2026-02-18 23:16:56
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China’s trade engine continues to expand, but the geography of that growth is shifting.
In 2025, total trade exceeded $6.3 trillion, driving a record $1.2 trillion surplus as exports outpaced relatively flat imports. While the U.S. remained China’s largest trading partner, trade momentum increasingly tilted toward Southeast Asia.
At the same time, strains are emerging in Europe. German car exports to China have dropped 66% since 2022, reflecting intensifying competition in the world’s largest auto market.
This graphic shows the country’s largest trading partners in 2025, based on data from China’s General Administration of Customs.
At $560 billion in total trade, the U.S. accounted for 8.8% of China’s global trade in 2025. However, bilateral trade declined 18.7% year over year amid escalating tariff tensions.
| Rank | Country | Trade Value 2025 |
Share 2025 |
Change 2024-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 U.S. |
$560B | 8.8% | -18.7% |
| 2 |
 Hong Kong SAR |
$367B | 5.8% | 18.9% |
| 3 |
 South Korea |
$331B | 5.2% | 1.2% |
| 4 |
 Japan |
$322B | 5.1% | 4.5% |
| 5 |
 Taiwan |
$314B | 5.0% | 7.3% |
| 6 |
 Vietnam |
$296B | 4.7% | 13.7% |
| 7 |
 Russia |
$228B | 3.6% | -6.9% |
| 8 |
 Germany |
$211B | 3.3% | 4.6% |
| 9 |
 Australia |
$207B | 3.3% | -2.3% |
| 10 |
 Malaysia |
$192B | 3.0% | -9.6% |
| 11 |
 Brazil |
$188B | 3.0% | -0.1% |
| 12 |
 Indonesia |
$167B | 2.6% | 13.4% |
| 13 |
 India |
$156B | 2.4% | 12.4% |
| 14 |
 Thailand |
$153B | 2.4% | 14.4% |
| 15 |
 Singapore |
$119B | 1.9% | 7.5% |
| 16 |
 Netherlands |
$114B | 1.8% | 3.9% |
| 17 |
 Mexico |
$109B | 1.7% | 0.0% |
| 18 |
 Saudi Arabia |
$108B | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| 19 |
 UAE |
$108B | 1.7% | 6.0% |
| 20 |
 UK |
$104B | 1.6% | 5.3% |
Hong Kong ranked second at $367 billion, followed by South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan—all of which saw modest trade growth.
Meanwhile, Vietnam posted a 13.7% increase in bilateral trade, part of a broader surge in trade across the ASEAN region. Chinese exports to Africa also rose 25.8% year over year.
China-Germany trade reached $211 billion in 2025, up 4.6% overall. However, German exports to China fell 9.3% during the year.
Much of that decline reflects weakness in autos. Since 2022, German car exports to China have fallen 66%, raising pressure on manufacturers as domestic Chinese brands gain share.
India ranked 12th overall with $156 billion in trade, posting double-digit growth alongside Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the top import partner of each U.S. state.
2026-02-18 21:03:31
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Data centers power everything from streaming and cloud storage to the AI systems reshaping industries. When it comes to scale, one country stands far ahead.
The U.S. has 3,960 data centers in this dataset—more than the next 14 countries combined.
The map above, based on data from Data Center Map, counts operational facilities by country, from small cloud hubs to sprawling colocation campuses. While totals vary by methodology, the concentration of infrastructure in a few major economies is unmistakable.
With nearly four thousand data centers in this dataset, the U.S. is the world’s largest data center market.
