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2026-01-07 23:31:07

Ranked: Countries With the Biggest Change in Life Expectancy

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Back in 1965, the average life expectancy globally was 54 years, and has since risen by about 20 years as of 2025.

Nearly every country has seen gains over this period, though a small group has far outpaced the global average, adding more than three decades to life expectancy. To put this in perspective, America has seen roughly a nine year increase in life expectancy over six decades.

This graphic shows which countries have gained the most in life expectancy since 1965, based on data from Our World in Data and the United Nations.

Where Change in Life Expectancy Accelerated the Most

Here are the countries with the biggest increases in period life expectancy, which indicates how long a newborn would live on average, given the death rates of that year.

Country	Life Expectancy at Birth 1965	Life Expectancy at Birth 2025	Change 1965-2025
Maldives	41	82	41
Oman	41	81	40
Bhutan	38	74	36
Algeria	43	77	34
Yemen	36	70	34
Timor-Leste	35	68	33
Afghanistan	35	67	32
Iran	46	78	32
Malawi	36	68	32
Saudi Arabia	48	80	32
Western Sahara	41	72	31
Bangladesh	46	76	30
Gambia	37	67	30
Morocco	46	76	30
Nepal	41	71	30
Eritrea	40	69	29
Guinea-Bissau	36	65	29
Indonesia	43	72	29
Mali	32	61	29
Senegal	40	69	29
South Sudan	29	58	29
Tunisia	48	77	29
Laos	42	70	28
South Korea	56	84	28
Angola	38	65	27
Cambodia	44	71	27
Ethiopia	41	68	27
India	46	73	27
United Arab Emirates	56	83	27
China	53	79	26

The Maldives leads globally, with average life expectancy increasing by 41 years since 1965 to reach 82 in 2025.

Like the Maldives, several countries in Asia have seen lifespans extend notably. In 1965, average life expectancy in Afghanistan was 35 years, and has now risen to 67. India, meanwhile, has seen average lifespans increase by 27 years amid growing economic expansion and advancements in healthcare.

When you look across Africa, Algeria has witnessed the strongest gain in life expectancy overall. In 2025, the average stands at 77 years—up from 43 in 1965— sitting among the highest in Africa. Going further, nine African countries have added at least 27 years to their life expectancy.

As we can see, China also ranks among the top countries by change in life expectancy, with a gain of 26 years since 1965. On average, this equaled a 22-week increase in life expectancy per year during a time of rapid economic transformation.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the countries with the highest and lowest life expectancy in the world.

2026-01-07 21:02:54

Mapped: Global Inflation by Country in 2025

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Global inflation fell moderately to 4.2% in 2025, in spite of U.S. tariffs hitting century highs.

For 2026, the IMF projects inflation to decline even further to 3.7% in 2026, even as tariff impacts continue to materialize. This is being driven by weak price growth in China and below-target inflation in many European countries.

This graphic shows inflation by country in 2025, based on data from the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook.

A Closer Look at Inflation by Country

Below, we show the inflation rates of 191 countries and territories worldwide in 2025:

