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Ranked: The World’s Top Arms Exporters

2026-03-15 02:13:43

Chart showing the world’s largest arms exporters from 2021–2025, led by the U.S. with 42% of global exports, followed by France, Russia, and Germany

Ranked: The World’s Top Arms Exporters

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.

Key Takeaways

  • The U.S. dominates global arms exports, accounting for 42% of the world total from 2021–2025.
  • France and Russia follow far behind with 10% and 7%, while Germany recently overtook China in global export rankings.
  • South Korea is emerging as a fast-growing defense supplier, expanding exports of advanced weapons systems worldwide.

The global arms trade is heavily concentrated among a handful of countries, with the United States far ahead of every other supplier. From 2021 and 2025, the U.S. accounted for 42% of global arms exports, more than four times the share of the next-largest exporter.

This visualization, created by Aneesh Anand using data from the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, shows the share of global arms exports by country from 2021–2025.

Here are the world’s largest arms exporters based on SIPRI data for 2021–2025.

Country Share of Arms Exports (2021–25, %) Group
U.S. 42 N. America
France 10 Europe
Russia 7 Europe
Germany 6 Europe
China 6 Asia
Italy 5 Europe
Israel 4 Asia
UK 3 Europe
South Korea 3 Asia
Spain 2 Europe
Rest of World 12 Rest of World

The U.S. stands far ahead of all competitors, accounting for roughly 42% of global arms exports. France, Russia, China, and Germany form a distant second tier. Meanwhile, emerging suppliers like South Korea are rapidly expanding their global footprint.

Why the U.S. Dominates Global Arms Exports

The United States has long been the world’s largest arms exporter, but its dominance has expanded in recent years.

Several factors help explain this lead:

  • Technological superiority in advanced systems such as fighter jets, missile defense, and surveillance technologies
  • Large-scale defense production capacity supported by massive domestic military spending
  • Extensive alliance networks, including NATO partners and security agreements across Asia and the Middle East

As geopolitical tensions rise, many countries are turning to the U.S. for advanced weapons systems. European demand in particular has surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, contributing to a nearly 10% increase in global arms transfers.

These exports are also closely tied to broader geopolitical influence, reinforcing the U.S. position as a central supplier to allied nations.

Germany Overtakes China in Arms Exports

One notable shift in the rankings is Germany overtaking China as the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter. Germany now accounts for roughly 6% of global exports, slightly ahead of China. The shift reflects increased German defense manufacturing and growing demand for European-made military equipment.

European arms suppliers have benefited from heightened security concerns on the continent, which has accelerated procurement across NATO and neighboring states.

China, meanwhile, remains a significant exporter but tends to sell more regionally, particularly to countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

South Korea’s Rapid Rise as an Arms Supplier

One of the fastest-rising players in the global arms market is South Korea.

With roughly 3% of global arms exports, the country has rapidly expanded its presence by focusing on competitive pricing, fast production timelines, and modern weapons systems. South Korean firms have secured major deals for tanks, artillery systems, and fighter jets, particularly in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.

The country has made defense exports a strategic national priority, aiming to become one of the world’s top arms exporters in the coming decades.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Interested in exploring the companies behind global defense spending? Check out this visualization on the largest defense contractors by market cap, showing the biggest players shaping the global arms industry today.

Ranked: The 50 Countries With the Most Agricultural Land

2026-03-15 00:53:04

See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app.

Visualization showing the world's arable land divided by country and region.

The 50 Countries With the Most Agricultural Land

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.

Key Takeaways

  • China has the most agricultural land in the world, with roughly 2.0 million square miles.
  • The U.S., Australia, Brazil, and Russia round out the top five.
  • Asia and Africa account for a large share of the top 50 countries by agricultural land area.

Agricultural land spans more than 18 million square miles worldwide, forming the foundation of global food production.

This graphic ranks the top 50 countries by agricultural land area, using the most recent FAO data compiled by the World Bank. China leads the world by a wide margin, followed by the United States and Australia.

The ranking highlights where the world’s largest agricultural footprints are located, spanning major producers across Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Why China Has the World’s Most Agricultural Land

At 2 million square miles, China has more agricultural land than any other country worldwide. Roughly a fifth of the national population works in agriculture, and China today is the world’s largest producer and consumer of agricultural goods.