| Country | Data Centers |
|---|---|
|
USA |
3,960 |
|
United Kingdom |
498 |
|
Germany |
470 |
 China |
365 |
 France |
335 |
 Canada |
285 |
|
India |
275 |
|
Australia |
268 |
|
Japan |
249 |
 Italy |
206 |
|
Brazil |
198 |
 Spain |
189 |
|
The Netherlands |
186 |
|
Indonesia |
184 |
|
Russia |
178 |
 Ireland |
128 |
 Switzerland |
113 |
 Sweden |
110 |
|
Malaysia |
109 |
 Poland |
97 |
 Finland |
90 |
 Norway |
87 |
|
South Korea |
86 |
|
Hong Kong |
85 |
 Denmark |
81 |
 Turkey |
76 |
 Chile |
66 |
|
Singapore |
65 |
 Israel |
65 |
 Romania |
63 |
|
Mexico |
62 |
 South Africa |
61 |
|
Thailand |
59 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
58 |
|
United Arab Emirates |
57 |
 New Zealand |
57 |
 Czech Republic |
54 |
 Austria |
53 |
 Belgium |
48 |
 Portugal |
44 |
 Argentina |
43 |
 Colombia |
41 |
|
Vietnam |
41 |
 Ukraine |
37 |
|
Taiwan |
37 |
 Philippines |
36 |
 Bulgaria |
31 |
 Pakistan |
30 |
 Greece |
25 |
 Latvia |
24 |
 Nigeria |
23 |
 Iran |
20 |
 Slovenia |
20 |
 Lithuania |
19 |
 Kenya |
19 |
 Cyprus |
18 |
 Hungary |
17 |
 Panama |
17 |
 Oman |
16 |
 Luxembourg |
16 |
 Kazakhstan |
15 |
 Bangladesh |
15 |
 Croatia |
15 |
 Morocco |
14 |
 Peru |
14 |
 Serbia |
13 |
 Egypt |
13 |
 Slovakia |
13 |
 Estonia |
12 |
 Iceland |
12 |
 Costa Rica |
12 |
 Tanzania |
11 |
 Qatar |
11 |
 Angola |
10 |
 Nepal |
10 |
 Cambodia |
10 |
 Malta |
10 |
 Mauritius |
10 |
 Uruguay |
10 |
 Ecuador |
9 |
 Ghana |
8 |
 Puerto Rico |
8 |
 Jordan |
8 |
 Bahrain |
8 |
 Paraguay |
7 |
 Guatemala |
7 |
 Mongolia |
7 |
 Senegal |
7 |
 Macedonia |
7 |
 Venezuela |
7 |
 Liechtenstein |
7 |
 Ethiopia |
6 |
 Uzbekistan |
6 |
 Moldova |
6 |
 Ivory Coast |
6 |
 Mozambique |
6 |
 Gibraltar |
6 |
 Algeria |
6 |
 Isle of Man |
6 |
 Libya |
6 |
 Botswana |
5 |
 Bolivia |
5 |
 Trinidad and Tobago |
5 |
 Myanmar |
5 |
 Reunion |
5 |
 Kuwait |
5 |
 Jersey |
5 |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
4 |
 Sri Lanka |
4 |
 DR Congo |
4 |
 Uganda |
4 |
 Tunisia |
4 |
 Albania |
4 |
 Honduras |
4 |
 Georgia |
4 |
 Bahamas |
4 |
 Brunei |
4 |
 Guam |
3 |
 El Salvador |
3 |
 New Caledonia |
3 |
 Dominican Republic |
3 |
 Madagascar |
3 |
 Monaco |
3 |
 Djibouti |
3 |
 Curacao |
3 |
 Rwanda |
3 |
 Zambia |
3 |
 Kyrgyzstan |
3 |
 Nicaragua |
3 |
 Azerbaijan |
3 |
 Bhutan |
3 |
 Guernsey |
3 |
 Maldives |
3 |
 Andorra |
3 |
 Zimbabwe |
3 |
 Armenia |
2 |
 Namibia |
2 |
 French Polynesia |
2 |
 Belarus |
2 |
 Togo |
2 |
 Cameroon |
2 |
 Jamaica |
2 |
 Afghanistan |
2 |
 Bermuda |
2 |
 Laos |
2 |
 Lebanon |
2 |
 Sudan |
2 |
 Cayman Islands |
2 |
 Suriname |
2 |
 Greenland |
2 |
 Lesotho |
2 |
 Mayotte |
1 |
 Iraq |
1 |
 Guyana |
1 |
 Syria |
1 |
 Martinique |
1 |
 Guinea |
1 |
 Burkina Faso |
1 |
 Macau |
1 |
 French Guiana |
1 |
 Malawi |
1 |
 Papua New Guinea |
1 |
 Republic of the Congo |
1 |
 Palestine |
1 |
 Gabon |
1 |
 Mali |
1 |
 Equatorial Guinea |
1 |
 Eswatini |
1 |
 Kosovo |
1 |
 Solomon Islands |
1 |
 Seychelles |
1 |
 Sierra Leone |
1 |
 Somalia |
1 |
 US Virgin Islands |
1 |
This U.S. dominance reflects heavy investment by major cloud providers and tech companies. Years of hyperscaler investment help explain why much of the world’s cloud and AI capacity is built in the country.
Some other industry estimates place the U.S. total above 5,000 facilities, reflecting differences in how data centers are defined and counted.
Europe represents the second-largest concentration of data centers globally. The United Kingdom, Germany, and France each have hundreds of data centers. These nations host key internet exchange points and serve as hubs for multinational cloud and IT services.
