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2026-01-19 23:22:49

Ranked: Natural Gas Reserves by Country

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Natural gas plays a critical role in the global energy system, powering electricity generation, heating homes, and supporting industrial activity. Despite its widespread use, the world’s natural gas reserves are highly unevenly distributed.

This visualization ranks countries by their proven natural gas reserves, measured in trillion cubic feet. The data for this visualization comes from the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2025.

A Handful of Countries Dominate Global Reserves

Just three countries—Russia, Iran, and Qatar—control over half of the world’s proven natural gas reserves. Russia alone holds more than 1,300 trillion cubic feet, giving it the largest national stockpile globally.

Rank	Country	Natural Gas Reserves (Tcf)
1	Russian Federation	1,320.5
2	Iran	1,133.6
3	Qatar	871.1
4	Turkmenistan	480.3
5	United States	445.6
6	China	296.6
7	Venezuela	221.1
8	Saudi Arabia	212.6
9	United Arab Emirates	209.7
10	Nigeria	193.3
11	Iraq	124.6
12	Azerbaijan	88.4
13	Australia	84.4
14	Canada	83.1
15	Algeria	80.5
16	Kazakhstan	79.7
17	Egypt	75.5
18	Kuwait	59.9
19	Norway	50.5
20	Libya	50.5
21	India	46.6
22	Indonesia	44.2
23	Ukraine	38.5
24	Malaysia	32.1
25	Uzbekistan	29.9
26	Oman	23.5
27	Vietnam	22.8
28	Israel	20.8
29	Myanmar	15.3
30	Argentina	13.6
31	Pakistan	13.6
32	Brazil	12.3
33	Trinidad & Tobago	10.2
34	Syria	9.5
35	Yemen	9.4
36	Peru	9.2
37	Brunei	7.9
38	Bolivia	7.5
39	United Kingdom	6.6
40	Mexico	6.3
41	Papua New Guinea	5.8
42	Thailand	5.1
43	Netherlands	4.6
44	Bangladesh	3.9
45	Colombia	3.0
46	Romania	2.8
47	Poland	2.6
48	Bahrain	2.3
49	Italy	1.5
50	Denmark	1.0
51	Germany	0.7

Before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, around 40–45% of EU gas imports came from Russia, but that share has since fallen to around 13–19% as of mid-2025.

The Middle East and Eurasia Lead

Beyond the top three, countries such as Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq add to the Middle East and Central Asia’s strong position in global gas reserves.

These regions benefit from vast, low-cost reserves that can support long-term production, making them central players in global liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

The United States and China Among Top Holders

The United States ranks fifth globally, with roughly 446 trillion cubic feet in reserves, reflecting the impact of shale gas development over the past two decades.

China also appears among the top holders, though its domestic demand is so large that it remains heavily dependent on imports despite sizable reserves.

Smaller Producers Still Matter Regionally

Countries with more modest reserves—including Norway, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands—continue to play important regional roles due to existing infrastructure and proximity to major demand centers.

However, declining reserves in parts of Europe underscore the continent’s growing reliance on imports.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Global Energy Demand by Fuel Type (2024-2050P) on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-19 21:06:29

How the World’s Largest Economies Have Changed Since 2000

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The global balance of power looks very different than it did 25 years ago.

In 2000, Japan was the world’s second-largest economy and China was only in sixth place. Since then, the global hierarchy has shifted dramatically, driven by the rapid rise of China and India.

This graphic shows the top economies by GDP over the past quarter century, based on data from the International Monetary Fund.