The data table below features all of the world’s countries and their total square mileage of agricultural land:

Rank Country Name Ag land (sq. mi)
1 🇨🇳 China 2,009,326
2 🇺🇸 United States 1,627,576
3 🇦🇺 Australia 1,402,492
4 🇧🇷 Brazil 914,131
5 🇷🇺 Russian Federation 832,826
6 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 827,284
7 🇮🇳 India 689,466
8 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 670,418
9 🇦🇷 Argentina 448,405
10 🇸🇩 Sudan 435,002
11 🇲🇳 Mongolia 414,933
12 🇲🇽 Mexico 380,486
13 🇿🇦 South Africa 371,975
14 🇳🇬 Nigeria 267,948
15 🇨🇦 Canada 219,596
16 🇮🇩 Indonesia 212,828
17 🇹🇩 Chad 194,353
18 🇮🇷 Iran, Islamic Rep. 181,727
19 🇳🇪 Niger 179,918
20 🇦🇴 Angola 177,850
21 🇸🇴 Somalia, Fed. Rep. 170,384
22 🇲🇱 Mali 167,103
23 🇲🇿 Mozambique 160,280
24 🇩🇿 Algeria 159,633
25 🇺🇦 Ukraine 159,503
26 🇲🇬 Madagascar 157,896
27 🇨🇴 Colombia 156,306
28 🇲🇷 Mauritania 153,321
29 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan 152,812
30 🇹🇿 Tanzania 152,592
31 🇧🇴 Bolivia 149,867
32 🇳🇦 Namibia 149,854
33 🇹🇷 Turkiye 148,989
34 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 148,483
35 🇦🇫 Afghanistan 147,167
36 🇵🇰 Pakistan 138,977
37 🇨🇩 Congo, Dem. Rep. 135,505
38 🇲🇦 Morocco 115,013
39 🇰🇪 Kenya 111,076
40 🇸🇸 South Sudan 109,449
41 🇫🇷 France 109,256
42 🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire 106,175
43 🇧🇼 Botswana 99,854
44 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 98,773
45 🇪🇸 Spain 95,648
46 🇵🇪 Peru 94,153
47 🇿🇲 Zambia 92,043
48 🇾🇪 Yemen, Rep. 90,549
49 🇹🇭 Thailand 86,394
50 🇻🇪 Venezuela, RB 83,012
51 🇵🇾 Paraguay 82,730
52 🇬🇳 Guinea 69,475
53 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 65,674
54 🇩🇪 Germany 64,039
55 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe 62,422
56 🇱🇾 Libya 59,267
57 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 56,413
58 🇵🇱 Poland 56,294
59 🇺🇬 Uganda 55,657
60 🇺🇾 Uruguay 54,976
61 🇸🇾 Syrian Arab Republic 52,533
62 🇮🇹 Italy 50,531
63 🇲🇲 Myanmar 50,183
64 🇵🇭 Philippines 49,122
65 🇷🇴 Romania 49,093
66 🇬🇭 Ghana 48,663
67 🇻🇳 Viet Nam 47,456
68 🇨🇱 Chile 41,303
69 🇨🇬 Congo, Rep. 41,125
70 🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Republic 39,996
71 🇨🇲 Cameroon 38,212
72 🇳🇿 New Zealand 37,494
73 🇹🇳 Tunisia 37,454
74 🇸🇳 Senegal 36,722
75 🇮🇶 Iraq 36,592
76 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 36,290
77 🇲🇾 Malaysia 33,093
78 🇧🇾 Belarus 31,019
79 🇪🇷 Eritrea 29,313
80 🇨🇺 Cuba 24,714
81 🇰🇭 Cambodia 23,762
82 🇲🇼 Malawi 23,359
83 🇨🇫 Central African Republic 21,887
84 🇬🇷 Greece 20,742
85 🇪🇨 Ecuador 20,656
86 🇳🇮 Nicaragua 19,656
87 🇭🇺 Hungary 19,626
88 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 19,317
89 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan 18,454
90 🇧🇯 Benin 18,211
91 🇬🇹 Guatemala 17,807
92 🇯🇵 Japan 17,788
93 🇮🇪 Ireland 16,174
94 🇪🇬 Egypt, Arab Rep. 15,668
95 🇵🇹 Portugal 15,328
96 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 15,247
97 🇹🇯 Tajikistan 14,976
98 🇹🇬 Togo 14,749
99 🇳🇵 Nepal 14,456
100 🇭🇳 Honduras 13,807
101 🇨🇿 Czechia 13,646
102 🇷🇸 Serbia 13,112
103 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 11,610
104 🇸🇪 Sweden 11,514
105 🇱🇹 Lithuania 11,093
106 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 10,301
107 🇩🇰 Denmark 10,120
108 🇦🇹 Austria 10,028
109 🇰🇵 Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 10,021