Other countries like the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden also maintain strong data center footprints.
Asia’s footprint is expanding rapidly, led by China, Japan, and India. Rising digital demand and cloud adoption are driving continued expansion across major Asian markets.
Emerging economies also appear on the list, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea. Meanwhile, smaller countries like Singapore and Hong Kong punch above their weight due to strategic connectivity and business-friendly environments.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Charted: The Jobs Most Exposed to Generative AI on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
2026-02-18 03:39:13
Rebuilding after disasters, from hurricanes and floods to wildfires and tornadoes, is becoming significantly more costly across America. Which inputs are driving this trend?
This visualization, created in partnership with Inigo, provides visual context to the rising cost of rebuilding, using data from FRED.
According to Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), prices for key construction inputs for new houses and buildings have climbed sharply since 2019. Fabricated metals are up 46.8%, cement 47.4%, and labor costs 31.5%.
| Input | Change since Jan 2019 (%) |
|---|---|
| Fabricated metals | 46.8 |
| Cement | 47.4 |
| Lumber | 26.5 |
| Labor | 31.5 |
While the pandemic initially triggered these increases through supply chain disruptions and shortages, prices have remained elevated due to sustained demand for skilled labor, climate-driven rebuilding, and ongoing geopolitical tensions.
These higher costs are reshaping recovery timelines and insurance exposure. In many cases, federal requirements (such as rebuilding to current codes to qualify for FEMA funding) push costs even higher.
For property risk teams, the implication is clear: each insured dollar now rebuilds less than it did just a few years ago. That widening recovery gap amplifies the economic impact of every disaster, making accurate valuation, coverage limits, and risk pricing more critical than ever.
Explore the data behind emerging global property risks.
Lower interest rates have often supported stronger real estate returns and improved valuations. Will that trend return in 2026?
From climate volatility to economic and technological shifts, a wide range of forces are reshaping property risk in the U.S.
Hurricanes are a defining force in the U.S. climate, capable of leaving behind profound environmental, social, and economic devastation.
Global temperatures are climbing—but how is this trend playing out across the United States, and which regions are being hit the hardest?
Wildfire events are growing increasingly frequent and destructive around the world as human-driven climate impacts continue to escalate.
Drought grips much of the U.S., affecting over 60 million people today.
Weight loss drugs have surged in popularity in recent years, transforming the pharmaceutical landscape. Which brands are dominating this space?
The pharmaceutical industry has made enormous strides in treating—and even curing—a wide range of diseases and conditions. Which areas are seeing the most R&D in 2025?
Pharma giants don’t just make medicine—they shape the future of healthcare. Who are the world’s major players?
The fraud and financial crime landscapes are evolving rapidly. What are the key threats shaping risk in 2025?
Some of the largest digital heists didn’t rely on brute-force hacking, they exploited the weakest link in security: human trust.
As cybersecurity threats escalate, which financial crimes are causing the most harm? The FBI has the data.
Suspicious activity has been rising in the U.S., but is it spread evenly throughout all 50 states? Certainly not.
As technology and AI become more widespread, fraud and other suspicious activity are rising across America. Which types are the most common?
From money laundering to fraud, financial crime acts as a drain on the economy, totaling an incredible $3.1 trillion.
Over half the global population is ruled by non-centrist types of government, including autocracies and left or right wing parties.
Ukraine will require an estimated $524B over the next decade to recover from the Russia-Ukraine war. Which sectors have been most impacted?
Amid tariff increases, consumers’ expectations for U.S. inflation in the next five years have reached their highest level since March 1991.
In his first 100 days, President Trump has issued far more executive orders than any other president in history.
2026-02-18 02:46:38
Most breaches don’t start with a rare software exploit. Instead, attackers often gain access by taking over identity and using it like a master key.
This graphic, in partnership with Unit 42 by Palo Alto Networks, shows how cyberattackers gain access by exploiting identity paths, based on data from Unit 42 incident-response investigations.
Here is a table that summarizes the main identity-driven routes attackers use to gain access.
| Initial Access 1 | Initial Access 2 | Initial Access 3 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Other | 35% |
| Identity-based techniques | Identity-based social engineering | Identify-based phishing | 22% |
| Identity-based techniques | Identity-based social engineering | Other social engineering | 11% |
| Identity-based techniques | Credential misuse and brute force | Credential misuse | 13% |
| Identity-based techniques | Credential misuse and brute force | Brute force | 8% |
| Identity-based techniques | Identity policy and insider risk | Insider threats | 8% |
| Identity-based techniques | Identity policy and insider risk | IAM misconfigurations | 3% |
In the past year, Unit 42 found identity weaknesses played a material role in 90% of investigations. As SaaS and cloud use grow, identity now acts as the perimeter.