Rank	Country	Continent	Inflation Rate 2025 (%)
1	Venezuela	South America	269.9
2	South Sudan	Africa	97.5
3	Zimbabwe	Africa	89.0
4	Sudan	Africa	87.2
5	Iran	Asia	42.4
6	Argentina	South America	41.3
7	Burundi	Africa	37.3
8	Türkiye	Asia	34.9
9	Myanmar	Asia	31.0
10	Malawi	Africa	28.2
11	Haiti	North America	27.8
12	Nigeria	Africa	23.0
13	Angola	Africa	21.6
14	Bolivia	South America	20.8
15	Yemen	Asia	20.4
16	Egypt	Africa	20.4
17	Ghana	Africa	16.6
18	Zambia	Africa	14.2
19	Ethiopia	Africa	13.0
20	Ukraine	Europe	12.6
21	Kazakhstan	Asia	11.4
22	Bangladesh	Asia	10.0
23	Liberia	Africa	9.8
24	São Tomé and Príncipe	Africa	9.7
25	Sierra Leone	Africa	9.4
26	Uzbekistan	Asia	9.1
27	Russia	Europe	9.0
28	Suriname	South America	9.0
29	DR Congo	Africa	8.8
30	Madagascar	Africa	8.4
31	Mongolia	Asia	8.3
32	Kyrgyz Republic	Asia	8.0
33	Laos	Asia	7.8
34	Kiribati	Oceania	7.8
35	Moldova	Europe	7.7
36	Gambia	Africa	7.5
37	Romania	Europe	7.3
38	Belarus	Europe	7.0
39	Rwanda	Africa	7.0
40	Nauru	Oceania	6.1
41	Tunisia	Africa	5.9
42	Azerbaijan	Asia	5.7
43	Brazil	South America	5.2
44	Marshall Islands	Oceania	5.2
45	Estonia	Europe	5.1
46	Colombia	South America	4.9
47	Mozambique	Africa	4.9
48	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	4.8
49	Uruguay	South America	4.7
50	Honduras	North America	4.6
51	Central African Republic	Africa	4.6
52	Serbia	Europe	4.6
53	Lesotho	Africa	4.5
54	Pakistan	Asia	4.5
55	Hungary	Europe	4.5
56	Croatia	Europe	4.4
57	Chile	South America	4.3
58	Iceland	Europe	4.2
59	Slovak Republic	Europe	4.2
60	Jamaica	North America	4.2
61	Niger	Africa	4.2
62	Micronesia	Oceania	4.1
63	Montenegro	Europe	4.1
64	Nepal	Asia	4.1
65	Kenya	Africa	4.0
66	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	4.0
67	Chad	Africa	4.0
68	Georgia	Asia	3.9
69	Mexico	North America	3.9
70	Mauritius	Africa	3.9
71	North Macedonia	Europe	3.9
72	Turkmenistan	Asia	3.9
73	Paraguay	South America	3.9
74	Maldives	Asia	3.9
75	Tajikistan	Asia	3.8
76	Poland	Europe	3.8
77	Uganda	Africa	3.8
78	Latvia	Europe	3.8
79	Dominican Republic	North America	3.7
80	Namibia	Africa	3.7
81	Cameroon	Africa	3.7
82	Bulgaria	Europe	3.6
83	Guyana	South America	3.6
84	Congo	Africa	3.6
85	Somalia	Africa	3.6
86	Lithuania	Europe	3.6
87	Austria	Europe	3.6
88	Kosovo	Europe	3.5
89	Mali	Africa	3.5
90	Algeria	Africa	3.5
91	Eswatini	Africa	3.5
92	Antigua and Barbuda	North America	3.5
93	Solomon Islands	Oceania	3.4
94	United Kingdom	Europe	3.4
95	Vietnam	Asia	3.4
96	Botswana	Africa	3.4
97	South Africa	Africa	3.4
98	Armenia	Asia	3.3
99	Tanzania	Africa	3.3
100	Comoros	Africa	3.3
101	Japan	Asia	3.3
102	Israel	Asia	3.2
103	Greece	Europe	3.1
104	Guinea	Africa	3.1
105	Tonga	Oceania	2.9
106	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	2.9
107	Netherlands	Europe	2.9
108	India	Asia	2.8
109	Dominica	North America	2.8
110	New Zealand	Oceania	2.7
111	United States	North America	2.7
112	Australia	Oceania	2.6
113	Belgium	Europe	2.6
114	Mauritania	Africa	2.5
115	Czech Republic	Europe	2.5
116	Slovenia	Europe	2.5
117	Togo	Africa	2.4
118	Bhutan	Asia	2.4
119	Norway	Europe	2.4
120	Malta	Europe	2.4
121	Spain	Europe	2.4
122	Sweden	Europe	2.3
123	Albania	Europe	2.3
124	Luxembourg	Europe	2.3
125	Barbados	North America	2.3
126	Jordan	Asia	2.2
127	Kuwait	Asia	2.2
128	Andorra	Europe	2.2
129	Portugal	Europe	2.2
130	Germany	Europe	2.1
131	Saudi Arabia	Asia	2.1
132	Benin	Africa	2.1
133	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	North America	2.1
134	San Marino	Europe	2.0
135	Senegal	Africa	2.0
136	Nicaragua	North America	2.0
137	Guinea-Bissau	Africa	2.0
138	South Korea	Asia	2.0
139	Canada	North America	2.0
140	Tuvalu	Oceania	2.0
141	Denmark	Europe	1.9
142	Finland	Europe	1.8
143	Indonesia	Asia	1.8
144	Samoa	Oceania	1.8
145	Palau	Oceania	1.8
146	Libya	Africa	1.8
147	Hong Kong SAR	Asia	1.8
148	Vanuatu	Oceania	1.7
149	Taiwan	Asia	1.7
150	Peru	South America	1.7
151	St. Kitts and Nevis	North America	1.7
152	Guatemala	North America	1.7
153	Ireland	Europe	1.7
154	Italy	Europe	1.7
155	Cambodia	Asia	1.6
156	UAE	Asia	1.6
157	Philippines	Asia	1.6
158	Malaysia	Asia	1.6
159	Djibouti	Africa	1.5
160	Iraq	Asia	1.5
161	Cabo Verde		1.5
162	Trinidad and Tobago	North America	1.5
163	Belize	North America	1.4
164	Puerto Rico	North America	1.4
165	Gabon	Africa	1.4
166	Burkina Faso	Africa	1.3
167	Grenada		1.2
168	Morocco	Africa	1.2
169	France	Europe	1.1
170	Ecuador	South America	1.1
171	Côte d'Ivoire	Africa	1.0
172	Singapore	Asia	0.9
173	Oman	Asia	0.9
174	Timor-Leste	Asia	0.9
175	Aruba		0.8
176	Cyprus	Asia	0.7
177	Macao	Asia	0.5
178	Bahamas	North America	0.5
179	Seychelles		0.4
180	Costa Rica	North America	0.4
181	Brunei Darussalam	Asia	0.4
182	St. Lucia		0.4
183	El Salvador	North America	0.3
184	Bahrain	Asia	0.3
185	Thailand	Asia	0.2
186	Liechtenstein	Europe	0.1
187	Switzerland	Europe	0.1
188	Qatar	Asia	0.1
189	Fiji	Oceania	0.1
190	China	Asia	0.0
191	Panama	North America	-0.1