110 🇲🇩 Moldova 9,421
111 🇬🇪 Georgia 9,158
112 🇱🇸 Lesotho 9,115
113 🇱🇦 Lao PDR 8,831
114 🇫🇮 Finland 8,734
115 🇵🇦 Panama 8,456
116 🇧🇮 Burundi 8,317
117 🇬🇦 Gabon 8,314
118 🇱🇻 Latvia 7,610
119 🇱🇷 Liberia 7,425
120 🇷🇼 Rwanda 7,271
121 🇸🇰 Slovak Republic 7,046
122 🇳🇱 Netherlands 6,961
123 🇭🇹 Haiti 6,931
124 🇩🇯 Djibouti 6,579
125 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 6,534
126 🇦🇲 Armenia 6,380
127 🇮🇸 Iceland 6,324
128 🇰🇷 Korea, Rep. 6,054
129 🇨🇭 Switzerland 5,765
130 🇭🇷 Croatia 5,737
131 🇴🇲 Oman 5,682
132 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 5,425
133 🇧🇪 Belgium 5,225
134 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 4,830
135 🇸🇻 El Salvador 4,617
136 🇸🇿 Eswatini 4,614
137 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,297
138 🇦🇱 Albania 4,033
139 🇯🇴 Jordan 3,954
140 🇪🇪 Estonia 3,815
141 🇳🇴 Norway 3,792
142 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau 3,245
143 🇬🇾 Guyana 2,780
144 🇱🇧 Lebanon 2,603
145 🇬🇲 Gambia, The 2,448
146 🇸🇮 Slovenia 2,360
147 🇮🇱 Israel 2,072
148 🇧🇹 Bhutan 2,035
149 🇯🇲 Jamaica 1,610
150 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates 1,512
151 🇵🇸 West Bank and Gaza 1,510
152 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste 1,318
153 🇫🇯 Fiji 1,203
154 🇲🇪 Montenegro 1,017
155 🇬🇱 Greenland 939
156 🇻🇺 Vanuatu 722
157 🇳🇨 New Caledonia 711
158 🇧🇿 Belize 703
159 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico (US) 652
160 🇰🇼 Kuwait 579
161 🇰🇲 Comoros 514
162 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 514
163 🇨🇾 Cyprus 498
164 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands 422
165 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea 404
166 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands 371
167 🇲🇺 Mauritius 332
168 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde 305
169 🇶🇦 Qatar 286
170 🇸🇷 Suriname 276
171 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago 208
172 🇼🇸 Samoa 189
173 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe 166
174 🇮🇲 Isle of Man 152
175 🇹🇴 Tonga 135
176 🇰🇮 Kiribati 131
177 🇵🇫 French Polynesia 116
178 🇩🇲 Dominica 97
179 🇦🇩 Andorra 72
180 🇬🇺 Guam 62
181 🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam 52
182 🇧🇸 Bahamas, The 50
183 🇧🇧 Barbados 39
184 🇱🇨 St. Lucia 38
185 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 35
186 🇲🇹 Malta 32
187 🇧🇭 Bahrain 31
188 🇬🇩 Grenada 31
189 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 27
190 🇻🇨 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 27
191 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands 27
192 🇰🇳 St. Kitts and Nevis 23
193 🇲🇻 Maldives 23
194 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 20
195 🇫🇲 Micronesia, Fed. Sts. 19
196 🇵🇼 Palau 17
197 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR, China 15
198 🇻🇮 Virgin Islands (U.S.) 13
199 🇦🇸 American Samoa 11
200 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands 10
201 🇸🇲 San Marino 9
202 🇦🇼 Aruba 8
203 🇹🇻 Tuvalu 7
204 🇸🇨 Seychelles 6
205 🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands 4
206 🇸🇬 Singapore 3
207 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands 2
208 🇳🇷 Nauru 2
209 🇧🇲 Bermuda 1

China even has more agricultural land than larger countries like Russia (833,000 sq. mi) and Canada (220,000) owing to those countries’ vast frozen and tundra geographies.