Here, “identity-driven” specifically means abusing credentials, sessions, multi-factor workarounds, or permissions to look legitimate. Because that activity blends in, defenders often lose precious time.
Identity-based techniques drive 65% of initial access in Unit 42’s casework. However, many organizations still focus more on patching than authentication, and many still repeat common cybersecurity mistakes that attackers exploit.
Social engineering leads at 33%, including phishing designed to bypass MFA and hijack sessions. Meanwhile, credential misuse and brute-force attacks account for 21%, and policy or insider abuse accounts for 11%.
Once attackers log in, they can escalate privileges and move laterally with fewer alarms. In turn, Unit 42 found 99% of 680,000 cloud identities held excessive permissions.
Token theft and risky OAuth grants also let adversaries persist without repeated logins. Consequently, one over-privileged human or machine identity can expand the blast radius quickly.
Start with phishing-resistant MFA such as passkeys or FIDO2 keys for high-value roles. Next, rotate machine credentials, shorten sessions, and shift admins to just-in-time elevation.
You can also connect identity telemetry across cloud and SaaS to spot unusual access chains sooner.
Explore the most common passwords globally, and see why predictable choices make accounts vulnerable to hacking.
The world’s most surveilled cities contain hundreds of thousands of cameras. View this infographic to see the data in perspective.
Which cities have the most CCTV cameras? This map reveals the top surveillance cities worldwide in terms of the prevalence of CCTV cameras.
Mass surveillance is becoming the status quo. This map dives into the countries where facial recognition technology is in place, and how it’s used.
Buoyed by innovation and user-friendly experiences, biometric security measures will soon be a mainstream method of keeping your online accounts safe.
Freedom of speech on the internet has been on decline for eight consecutive years. We visualize the death spiral to show who limits speech the most.
2026-02-18 02:17:21
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In 2012, America’s public pension system reached a demographic tipping point: retirees began to outnumber the active workers funding them.
More than a decade later, that reversal remains in place. As Americans live longer and public workforce growth slows, pension systems are paying out more in benefits than they collect from contributors, increasing their reliance on investment returns to stay funded.
This visualization, using data from the Equable Institute, tracks the number of active public employees contributing to pension systems versus retirees receiving benefits from 2001 to 2024.
In 2001, there were 12.7 million active workers supporting 7.6 million retirees. However, by 2012, retirees (13.3 million) surpassed active workers (13.2 million).
Since then, the gap has widened. By 2023, there were 19.5 million retirees compared to 13.7 million active workers. Although 2024 shows a modest rebound in active workers to 14.5 million, retirees still significantly outnumber contributors.
| Year | Active Workers (Millions) | Retirees (Millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 12.7 | 7.6 |
| 2002 | 12.9 | 8.0 |
| 2003 | 13.0 | 8.7 |
| 2004 | 12.9 | 9.3 |
| 2005 | 13.2 | 9.9 |
| 2006 | 13.2 | 10.6 |
| 2007 | 13.5 | 10.9 |
| 2008 | 13.7 | 11.3 |
| 2009 | 13.7 | 11.8 |
| 2010 | 13.7 | 12.3 |
| 2011 | 13.4 | 12.7 |
| 2012 | 13.2 | 13.3 |
| 2013 | 13.0 | 13.9 |
| 2014 | 13.1 | 14.3 |
| 2015 | 13.3 | 14.7 |
| 2016 | 13.3 | 15.3 |
| 2017 | 13.6 | 15.5 |
| 2018 | 13.5 | 16.3 |
| 2019 | 13.2 | 16.6 |
| 2020 | 13.5 | 16.6 |
| 2021 | 13.1 | 17.6 |
| 2022 | 13.4 | 18.8 |
| 2023 | 13.7 | 19.5 |
| 2024 | 14.5 | 18.8 |
Pension systems rely on three main funding sources: employee contributions, employer contributions, and investment income. When active workers decline relative to retirees, contribution inflows shrink while benefit payments rise.
This creates a funding gap: benefit payments exceed contributions from active workers. To cover the difference, pension funds must rely more heavily on investment returns, increasing exposure to market volatility.
