
So yes, your mental map has been distorted. The reality of Greenland does not match the gargantuan size portrayed on the world’s most popular maps.
But it’s still the world’s largest island—rich in rare earths, positioned at the crossroads of a geopolitical power struggle, and increasingly ice-free due to climate change. The Mercator projection may exaggerate Greenland’s size, but its strategic importance is no illusion.
2026-01-22 09:04:58
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Iceland and Greenland are often confused due to their similar names, but they differ dramatically in geography, climate, population, and political status.
This map compares the two islands across a variety of fundamental metrics. Despite being located just a few hundred miles apart in the North Atlantic, the two places differ dramatically in scale and development.
The data for this visualization comes from Wikipedia, and the World Bank.
Greenland is enormous, covering 2.16 million square kilometers—roughly the combined area of Texas, California, and Montana.
Iceland, by comparison, spans just over 103,000 square kilometers, similar in size of Kentucky. Yet Greenland is home to only 57,000 people, while Iceland’s population is nearly 393,000.
| Category |
 Greenland |
 Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| Local name | Kalaallit Nunaat | Ísland |
| Land area | 2.16 million km² | 103,125 km² |
| Avg Annual Temp | −1°C / 30°F | 5° / 41°F |
| Population | 57K | 393K |
| Capital | Nuuk | Reykjavík |
| Political status | Territory of Denmark | Sovereign nation |
| Ice coverage (land area) | 80% | 11% |
| GDP (USD, 2023) | $3.3B | $33.3B |
| GDP per capita (USD, nominal, 2023) | $58K | $82K |
| Life expectancy | 72 years | 83 years |
| Economy | Fisheries, public administration, subsidies from Denmark | Fisheries, tourism, aluminum smelting, data centers |
| Resources | Minerals, fish | Geothermal power, hydropower, fish |
Contrary to what their names suggest, Iceland has a much milder climate and far less ice coverage.
About 11% of Iceland’s land area is covered by ice, compared with roughly 80% of Greenland.
According to medieval sagas, Viking explorer Erik the Red named the icy island “Greenland” around 985 AD to make it sound more appealing to settlers from overcrowded Iceland. Today, Iceland’s average annual temperature sits around 5°C, while Greenland averages closer to −1°C.
Iceland’s economy is significantly larger and more diversified. In 2023, its GDP reached $33.3 billion, compared with Greenland’s $3.3 billion. On a per-capita basis, Iceland also comes out ahead, with nominal GDP per person around $82,000 versus $58,000 in Greenland.
Life expectancy reflects this gap as well, at 83 years in Iceland—among the highest globally—compared with 72 years in Greenland.
Iceland’s economy benefits from geothermal power, tourism, aluminum smelting, and data centers, while Greenland relies more heavily on fisheries and subsidies from Denmark, despite vast mineral resources.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out How Venezuela’s Oil Reserves Compare to the Rest of the World on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
2026-01-22 05:17:54
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In just five years, the companies competing for AI chips and data center market share were reshuffled significantly.
This chart visualizes the changing market share of AI and data center revenue over time between Intel, Nvidia, and AMD.
The data comes from Bloomberg and company-reported segment revenue from Nvidia, Intel, and AMD, with the chart showing each company’s share of the combined (peer-set) total from 2021–2025.
At the start of the decade, Intel was the undisputed king, capturing over two-thirds of AI chip and data center market share when compared to Nvidia and AMD.
In 2021, Nvidia only had about 25% of market share and was known primarily for gaming GPUs, while AMD was a distant third with just 7% market share.
As seen in the data table below, revenues have shifted significantly since 2021, with Nvidia as the market share leader at 86% as of late 2025.
| Quarter | Intel | AMD | Nvidia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Q1 | 68% | 7% | 25% |
| 2021 Q2 | 64% | 9% | 27% |
| 2021 Q3 | 59% | 11% | 30% |
| 2021 Q4 | 59% | 11% | 30% |
| 2022 Q1 | 55% | 12% | 34% |
| 2022 Q2 | 47% | 15% | 38% |
| 2022 Q3 | 44% | 17% | 40% |
| 2022 Q4 | 45% | 17% | 38% |
| 2023 Q1 | 40% | 14% | 46% |
| 2023 Q2 | 26% | 8% | 66% |
| 2023 Q3 | 19% | 8% | 73% |
| 2023 Q4 | 16% | 9% | 75% |
| 2024 Q1 | 13% | 8% | 79% |
| 2024 Q2 | 12% | 9% | 80% |
| 2024 Q3 | 11% | 9% | 80% |
| 2024 Q4 | 8% | 9% | 83% |
| 2025 Q1 | 9% | 8% | 83% |
| 2025 Q2 | 8% | 7% | 85% |
| 2025 Q3 | 7% | 7% | 86% |
| 2025 Q4 E | 6% | 7% | 86% |
The viral rise of AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the world by storm after launching in late 2022, turning the tide quickly as Big Tech and governments rushed to build “AI factories”—huge data centers designed to train and run large language models (LLMs)—driving demand toward GPU-heavy infrastructure.