However, climate change is likely to change the landscape of global agriculture, as new northern regions become more hospitable for agriculture.

The Top Agricultural Players

The United States (1.6 million), Australia (1.4 million), and Brazil (914,000) round out the top five countries worldwide. Each of these countries specializes in different crops.

For example, the U.S. is the world’s largest producer of corn, while Brazil is the top grower of both soybeans and sugarcane.

Meanwhile, Australia has overcome its mostly arid geography to become a major wheat and cereals grower, rivaling major producers like India (689,000) and Ukraine (160,000).

Africa’s Growing Desert Problem

African countries make up nearly half of the top 50 countries worldwide by square mileage of agricultural land area. They’re led by larger countries like Sudan (435,000), South Africa (372,000), and Nigeria (268,000).

As with peers in Eurasia and the Americas, African agriculture is increasingly facing challenges from climate change.

In particular, the growing desertification problem is reducing countries’ agricultural land, especially in the Sahel region, as temperatures rise and soil becomes less fertile for growing crops. Over-farming and over-grazing are exacerbating regional soil erosion and deepening desertification.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Which Economies Have the Largest Ecological Footprints? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Visualized: Exploring the Future of Polar Regions

2026-03-14 23:32:00

Published

on

The following content is sponsored by Dubai Future Forum

From Ice to Insights: Exploring the Future of Polar Regions

Key Takeaways

  • Eight of the 10 worst years for glacier loss have happened since 2010.
  • Between 2016-2022, nearly $4 billion funded over 11,000 research projects in the Arctic.

Polar regions are central to Earth’s climate system, sea levels, and future resilience. How is research and innovation at the ends of the Earth shaping the center of tomorrow?

In partnership with Dubai Future Forum, the world’s largest gathering of futurists taking place every November in Dubai, this graphic shows how research, investment, and innovation are converging to transform our understanding of land, but more specifically, polar regions.

It’s one of four dimensions—Ocean, Mind, Space, and Land—within the Dubai Future Forum’s larger theme, Exploring the Unknown.

The data comes from these sources:

Frozen Frontiers of Knowledge

The polar regions are some of Earth’s most important observation posts. Where do the growing number of researchers go to brave the elements in the name of science?

In the Northern Arctic, the University of the Arctic began in 2001, though member institutions of UArctic established deep northern research roots decades earlier.

At the south pole, Antarctic research bases first date back to the late 19th century with the Southern Cross Expedition. Today, there are over 100 facilities constructed across the continent.

Here is a table list of the largest facilities, based on peak population, for each signatory country of the Antarctic Treaty:

English Name Primary Operating Country Seasonality Peak Population Year Established
Marambio Antartic Base Argentina Year-Round 165 1969
Casey Australia Year-Round 120 1969
Comandante Ferraz Brazil Year-Round 64 1984
President Eduardo Frei Antarctic Base Chile Year-Round 150 1969
Zhongshan China Year-Round 64 1989
Johann Gregor Mendel Czech Antarctic Station Czech Republic Seasonal 20 2006
Pedro Vicente Maldonado Ecuador Seasonal 34 1990
Dumont d'Urville France Year-Round 90 1956
Neumayer III Germany Year-Round 60 2009
Maitri India Year-Round 65 1989
Mario Zucchelli Italy Seasonal 112 1986
Syowa Japan Year-Round 170 1957
Dirck Gerritsz Laboratory Netherlands Seasonal 10 2013
Scott Base New Zealand Year-Round 86 1957
Troll Station Norway Year-Round 80 1990
Machu Picchu Peru Seasonal 30 1989
Henryk Arctowski Poland Year-Round 40 1977
Mountain Evening Republic of Belarus Seasonal 12 2016
Jang Bogo Republic of Korea Year-Round 80 2014
Novolazarevskaya Russia Year-Round 70 1961
SANAE IV South Africa Year-Round 80 1997
Juan Carlos I Spain Seasonal 50 1988
Wasa Sweden Seasonal 10 1988
Vernadsky Ukraine Year-Round 24 1996
Rothera United Kingdom Year-Round 136 1975
McMurdo United States Year-Round 1,200 1956
Artigas Uruguay Year-Round 50 1984


The continued expansion of research of the polar regions provides humanity with the opportunity to spot the earliest signs of planetary change.