Longer retirements mean benefits are paid out for more years per beneficiary. At the same time, slower public workforce growth limits the base of contributors supporting those payments. Even strong investment years may not fully offset this structural shift.
For policymakers, the challenge is balancing sustainability with benefit security. Options often include contribution adjustments, benefit reforms, or changes to investment strategies.
The growing retiree population reflects broader aging trends across the U.S., which are reshaping public finances at both the state and local level.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Which States Have The Highest Share of Retirement-Age Workers? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
2026-02-17 23:22:22
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 AI boom isn’t just about chatbots and software. It’s also creating thousands of jobs tied to the physical infrastructure that powers large-scale computing.
As companies race to build data centers and expand AI capacity, employment tied to AI infrastructure has climbed to 482,716 jobs nationwide, according to 2025 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
This map ranks all 50 states by AI and data center employment, highlighting where this fast-growing segment of the tech economy has taken root—and which states have built the deepest talent bases.
California leads the nation with 81,577 AI and data center jobs, accounting for about 17% of the U.S. total.
While California dominates in total jobs, Washington ranks first on a per capita basis, with 289.8 roles per 100,000 residents. This is partially thanks to being home base to companies like Microsoft and Amazon.
| Rank | State | Data Center and AI Jobs (2025) |
Per capita (Jobs per 100k population) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 81,577 | 204.5 |
| 2 | Texas | 48,029 | 148.2 |
| 3 | Florida | 28,682 | 118.0 |
| 4 | New York | 27,849 | 138.4 |
| 5 | Georgia | 24,137 | 211.5 |
| 6 | Washington | 23,650 | 289.8 |
| 7 | Virginia | 20,434 | 228.0 |
| 8 | Illinois | 16,625 | 129.4 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 16,047 | 164.7 |
| 10 | Missouri | 14,520 | 229.7 |
| 11 | Colorado | 13,290 | 219.0 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 13,060 | 98.9 |
| 13 | Ohio | 13,016 | 108.5 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 12,439 | 109.3 |
| 15 | Arizona | 10,936 | 140.2 |
| 16 | Michigan | 10,214 | 99.6 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 10,128 | 139.2 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 8,377 | 139.1 |
| 19 | Utah | 8,276 | 228.3 |
| 20 | Tennessee | 7,918 | 107.2 |
| 21 | Oregon | 7,653 | 177.6 |
| 22 | Minnesota | 7,313 | 124.5 |
| 23 | Maryland | 5,491 | 86.4 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 4,408 | 117.9 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 4,048 | 129.5 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 4,010 | 70.8 |
| 27 | Indiana | 3,931 | 56.1 |
| 28 | Alabama | 3,791 | 72.4 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 3,684 | 79.0 |
| 30 | Iowa | 3,545 | 107.8 |
| 31 | Louisiana | 3,234 | 70.0 |
| 32 | Nevada | 3,045 | 90.3 |
| 33 | Kansas | 2,537 | 84.3 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 2,205 | 108.1 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | 2,128 | 149.6 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | 1,650 | 39.7 |
| 37 | District of Columbia | 1,636 | 233.7 |
| 38 | Idaho | 1,271 | 61.6 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 1,195 | 67.6 |
| 40 | Mississippi | 1,132 | 38.5 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 998 | 46.5 |
| 42 | Maine | 809 | 57.1 |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 696 | 61.6 |
| 44 | Hawaii | 534 | 36.7 |
| 45 | Delaware | 516 | 47.6 |
| 46 | Montana | 516 | 44.9 |
| 47 | Vermont | 484 | 74.7 |
| 48 | South Dakota | 404 | 43.1 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 313 | 38.6 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 216 | 36.4 |
| 51 | Alaska | 119 | 15.9 |
| -- |
U.S. Totals |
482,716 | 139.2 |
More populous states like Texas (48,029), Florida (28,682), and New York (27,849) are all at the top of the leaderboard in absolute terms. That said, the latter two (Florida and New York) are actually below average in per capita terms.
When sorting the list in per capita terms, the states Utah, Missouri, and Virginia stand out—all making the top five.
Virginia has the world’s largest concentration of data centers (Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley”), driven by hyperscalers, federal demand, and dense fiber connectivity.
Utah is known in the tech industry as “Silicon Slopes”, with a budding startup ecosystem, strong SaaS presence, and tax-friendly policies for data center investment.
Finally, Missouri is an emerging Midwest tech hub with growing cloud, geospatial intelligence, and defense-tech activity, supported by low-cost power and central U.S. connectivity.
Learn more about data center electricity demand by region in this visualization on Voronoi.