Then vs. Now: Comparing the World’s Top Economies by GDP

Here is how the top 20 ranking looked in 2000:

2000 Rank	Country	GDP (Nominal)
1	U.S.	$10.3T
2	Japan	$5.0T
3	Germany	$2.0T
4	UK	$1.7T
5	France	$1.4T
6	China	$1.2T
7	Italy	$1.2T
8	Canada	$0.7T
9	Mexico	$0.7T
10	Brazil	$0.7T
11	Spain	$0.6T
12	South Korea	$0.6T
13	India	$0.5T
14	Iran	$0.4T
15	Netherlands	$0.4T
16	Australia	$0.4T
17	Taiwan	$0.3T
18	Argentina	$0.3T
19	Switzerland	$0.3T
20	Russia	$0.3T

And here’s how it changed, based on 2025 data:

2025 Rank	Country	GDP (Nominal)
1	U.S.	$30.6T
2	China	$19.4T
3	Germany	$5.0T
4	Japan	$4.3T
5	India	$4.1T
6	UK	$4.0T
7	France	$3.4T
8	Italy	$2.5T
9	Russia	$2.5T
10	Canada	$2.3T
11	Brazil	$2.3T
12	Spain	$1.9T
13	Mexico	$1.9T
14	Korea, Republic of	$1.9T
15	Australia	$1.8T
16	Türkiye	$1.6T
17	Indonesia	$1.4T
18	Netherlands	$1.3T
19	Saudi Arabia	$1.3T
20	Poland	$1.0T

For many decades, America has held its grip as the world’s largest economy, reaching $30.6 trillion of nominal GDP in 2025.

Over the past 25 years, U.S. GDP has nearly tripled, bolstered by its dominance in global financial markets and technology. Back in 2000, we can see it held a sizable lead over Japan, however, the country was overtaken by China in 2010.

With $19.4 trillion in GDP, China’s economy has grown from $1.2 trillion in 2000, a nearly seventeen-fold increase.

Similarly, India has seen a stunning rise in GDP over the 2000s. While it ranked as the 13th-largest economy by GDP in 2000, it has since climbed to fifth.

Moreover, India is projected to become the fourth-largest economy this year, thanks to robust GDP growth, favorable demographics, and substantial infrastructure investment.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on economic power by region in 2025.

2026-01-19 03:11:02

Mapped: Countries with the Largest Emigrant Populations

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.

Migration is often viewed through the lens of immigration (people arriving in a country). But what about those leaving?

This infographic by Iswardi Ishak, using data from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, maps the countries with the highest number of citizens living abroad in 2024.

What is Emigration, and Why Does It Matter?

Simply put, emigration is the opposite of immigration. It refers to the act of leaving one’s country to live elsewhere. While commonly discussed in regions receiving migrants, emigration has major impacts on origin countries too, from remittances to brain drain.

The reasons for leaving vary. Common “push factors” include poverty, violence, corruption, and climate change. Conversely, “pull factors” are driven by better education, jobs, healthcare, and safety abroad.

Ranked: Top Countries by Emigrant Populations

The table below lists the top countries with the highest number of emigrants around the world.