Nvidia capitalized on this shift by improving not just the GPU (making it faster and more power-efficient) but the whole AI system.
This includes chips, networking, and software—so gains compounded at the platform level rather than relying on traditional CPU scaling.
CEO Jensen Huang noted that while traditional Moore’s Law had slowed for CPUs, Nvidia’s AI computing performance was doubling nearly every year.
He explained that Nvidia can push performance faster because it builds “the architecture, the chip, the system, the libraries, and the algorithms” together in parallel.
Beyond the silicon, Nvidia’s advantage was its complete software and hardware ecosystem, which created a moat that raised switching costs.
Intel’s Data Center & AI share fell for one primary reason amidst repeated delays in its 2021 and 2022 CPU chip iterations.
Intel was CPU-focused while competition intensified, and after ChatGPT’s launch (Q4 2022), data-center spending shifted toward GPU-heavy AI systems.
The company failed to adapt and scale, as its AI-chip deals fell short of initial expectations.
Management even dropped its 2024 target of $500M+ in AI-accelerator revenue, citing a software platform transition.
All those missteps left it underexposed to the fastest-growing slice of AI data-center spend, while Nvidia ran away with the lead.
If you enjoyed today’s post, explore more insights about the AI chips market on Voronoi, including Nvidia vs. AMD vs. Intel: Comparing AI Chip Sales.
2026-01-22 02:44:31
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As electric vehicle adoption accelerates, charging infrastructure is becoming a critical bottleneck. Countries that scale public chargers efficiently can reduce range anxiety, support faster EV adoption, and ease pressure on urban transport systems.
This visualization ranks major countries by EV charger density, measured as the number of electric vehicles per public charger as of Q3 2025. The data for this visualization comes from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
The Netherlands ranks first by a wide margin, with just five EVs per public charger. This reflects a highly coordinated infrastructure strategy, where chargers are often installed based on direct user requests. The result is an efficient, demand-driven network that minimizes congestion and maximizes charger utilization.
Despite having a low share of fast chargers today, the country is steadily expanding capacity. By 2030, fast chargers are expected to play a larger role as EV adoption continues to rise.
| Country | EVs per Charger (2025) | Fast Chargers (2025) | Fast Chargers (2030P) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands |
5 | 3% | 5% |
 China |
9 | 49% | 51% |
 Italy |
10 | 26% | 32% |
 Spain |
11 | 31% | 36% |
 France |
13 | 21% | 33% |
 India |
13 | 26% | 30% |
 Sweden |
15 | 14% | 19% |
 Germany |
19 | 25% | 30% |
 UK |
26 | 20% | 28% |
 USA |
31 | 28% | 33% |
China ranks second in charger density, with nine EVs per public charger, but leads decisively in fast-charging deployment. Nearly half of China’s public chargers are already direct current fast chargers, a figure projected to exceed 50% by 2030.
Fast chargers help support dense urban populations and long-distance travel across regions, reinforcing China’s dominance in the global EV adoption.
Several European countries cluster in the middle of the rankings, with roughly 10–13 EVs per public charger.
These countries are also rapidly expanding fast-charging infrastructure, with fast chargers projected to account for around one-third of networks by 2030.
By contrast, the U.S. trails the group, with 31 EVs per public charger.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Top 20 Countries by Battery Storage Capacity on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
2026-01-22 02:01:28
The last year in markets was shaped by tariffs, geopolitical shifts, and the AI boom. What can investors expect in 2026?
This infographic, created in partnership with MSCI, breaks down their expert market analysis for the year ahead. It highlights four key themes that are set to shape markets.
In 2025, geopolitical shocks tested confidence in U.S. leadership, prompting inflows into European defense stocks. At their year-to-date peak, European stocks had climbed 93% higher relative to America’s 43% jump.
Even after strong European returns, U.S. stocks were still priced much higher by year end.
| Price Ratio | Europe | U.S. | European Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailing Price-to-Earnings (P/E) | 32x | 44x | -28% |
| Forward P/E | 27x | 32x | -16% |
| Price/Book | 8x | 9x | -12% |
Source: MSCI. Data as of Nov. 30, 2025 and follows MSCI Fundamental Data Methodology for the MSCI Europe and MSCI USA Aerospace and Defense Indexes.