Venezuela faces the highest inflation on the planet, at 269.9% in 2025, and this is set to jump to 682% in 2026.

Over 2025, the Venezuelan bolivar depreciated 82.7% against the dollar as U.S. sanctions and warship deployment targeting alleged drug traffickers contributed to inflationary pressures. Now, with Maduro’s ouster, the outlook for the economy remains uncertain.

For the U.S., inflation stood at 2.7% and is forecast to fall to 2.4% in 2026. Overall, tariffs were estimated to increase inflation by 0.5 percentage points in 2025, far lower than initially feared.

China, on the other hand, saw inflation sit at 0.0%, one of the lowest rates globally. Deflationary pressures, from excess production to a weak labor market, significantly impacted the economic climate. In 2026, inflation is set to rise to 0.8% fueled by economic stimulus measures that aim to boost domestic consumption.

Meanwhile, several European economies saw moderate inflation in 2025 amid low energy and import prices. In France, inflation stood at 1.1%, while Italy and Germany saw rates of 1.7% and 2.1%, respectively.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on inflation forecasts for OECD countries through 2026.

2026-01-07 07:12:21

How Venezuela’s Oil Reserves Compare to the Rest of the World

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Venezuela sits atop the largest oil reserves on the planet, yet its role in global energy markets is far smaller than in past decades.

While countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia dominate daily oil production, Venezuela’s output has steadily declined over the past several decades.

This visualization compares proven oil reserves across major producing countries. Reserves represent the volume of oil that can be economically produced under current conditions. The data for this visualization comes from OPEC’s Annual Statistical Bulletin 2025.

Venezuela’s Unmatched Reserve Base

Venezuela holds an estimated 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the largest of any country and well ahead of Saudi Arabia. These reserves account for roughly 17% of the global total.

Most of this oil is concentrated in the Orinoco Belt, where deposits are predominantly heavy crude. While abundant, this type of oil is more expensive to produce and requires specialized infrastructure.

Rank	Country	2024 (Billion Barrels)
1	Venezuela	303,221
2	Saudi Arabia	267,200
3	Iran	208,600
4	Canada	163,000
5	Iraq	145,019
6	United Arab Emirates	113,000
7	Kuwait	101,500
8	Russia	80,000
9	Libya	48,363
10	United States	45,014
11	Nigeria	37,280
12	Kazakhstan	30,000
13	China	28,182
14	Qatar	25,244
15	Brazil	15,894
16	Algeria	12,200
17	Ecuador	8,273
18	Azerbaijan	7,000
19	Norway	6,912
20	Mexico	5,136
21	Sudan	5,000
22	India	4,981
23	Oman	4,971
24	Vietnam	4,400
25	Egypt	3,300
26	Argentina	2,999
27	Malaysia	2,700
28	Angola	2,550
29	Indonesia	2,410
30	Colombia	2,019
31	Gabon	2,000
32	Congo	1,811
33	Australia	1,803
34	United Kingdom	1,500
35	Brunei	1,100
36	Equatorial Guinea	1,100
37	Turkmenistan	600
38	Uzbekistan	594
39	Ukraine	395
40	Denmark	365
41	Belarus	198
42	Chile	150

Despite its reserve dominance, Venezuela ranked just 21st in oil production in 2024, producing about 960,000 barrels per day.