Rank	Country/Territory	Emigrants	Total Population	Emigrants as % of Total Pop
1	India	18,533,845	1,450,935,791	1.3%
2	China	11,701,619	1,419,321,278	0.8%
3	Mexico	11,596,529	130,861,007	8.9%
4	Ukraine	9,769,216	37,860,222	25.8%
5	Russia	9,134,094	144,820,423	6.3%
6	Syria	8,927,523	24,672,760	36.2%
7	Bangladesh	8,706,947	173,562,364	5.0%
8	Venezuela	8,328,514	28,405,543	29.3%
9	Afghanistan	7,528,994	42,647,492	17.7%
10	Philippines	6,988,383	115,843,670	6.0%
11	Pakistan	6,915,057	251,269,164	2.8%
12	Egypt	4,820,002	116,538,258	4.1%
13	United Kingdom	4,804,944	69,138,192	6.9%
14	Romania	4,583,819	19,015,088	24.1%
15	Poland	4,572,613	38,539,201	11.9%
16	Myanmar	4,320,462	54,500,091	7.9%
17	Germany	4,297,233	84,552,242	5.1%
18	Sudan	3,786,603	50,448,963	7.5%
19	Indonesia	3,745,148	283,487,931	1.3%
20	Vietnam	3,693,537	100,987,687	3.7%
21	Colombia	3,652,238	52,886,364	6.9%
22	Morocco	3,627,829	38,081,173	9.5%
23	United States	3,186,999	345,426,571	0.9%
24	South Sudan	3,168,836	11,943,409	26.5%
25	Turkiye	3,130,337	87,473,805	3.6%
26	Italy	2,941,444	59,342,867	5.0%
27	Kazakhstan	2,796,572	20,592,571	13.6%
28	Nepal	2,637,195	29,651,055	8.9%
29	France	2,547,158	66,548,530	3.8%
30	Yemen	2,480,734	40,583,165	6.1%
31	Malaysia	2,433,875	35,557,674	6.8%
32	Iraq	2,313,028	46,042,015	5.0%
33	Brazil	2,194,325	211,998,574	1.0%
34	Uzbekistan	2,114,480	36,361,859	5.8%
35	Congo,Dem.Rep.	2,097,387	109,276,265	1.9%
36	Nigeria	2,094,265	232,679,478	0.9%
37	Burkina Faso	2,050,050	23,548,781	8.7%
38	South Korea	2,030,473	51,717,590	3.9%
39	Haiti	2,017,692	11,772,557	17.1%
40	Somalia	1,935,594	19,009,151	10.2%
41	Dominican Republic	1,917,153	11,427,557	16.8%
42	El Salvador	1,834,670	6,338,193	28.9%
43	Portugal	1,799,179	10,425,293	17.3%
44	Algeria	1,780,399	46,814,308	3.8%
45	Iran	1,733,468	91,567,738	1.9%
46	Peru	1,672,482	34,217,848	4.9%
47	Spain	1,623,550	47,910,527	3.4%
48	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1,608,324	3,164,253	50.8%
49	Zimbabwe	1,519,324	16,634,373	9.1%
50	Sri Lanka	1,492,103	23,103,565	6.5%
51	Guatemala	1,460,232	18,406,359	7.9%
52	Honduras	1,397,584	10,825,704	12.9%
53	Canada	1,347,381	39,742,430	3.4%
54	Mali	1,292,519	24,478,596	5.3%
55	Bulgaria	1,252,234	6,757,689	18.5%
56	Jamaica	1,248,512	2,839,175	44.0%
57	Ecuador	1,243,065	18,135,478	6.9%
58	Ethiopia	1,240,645	132,059,767	0.9%
59	Hong Kong SAR,China	1,240,250	7,414,910	16.7%
60	Albania	1,216,628	2,791,765	43.6%
61	Coted'Ivoire	1,211,422	31,934,230	3.8%
62	Argentina	1,183,381	45,696,159	2.6%
63	Thailand	1,178,757	71,668,011	1.6%
64	Ghana	1,055,494	34,427,414	3.1%
65	Japan	1,008,173	123,753,041	0.8%
66	South Africa	1,005,800	64,007,187	1.6%
67	Serbia	963,307	6,736,216	14.3%
68	Central African Republic	905,808	5,330,690	17.0%
69	Nicaragua	905,251	6,916,140	13.1%
70	Moldova	864,257	3,034,961	28.5%
71	Croatia	826,166	3,875,325	21.3%
72	Azerbaijan	810,116	10,336,578	7.8%
73	Belarus	790,232	9,056,696	8.7%
74	Bolivia	783,473	12,413,315	6.3%
75	Greece	780,112	10,047,817	7.8%
76	Cambodia	778,793	17,638,801	4.4%
77	Paraguay	746,362	6,929,153	10.8%
78	Senegal	741,357	18,501,985	4.0%
79	Benin	726,530	14,462,724	5.0%
80	Tunisia	715,249	12,277,109	5.8%
81	Ireland	714,405	5,255,018	13.6%
82	Mozambique	702,796	34,631,766	2.0%
83	Lebanon	681,720	5,805,962	11.7%
84	New Zealand	679,772	5,213,944	13.0%
85	Laos	660,258	7,769,819	8.5%