Global Glacier Mass Change

One of the clearest indicators of planetary change is the rise and fall of glacier mass over time. Organizations like the World Glacier Monitoring Service collects measurements to track the evolution of reference glaciers across the globe annually.

Beginning in 1950, here is the annual mass change of global glaciers over time:

Year Annual Mass Change
1950 -1141
1951 -344
1952 -561
1953 -561
1954 -420
1955 372
1956 -160
1957 -94
1958 -868
1959 -468
1960 -577
1961 -437
1962 -203
1963 -352
1964 319
1965 159
1966 -225
1967 -118
1968 -70
1969 -488
1970 -287
1971 -231
1972 -279
1973 -177
1974 -187
1975 -225
1976 -182
1977 -256
1978 -187
1979 -417
1980 -123
1981 -190
1982 -487
1983 128
1984 -259
1985 -307
1986 -481
1987 96
1988 -74
1989 -228
1990 -484
1991 -503
1992 -116
1993 -132
1994 -531
1995 -459
1996 -473
1997 -640
1998 -722
1999 -698
2000 -359
2001 -270
2002 -428
2003 -524
2004 -731
2005 -816
2006 -714
2007 -539
2008 -375
2009 -452
2010 -873
2011 -737
2012 -724
2013 -711
2014 -709
2015 -805
2016 -987
2017 -666
2018 -937
2019 -993
2020 -883
2021 -676
2022 -1089
2023 -1253
2024 -1298

With the exception of a few select years, glaciers have lost mass continuously since measuring began. Notably, eight of the 10 worst years for glacier ices loss have happened since 2010.

The Arctic: Laboratory for the Future

The northern polar region is becoming a living laboratory for environmental research, sustainability innovation, and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Unlike its southern counterpart, Antarctica, with its fragmented government led programmes, Arctic research is led by local communities and universities are far more transparent in their polar science.

For a clear look at research efforts, here is a table listing the number of projects and funding amounts based on country:

Country # of Projects Funding Amount ($US Million) Notes
Canada 3,157 352
United States 2,567 1,798
Russia* 1,642 N/A No funding amount reported.
Norway** 1,386 593 Partial funding reported, missing Norway Regional Health Authority.
EU** 1,159 996 Partial funding reported, missing Germany reporting.
UK 449 154
Japan 404 48
China 260 29
Total 11,024 3,970

Polar research is not just constrained to northern countries. With the recent launch of the Emirates Polar Program and the Polar Research Center, the UAE is stepping onto the global stage as an emerging polar research nation.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Polar Regions

The future of the world’s polar regions will depend on deeper research and global action with innovations in areas like sensor monitoring networks supporting that mission.

To continue exploring the polar regions and the biggest emerging opportunities shaping the future, read the Dubai Future Foundation’s Global 50 report.

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Ranked: The Most Common Website Languages on the Internet

2026-03-14 22:15:06

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app.

Share of languages in URLs versus native speakers

Use This Visualization

The Most Common Website Languages on the Internet

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.

Key Takeaways

  • English is the most common language used in URLs, accounting for 45% of websites.
  • Chinese has the largest share of native speakers globally, but represents only 5% of URLs.
  • Most of the world’s languages fall under “other,” meaning they have very limited representation online.

English has become the de facto language of the internet, with a far greater presence online than any other language.

However, the most common languages on the web don’t necessarily reflect the number of people who speak them natively.

This graphic visualizes the most commonly used languages for URLs compared with their share of native speakers worldwide, based on 2025 data from Ethnologue via both the World Bank and Britannica.

English is the Most Common URL Language

Dive into the data below:

Language Share of global URLs Native speakers share of population
English 45% 4.6%
German 7% 0.9%
Russian 6% 1.8%
Chinese 5% 16.3%
Japanese 5% 1.5%
Spanish 4% 5.9%
French 4% 1.0%
Other languages 21% 68.1%
Unknown 3% NA

German comes in second place, making up 7% of URLs, despite having the smallest share of native speakers among the languages listed in the data. Just 0.9% of people speak it natively. In addition to Germany, the language is spoken in Austria, Switzerland, and some areas of Italy and other neighboring European countries.