At its peak in the 1970s, the country pumped as much as 3.5 million barrels per day, representing more than 7% of global output at the time. Production fell sharply during the 2010s and averaged roughly 1.1 million barrels per day last year, or about 1% of global production.

Politics, Sanctions, and Investment Challenges

Decades of mismanagement, underinvestment, and international sanctions have constrained Venezuela’s oil sector.

Although some Western firms, including U.S.-based Chevron, continue to operate in the country, their presence has diminished significantly as sanctions expanded and exports were targeted.

Venezuela was a founding member of OPEC, alongside Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, but its influence within the group has waned as production declined.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Future of World Energy Supply (2024–2050), Charted on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-07 02:32:24

All of the World’s Silver Reserves by Country, in One Visualization

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.

Silver prices surged to new all-time highs in December, extending a powerful end-of-year rally supported by geopolitical uncertainty and a weaker U.S. dollar.

Silver futures briefly touched around $80, marking an unprecedented 160% rally in 2025 that outpaced even gold. Against this backdrop, understanding where the world’s silver reserves are concentrated provides crucial context for future supply dynamics.

The data for this visualization comes from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries (January 2025). It estimates total global silver reserves at about 641,400 metric tons.

Peru’s Dominant Reserve Position

Peru stands out as the single largest holder of silver reserves, with an estimated 140,000 metric tons. This represents roughly 22% of the global total, giving the country a uniquely strategic position in the silver market.

Rank	Country	Reserves (metric tons)	% of World Total
1	Peru	140,000	21.9%
2	Australia	94,000	14.7%
3	Russia	92,000	14.4%
4	China	70,000	10.9%
5	Poland	61,000	9.5%
6	Mexico	37,000	5.8%
7	Chile	26,000	4.1%
8	United States	23,000	3.6%
9	Bolivia	22,000	3.4%
10	India	8,000	1.3%
11	Argentina	6,500	1.0%
12	Canada	4,900	0.8%
--	Other countries	57,000	8.9%
--	World total	641,400	100.0%

Behind Peru is a cluster of countries with substantial, but smaller, reserve bases. Australia, Russia, and China each hold between 70,000 and 94,000 metric tons, collectively accounting for about 40% of global reserves.

Production Powerhouses vs. Reserve Depth

Mexico offers a striking contrast between production and reserves. It leads the world in silver production, yet holds just 37,000 metric tons of reserves, or about 6% of the global total. Currently, Mexico’s mining sector relies on intensive extraction with fewer projects with established reserves in the pipeline.

Silver in Green Technology

Global silver demand is poised to soar in the next decade, driven by emerging technologies like electric vehicles and solar power.

Silver demand from solar alone has grown from less than 50 million ounces (Moz) a decade ago to an expected 160 Moz in 2023.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: Which Countries Hold the Most Gold Reserves? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-06 23:27:52

Winners and Losers in U.S. Stocks Over the Last Year

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The above visualization shows a heatmap of U.S. stock performance over the trailing 12 months, inclusive of January 5th, 2026 data.

The heatmap and data come from Finviz.com, a platform we highly recommend for any of your stock market data visualization needs.

U.S. Stock Market: Winners in 2025

Overall, the S&P 500 posted its third straight year with 15% or higher gains. These gains were largely driven by specific sectors that boomed: specifically those tied to AI and the hyperscaling of data centers.

1. Google

In 2025, Google (Alphabet) was the biggest individual winner, completing its redemption arc in the world of big tech. It beat out other Magnificent Seven companies handily with a 60%+ return.

In short: Google surged in 2025 after proving that AI strengthened rather than disrupted its core search and advertising business, with AI-powered results boosting user engagement, ad pricing, and margins. The release of Gemini 3 also helped flip the AI narrative, showing that Google was a leader in the field.

2. Banks

Big diversified banks had a great year, with each bank in the following segment posting double-digit (or higher) gains:

Higher interest rates, a rebound in capital markets, and strong consumer and wealth businesses were all firing at once for banks, creating multiple sources of profit. Their scale and diversification helped offset weaker areas like commercial real estate and outperform more specialized lenders.

3. Semiconductors

As the world races to build out AI infrastructure, chipmakers like Nvidia (+40%), AMD (+83%), TSMC (+63%), and Broadcom (+48%) saw big double-digit gains over the last year.

The biggest winner in this category was Micron (+271%), a leading memory chipmaker. Higher demand and prices for DRAM and high-bandwidth memory drove rapid profit growth and a major re-rating of the stock.

4. Aerospace & Defense

Aerospace and defense stocks rose in 2025 as elevated global tensions, rising defense budgets, and sustained military aid commitments drove strong order backlogs and long-term revenue visibility for major contractors. GE Aerospace (+94%) and RTX (+63%) were two top performers.