86	Jordan	659,204	11,552,876	5.7%
87	Armenia	637,604	2,973,841	21.4%
88	Netherlands	631,391	18,228,742	3.5%
89	Angola	616,967	37,885,850	1.6%
90	Togo	584,790	9,515,236	6.1%
91	Czechia	583,214	10,735,859	5.4%
92	Uganda	578,034	50,015,093	1.2%
93	Burundi	576,530	14,047,786	4.1%
94	Kyrgyzstan	540,573	7,186,009	7.5%
95	Kenya	540,466	56,432,945	1.0%
96	Rwanda	539,046	14,256,567	3.8%
97	Hungary	538,794	9,676,135	5.6%
98	North Macedonia	534,616	1,823,009	29.3%
99	Belgium	521,884	11,738,764	4.4%
100	Tajikistan	514,478	10,590,928	4.9%
101	Switzerland	512,547	8,921,981	5.7%
102	Guinea	508,203	14,754,786	3.4%
103	Georgia	496,486	3,807,670	13.0%
104	Guyana	469,649	831,087	56.5%
105	Lithuania	459,268	2,859,110	16.1%
106	Chile	444,451	19,764,772	2.2%
107	Niger	439,378	27,032,413	1.6%
108	Australia	430,718	26,713,205	1.6%
109	Austria	430,560	9,120,813	4.7%
110	Malawi	427,573	21,655,286	2.0%
111	Cameroon	409,677	29,123,744	1.4%
112	Slovakia	389,909	5,506,760	7.1%
113	Comoros	367,574	866,628	42.4%
114	Turkmenistan	365,787	7,494,499	4.9%
115	Israel	324,804	9,387,021	3.5%
116	Trinidad and Tobago	323,630	1,507,782	21.5%
117	Chad	292,298	20,299,123	1.4%
118	Singapore	269,613	5,832,387	4.6%
119	Uruguay	263,285	3,386,588	7.8%
120	Suriname	258,026	634,431	40.7%
121	Lesotho	246,938	2,337,423	10.6%
122	Saudi Arabia	236,699	33,962,757	0.7%
123	Congo	231,080	6,332,961	3.6%
124	Tanzania	225,017	68,560,157	0.3%
125	Sweden	223,508	10,606,999	2.1%
126	Madagascar	212,455	31,964,956	0.7%
127	Panama	194,816	4,515,577	4.3%
128	Finland	181,834	5,617,311	3.2%
129	Fiji	181,025	928,784	19.5%
130	Mongolia	175,596	3,475,540	5.1%
131	Kuwait	167,850	4,934,508	3.4%
132	United Arab Emirates	166,074	11,027,129	1.5%
133	Latvia	161,014	1,871,872	8.6%
134	Libya	156,874	7,381,023	2.1%
135	Liberia	145,919	5,612,817	2.6%
136	Equatorial Guinea	136,825	1,892,517	7.2%
137	Denmark	124,665	5,977,412	2.1%
138	Estonia	124,216	1,360,546	9.1%
139	Zambia	122,793	21,314,956	0.6%
140	Norway	120,891	5,576,660	2.2%
141	Samoa	119,313	218,020	54.7%
142	Mauritius	114,314	1,271,169	9.0%
143	Timor-Leste	109,613	1,400,638	7.8%
144	Guinea-Bissau	103,999	2,201,352	4.7%
145	Mauritania	91,705	5,169,396	1.8%
146	Montenegro	90,678	638,479	14.2%
147	Cyprus	80,760	1,358,282	5.9%
148	Slovenia	78,808	2,118,697	3.7%
149	Gambia	72,452	2,759,988	2.6%
150	Sierra Leone	63,631	8,642,023	0.7%
151	Luxembourg	61,859	673,036	9.2%
152	Gabon	61,160	2,538,952	2.4%
153	Bahrain	57,160	1,607,049	3.6%
154	Costa Rica	50,982	5,129,910	1.0%
155	Brunei Darussalam	46,552	462,722	10.1%
156	Malta	43,940	539,607	8.1%
157	Sao Tome and Principe	41,433	235,537	17.6%
158	Namibia	40,371	3,030,131	1.3%
159	Papua New Guinea	35,050	10,576,502	0.3%
160	Grenada	26,300	117,208	22.4%
161	Iceland	23,326	393,396	5.9%
162	Seychelles	22,191	130,419	17.0%
163	Dominica	21,384	66,205	32.3%
164	Qatar	19,821	3,048,423	0.7%
165	Barbados	19,558	282,468	6.9%
166	Oman	17,095	5,281,538	0.3%
167	Botswana	16,731	2,521,139	0.7%
168	Vanuatu	15,202	327,778	4.6%
169	Antigua and Barbuda	13,111	93,772	14.0%
170	Eswatini	11,561	1,242,822	0.9%
171	Solomon Islands	8,352	819,198	1.0%
172	Belize	7,383	417,072	1.8%
173	Kiribati	6,306	134,518	4.7%
174	Djibouti	3,576	1,168,722	0.3%
175	Maldives	2,773	527,799	0.5%
176	Bahamas	2,174	401,283	0.5%
177	Andorra	1,982	81,938	2.4%
178	Bermuda	1,100	64,637	1.7%