Some 6% of URLs are written in Russian, while 1.8% of the population speaks it natively, largely concentrated in former Soviet Union countries.

Interestingly, Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with 16.3% of the global population speaking it natively (primarily Mandarin). However, just 5% of URLs are written in the language.

Spanish is also underrepresented relative to its native-speaking population, accounting for 4% of URLs compared with 5.9% of global native speakers.

Some 21% of URLs fall under “other,” meaning many languages appear on only a small number of websites. Outside of the languages listed above, along with Japanese and French, other mother tongues make up 68.1% of the global population.

Creating a Multilingual Internet

The lack of languages online can isolate or limit those who don’t speak English, German, Russian, or other common languages. This is particularly problematic for Indigenous communities, whose culture is often flattened by technology.

There are efforts to increase representation as a form of digital inclusion. For example, the foundation that runs Wikipedia launched a page translator to help build up a non-English catalogue back in 2015, while UNESCO and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) are working to increase linguistic diversity in hopes of creating a more multilingual internet.

This dataset looks at the language of URLs, which can indicate the origin of a webpage. When looking at languages of the pages themselves, the data shifts slightly to include languages such as Turkish and Persian.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about languages online, check out this graphic which charts the digital divide.

Ranked: The Flattest States in America

2026-03-14 20:04:05

See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app.

Map showing the flattest U.S. states by elevation range.

Use This Visualization

Ranked: The Flattest States in America

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.

Key Takeaways

  • Florida has the smallest elevation range in the country, just 345 feet between its highest and lowest points.
  • Several Midwest states—including Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio—rank among the 10 flattest states.
  • Despite its long-standing reputation for flatness, Kansas ranks only 20th by elevation range, flatter than many states, but far from the top of the list.

America’s landscape ranges from towering mountain ranges to vast plains. But which states actually have the least change in elevation?

Using elevation range, the difference between a state’s highest and lowest points, we ranked all 50 states based on USGS data via the U.S. Census Bureau.

The results reveal several surprises. While Florida takes the top spot by a wide margin, Kansas—long associated with flat terrain—ranks only 20th due to its gradual rise toward the Rocky Mountains.

Florida’s Narrow Elevation Range

Florida ranks as the flattest state in the country, with just 345 feet separating its highest point, Britton Hill, from sea level along its coastline.

Looking at it another way, Florida’s elevation change is roughly equivalent to the height of a 30-story building. Given Florida’s low-lying coastline, more than 500,000 residents could live in areas at risk of severe coastal flooding by 2050.

Rank State Elevation Range (ft)
1 Florida 345
2 Delaware 448
3 Louisiana 543
4 Mississippi 806
5 Rhode Island 812
6 Indiana 937
7 Illinois 956
8 Ohio 1,095
9 Iowa 1,190
10 Wisconsin 1,372
11 Michigan 1,408
12 Missouri 1,542
13 Minnesota 1,700
14 New Jersey 1,803
15 Connecticut 2,380
16 Alabama 2,407
17 Arkansas 2,698
18 North Dakota 2,756
19 Pennsylvania 3,213
20 Kansas 3,360
21 Maryland 3,360
22 Massachusetts 3,491
23 South Carolina 3,560
24 Kentucky 3,888
25 Vermont 4,298
26 Nebraska 4,584
27 West Virginia 4,623
28 Oklahoma 4,684
29 Georgia 4,784
30 Maine 5,268
31 New York 5,344
32 Virginia 5,729
33 South Dakota 6,276
34 New Hampshire 6,288
35 Tennessee 6,465
36 North Carolina 6,684
37 Texas 8,749
38 New Mexico 10,319
39 Wyoming 10,705
40 Montana 10,999
41 Colorado 11,118
42 Oregon 11,239
43 Utah 11,528
44 Idaho 11,952
45 Arizona 12,563
46 Nevada 12,661
47 Hawaii 13,796
48 Washington 14,411
49 California 14,776
50 Alaska 20,320

Delaware (448 ft) and Louisiana (543 ft) follow closely behind Florida, reflecting the relatively low-lying landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast.