5. Gold & Mining

Gold and mining stocks gained in 2025 as central bank buying, geopolitical risk, and expectations of easier monetary policy pushed gold prices to record highs, boosting margins and cash flows for producers.

U.S. Stock Market: Losers in 2025

1. Real Estate (REITs)

REITs struggled throughout the last year as elevated interest rates kept borrowing costs high and pressured property valuations, especially in office and commercial real estate. Higher bond yields also made income-oriented real estate less attractive relative to safer fixed-income alternatives.

Healthcare facility REITs avoided some of the damage, with Welltower Inc. (+47%) posting some of the strongest gains.

2. Software Applications

Non-AI software stocks lagged in 2025 as investors rotated away from high-valuation growth names toward companies with immediate AI monetization and stronger cash flows.

Flagship examples of this effect can be seen in the stock performance of heavyweights like Salesforce (-23%), Adobe (-25%), ServiceNow (-30%), and SAP (-2%).

3. Oil and Gas (Upstream)

Upstream oil and gas stocks underperformed as energy prices stabilized and production growth limited upside despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Investors also favored capital discipline and shareholder returns over aggressive exploration, muting growth narratives in the sector.

4. Consumer Staples

Considered a defensive sector, it was believed that consumer staples would have a stronger year amid the projected geopolitical and economic turmoil. However, with economic growth getting back on track and inflation easing, hopes were quickly dashed as consumers spent money on more discretionary purchases.

5. Fiserv

Fiserv shares have collapsed 67% over the last year, after earnings disappointed and margins came under pressure from rising costs and intensifying competition in payments and fintech. The company specializes in processing transactions for banks.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

What do experts see happening in markets in 2026? Check out our annual Prediction Consensus to get the lowdown.

2026-01-06 21:03:59

Who Has the World’s Oil, and Who Can Actually Produce It

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.

The recent U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reignited discussions this weekend about the Latin American country’s oil industry.

Venezuela currently holds the world’s largest oil reserves—about 303 billion barrels—but its oil industry has struggled in recent years due to mismanagement and U.S. sanctions.

Following Maduro’s capture, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Venezuela’s oil industry would be revived through the entry of American companies into the country.

This chart compares proven oil reserves and daily production across the world’s top oil producers, revealing stark contrasts between output-heavy producers and those sitting on vast untapped resources.

The data for this visualization comes from the Energy Institute and reflects oil production levels in 2024.

Ranked: Top Oil Producers and Their Reserves

The United States tops global oil production, pumping more than 20 million barrels per day.

While America’s proven reserves seem low at first sight at just 45 billion barrels, this is due to U.S. shale producers’ short investment cycles which book only a few years of economically viable reserves at a time, and replace them through ongoing drilling.

Rank (Production)	Country	Oil production in 2024 (barrels per day)	Proven oil reserves (billion barrels of oil)
1	United States	20,135,000	45.0
2	Saudi Arabia	10,856,000	267.2
3	Russia	10,752,000	80.0
4	Canada	5,888,000	163.0
5	Iran	5,062,000	208.6
6	Iraq	4,398,000	145.0
7	China	4,264,000	28.2
8	United Arab Emirates	4,006,000	113.0
9	Brazil	3,466,000	15.9
10	Kuwait	2,719,000	101.5
11	Mexico	1,911,000	5.1
12	Kazakhstan	1,836,000	30.0
13	Norway	1,833,000	6.9
14	Qatar	1,806,000	25.2
15	Nigeria	1,641,000	37.3
16	Algeria	1,380,000	12.2
17	Argentina	1,214,000	3.0
18	Libya	1,188,000	48.4
19	Angola	1,181,000	2.6
20	Oman	993,000	5.0
21	Venezuela	960,000	303.2
22	Colombia	773,000	2.0
23	India	735,000	5.0
24	United Kingdom	653,000	1.5
25	Egypt	637,000	3.3

Countries like Mexico, Argentina, and the United Kingdom also have relatively modest reserves paired with sustained output, though each situation is unique.

Reserve-Rich, Output-Light Producers

Venezuela stands apart from every other producer. With more than 300 billion barrels in proven reserves, its reserves-to-production ratio exceeds 800 years—the highest in the world by a wide margin. Iran, Libya, Kuwait, and Iraq also post triple-digit reserve lifespans.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates strike a middle ground. Saudi Arabia’s reserves could last more than 60 years at current output, while Canada’s oil sands give it one of the longest reserve lifespans among high-production countries.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Saudi Aramco’s massive oil reserves on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.