The U.S. remains a core market for investors seeking growth, but at a higher cost.
A major driver of U.S. stocks, and global markets more broadly, is AI.
Importantly, AI firms far outpace all other companies when it comes to investments and research. The below table shows investment rates as a percentage of revenues in November 2025.
| Firm Type | R&D Intensity | Capex intensity | Reinvestment rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Firms | 11.0 | 9.8 | 30.6 |
| All Other Equities | 3.5 | 5.3 | 14.5 |
Source: MSCI. AI basket holdings fixed as of Nov. 30, 2025, and applied backward. Values are capitalization-weighted averages; revenues in millions of USD.
MSCI’s expert market analysis projects that this investment edge could lead to 20% higher earnings growth for AI firms in 2026.
AI’s momentum is moving beyond Nvidia to data centers and energy.
| Segment | Projected Annual Growth Rate Through 2030 |
|---|---|
| Overall Electricity | 4% |
| Global Data Center Electricity | 15% |
| AI-Optimized Servers | 30% |
Through 2030, a market analysis by IEA projects that electricity demand for data centers and AI-optimized servers will grow substantially faster than the broader electricity market.
A key source of AI funding is private credit, which has seen a recent shift to semi-liquid funds that offer periodic withdrawals.
This shift is creating tension between liquidity promises and multi-year loans, which may intensify if write-downs continue to rise. The following table shows the percentage of loans flagged for a potential 50% loss over time.
| Date | Mezzanine Loans | Senior Loans |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-06-30 | 8.9% | 6.3% |
| 2020-09-30 | 7.0% | 6.0% |
| 2020-12-31 | 4.7% | 1.2% |
| 2021-03-31 | 4.7% | 1.8% |
| 2021-06-30 | 3.7% | 1.4% |
| 2021-09-30 | 6.8% | 2.1% |
| 2021-12-31 | 5.1% | 2.3% |
| 2022-03-31 | 7.1% | 2.8% |
| 2022-06-30 | 9.4% | 2.1% |
| 2022-09-30 | 6.0% | 2.7% |
| 2022-12-31 | 7.1% | 3.2% |
| 2023-03-31 | 7.4% | 2.9% |
| 2023-06-30 | 7.0% | 2.6% |
| 2023-09-30 | 8.3% | 3.0% |
| 2023-12-31 | 7.3% | 2.1% |
| 2024-03-31 | 8.1% | 5.0% |
| 2024-06-30 | 8.5% | 6.1% |
| 2024-09-30 | 12.7% | 4.8% |
| 2024-12-31 | 11.9% | 4.4% |
| 2025-03-31 | 11.3% | 4.9% |
| 2025-06-30 | 13.3% | 6.5% |
Source: MSCI. Senior loans: Lower-risk debt with first right to repayment. Mezzanine debt: Mid-tier, higher-risk debt that sits between senior loans and equity; often convertible to equity.
Since 2021, the proportion of mezzanine loans flagged for a potential 50% loss has more than tripled. These write-downs are raising questions about whether semi-liquid funds can withstand mounting credit quality and liquidity pressures.
The defining forces of 2026 are already in motion.
Understanding how these themes interact is essential for navigating markets in 2026.
Stay ahead of market trends with timely insights on MSCI’s Markets in Motion hub.
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Globally, nearly 14% of deaths are related to a bacterial infection—but research isn’t keeping up with the need for new treatments.
Antibiotic resistance has nearly tripled in the last two decades, meaning treatments may no longer work for some bacterial infections.
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Digital assets are gaining popularity due to their return potential and decentralized nature. How can institutional investors get exposure?
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2026-01-21 23:21:30
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Rising housing costs remain a defining issue for cities around the world. In many global hubs, rents have continued to climb faster than wages, putting pressure on households and reshaping where people choose to live and work.
This map compares monthly rent prices for a three-bedroom apartment in the city center across major global cities in 2025. The data for this visualization comes from Numbeo via Deutsche Bank. Numbeo’s dataset is primarily crowdsourced, drawing on user-submitted cost-of-living information from cities around the world.
U.S. cities dominate the top end of the ranking. New York leads by a wide margin, with average monthly rent exceeding $8,300.
Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles also rank among the world’s most expensive cities, reflecting strong demand, limited housing supply, and high-income labor markets.
| Rank | City | Country | Rent (2025, 3-bdrm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York |
United States |
$8,388 |
| 2 | Singapore |
 Singapore |
$6,216 |
| 3 | Boston |
United States |
$6,091 |
| 4 | London |
United Kingdom |
$5,560 |
| 5 | San Francisco |
United States |
$5,424 |
| 6 | Zurich |
 Switzerland |
$4,955 |
| 7 | Hong Kong |
 Hong Kong |
$4,807 |
| 8 | Geneva |
Switzerland |
$4,693 |
| 9 | Chicago |
United States |
$4,683 |
| 10 | Dubai |
 United Arab Emirates |
$4,589 |
| 11 | Los Angeles |
United States |
$4,462 |
| 12 | Sydney |
 Australia |
$4,407 |
| 13 | Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
$4,230 |
| 14 | Dublin |
 Ireland |
$4,077 |
| 15 | Luxembourg |
 Luxembourg |
$3,822 |
| 16 | Paris |
France |
$3,592 |
| 17 | Copenhagen |
 Denmark |
$3,534 |
| 18 | Vancouver |
 Canada |
$3,501 |
| 19 | Munich |
Germany |
$3,377 |
| 20 | Milan |
Italy |
$3,250 |
| 21 | Edinburgh |
United Kingdom |
$3,089 |
| 22 | Tel Aviv-Yafo |
 Israel |
$3,088 |
| 23 | Lisbon |
 Portugal |
$3,062 |
| 24 | Abu Dhabi |
United Arab Emirates |
$3,052 |
| 25 | Melbourne |
Australia |
$3,028 |
| 26 | Toronto |
Canada |
$2,955 |
| 27 | Doha |
 Qatar |
$2,946 |
| 28 | Moscow |
 Russia |
$2,829 |
| 29 | Madrid |
Spain |
$2,811 |
| 30 | Stockholm |
Sweden |
$2,782 |
| 31 | Frankfurt |
Germany |
$2,778 |
| 32 | Barcelona |
Spain |
$2,738 |
| 33 | Berlin |
Germany |
$2,700 |
| 34 | Tokyo |
 Japan |
$2,672 |
| 35 | Oslo |
 Norway |
$2,658 |
| 36 | Rome |
Italy |
$2,618 |
| 37 | Seoul |
 South Korea |
$2,610 |
| 38 | Shanghai |
China |
$2,490 |
| 39 | Auckland |
 New Zealand |
$2,457 |
| 40 | Birmingham |
United Kingdom |
$2,306 |
| 41 | Brussels |
 Belgium |
$2,298 |
| 42 | Vienna |
 Austria |
$2,293 |
| 43 | Prague |
 Czech Republic |
$2,255 |
| 44 | Wellington |
New Zealand |
$2,135 |
| 45 | Mexico City |
 Mexico |
$2,121 |
| 46 | Helsinki |
 Finland |
$2,107 |
| 47 | Montreal |
Canada |
$2,057 |
| 48 | Warsaw |
 Poland |
$2,055 |
| 49 | Riyadh |
 Saudi Arabia |
$2,047 |
| 50 | Bangkok |
 Thailand |
$1,938 |
| 51 | Beijing |
China |
$1,937 |
| 52 | Mumbai |
India |
$1,819 |
| 53 | Istanbul |
 Turkey |
$1,764 |
| 54 | Manila |
 Philippines |
$1,734 |
| 55 | Taipei |
 Taiwan |
$1,683 |
| 56 | Cape Town |
 South Africa |
$1,435 |
| 57 | Budapest |
 Hungary |
$1,339 |
| 58 | Sao Paulo |
 Brazil |
$1,291 |
| 59 | Athens |
 Greece |
$1,180 |
| 60 | Jakarta |
 Indonesia |
$1,179 |
| 61 | Buenos Aires |
 Argentina |
$1,166 |
| 62 | Kuala Lumpur |
 Malaysia |
$1,090 |
| 63 | Santiago |
 Chile |
$989 |
| 64 | Johannesburg |
South Africa |
$919 |
| 65 | Rio de Janeiro |
Brazil |
$852 |
| 66 | Bangalore |
India |
$837 |
| 67 | Bogota |
 Colombia |
$815 |
| 68 | Delhi |
India |
$588 |
| 69 | Cairo |
 Egypt |
$412 |
Canadian cities such as Vancouver and Toronto, while cheaper than U.S. peers, remain costly relative to global averages.
Major European cities continue to command high rents, particularly in financial and cultural centers. London, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, and Amsterdam all report monthly rents above $4,000.
Even traditionally more affordable cities like Lisbon and Barcelona have seen rents rise sharply, driven by tourism, foreign investment, and population growth.
Cities in Latin America, South Asia, and parts of Africa remain far more affordable by comparison. Cairo, Delhi, Bogotá, and Bangalore all report monthly rents below $1,000.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out How Balanced Is Economic Growth Within Countries? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