Like Florida, they are among the most flood-prone states in the country. Delaware, for instance, has the lowest mean elevation across all states, and sits on a tectonic plate that is sinking. Louisiana, meanwhile, faces one of the fastest rising sea levels on Earth.

Meanwhile, many of the flattest states are concentrated across the Midwest and Great Lakes region. States like Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Iowa all rank within the top 10, highlighting the influence of ancient glaciers that helped shape much of the region’s broad plains.

Kansas, often stereotyped as one of the flattest places in the U.S., ranks 20th, with an elevation range of 3,360 feet. While large portions of the state are indeed flat, the gradual rise toward the Rocky Mountains in western Kansas increases its overall elevation variation.

Overall, the ranking highlights how coastal geography, glacial history, and regional topography shape the landscapes across the U.S., often challenging common assumptions about which states are truly the flattest.

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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the top 15 countries by land area.

Charted: The Energy Mix of the World’s 10 Largest Economies

2026-03-14 00:36:46

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Energy in top economies: See how the world’s largest countries generate energy from oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewables.

The Energy Mix of the World’s 10 Largest Economies

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Key Takeaways

  • Oil is the largest energy source in six of the world’s 10 biggest economies, including the U.S., Germany, Japan, the UK, and Italy.
  • Coal dominates energy supply in China and India, accounting for nearly 60% of their energy mixes.
  • France stands out for nuclear power, which provides over 46% of its energy mix, the highest share among the group.

This graphic compares the energy mix of the world’s 10 largest economies, showing how much of their total energy supply comes from oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydro, and other renewables.

The data for this visualization comes from the Energy Institute’s 2025 Statistical Review of World Energy, representing the most recent full-year data (2024).

Oil Still Dominates Many Advanced Economies

Oil remains the largest energy source in six of the 10 biggest economies, including the United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy. In these countries, oil plays a major role in transportation and industrial sectors.

Italy has the highest reliance on oil among the group, with nearly 46% of its energy coming from petroleum. Germany and the UK also depend heavily on oil, though both have been expanding renewable energy capacity in recent years.

The table below shows the energy mix of each of the world’s 10 largest economies.

Country Oil Nat. Gas Coal Nuclear Hydro Renewables
🇺🇸 U.S. 39.0% 35.4% 8.6% 9.8% 0.9% 6.3%
🇨🇳 China 20.3% 9.8% 58.0% 3.1% 3.1% 5.7%
🇩🇪 Germany 41.8% 27.9% 15.6% 0.0% 0.8% 13.9%
🇯🇵 Japan 39.0% 19.9% 27.6% 5.7% 1.8% 6.1%
🇮🇳 India 28.1% 6.5% 59.3% 1.5% 1.4% 3.1%
🇬🇧 UK 41.7% 34.7% 2.6% 6.8% 0.3% 13.8%
🇫🇷 France 31.0% 12.8% 2.0% 46.1% 2.9% 5.3%
🇮🇹 Italy 45.9% 37.9% 1.8% 0.0% 3.6% 10.9%
🇷🇺 Russia 24.1% 54.0% 11.8% 7.4% 2.4% 0.2%
🇨🇦 Canada 36.6% 39.0% 2.4% 7.8% 10.4% 3.6%

Even in highly developed economies with strong climate targets, oil remains difficult to replace due to its central role in global transport systems.

Coal Remains Critical for China and India

Coal continues to dominate the energy mix in the world’s two most populous countries. In China, coal accounts for 58% of total energy supply, while India relies on coal for roughly 59%.

This reliance reflects both countries’ large industrial bases and the availability of domestic coal resources. Coal remains a relatively cheap and reliable energy source for powering manufacturing and electricity generation.

However, both China and India are also investing heavily in renewable energy and nuclear power as they attempt to balance economic growth with emissions reductions.

Different Paths to Low-Carbon Energy

Some economies rely more heavily on nuclear or hydropower rather than renewables alone. France stands out for its heavy dependence on nuclear power, which provides more than 46% of its total energy mix.

Canada, meanwhile, benefits from abundant hydropower resources, with hydro accounting for over 10% of its energy supply. The country also maintains a relatively balanced mix between oil and natural gas.

Russia shows the lowest share of renewables in the group at just 0.2%, reflecting its vast reserves of fossil fuels and heavy reliance on natural gas, which makes up more than half of its energy mix.

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