A closer look at the data shows that just five countries account for roughly one in five global emigrants.

Unsurprisingly, populous countries dominate the top of the list. India leads with over 18 million citizens abroad, followed by China (11.7 million), Mexico (11.6 million) and Ukraine (9.8 million). Meanwhile, countries like South Sudan and Syria have high emigration numbers relative to their total populations, driven by conflict and instability.

Of developed nations, the UK stands out with 4.8 million emigrants, largely driven by retirees, expats, and long-standing diasporas.

The “Brain Drain” and High Emigration Rates

When viewed as a share of total population, smaller countries top the list. In Guyana, Samoa, and Bosnia & Herzegovina, over 50% of citizens live abroad. This reflects a classic “brain drain” effect, where educated or skilled workers leave for better prospects, often slowing economic growth at home.

Explaining the “Migration Hump”

A key theory in migration studies is the “Migration Hump”. It suggests that emigration rises as countries move from low- to middle-income status, when people gain the means and motivation to move. As prosperity continues and countries become high-income, emigration rates drop.

This phenomenon helps explain why middle-income nations like Egypt, the Philippines, and Pakistan feature prominently in the dataset.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Check out our related chart: The Top Sources of Immigrants: 1995 vs 2020 on Voronoi.

2026-01-18 23:44:07

Charted: The Rise of Gen AI Apps

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.

Generative AI has rapidly moved from an experimental novelty to a mainstream consumer product. In just a few years, apps powered by large language models and image generators have become daily tools for writing, search, education, and entertainment.

This chart tracks how generative AI apps are climbing the global mobile rankings. The data for this visualization comes from Sensor Tower and reflects combined iOS and Google Play performance globally (with China measured on iOS only). Figures for 2026 are forecasts.

Gen AI Becomes a Top-Tier Mobile Category

According to Sensor Tower, Generative AI apps were projected to approach 4 billion downloads, generate $4.8 billion in in-app purchase revenue, and account for 43 billion hours of time spent in 2025 alone.

By 2026, consumer spending on Gen AI apps is expected to exceed $10 billion, placing the category among the most lucrative on mobile.

As a result, Gen AI is forecast to jump from #10 in downloads in 2025 to #4 in 2026, ranking ahead of established categories like Multimedia & Design Software and Shopping.

Sensor Tower projects the category will rise to #3 in in-app purchase revenue by 2026, surpassing popular genres such as Dating & Social Discovery.

This surge reflects growing consumer willingness to pay for AI-powered tools, subscriptions, and premium features as these apps become embedded in everyday workflows.

Time Spent Signals Deepening Engagement

Beyond installs and revenue, user engagement is also accelerating. Gen AI apps are expected to climb to #5 globally by time spent in 2026, outranking major consumer categories including Travel & Tourism, Shopping, and Financial Services.

This trend suggests generative AI is not just being tried, it’s becoming a habit.

ChatGPT Leads the Category

By Q3 2025, ChatGPT had already become the #2 app globally by in-app purchase revenue across iOS and Google Play, trailing only TikTok.

As competitors like Google Gemini and other AI-powered tools expand, the category’s momentum is expected to accelerate further.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Charting the World’s Top Digital Exporters on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-18 21:02:12

Mapped: Safest 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.

Safety is shaped by far more than just crime rates. It reflects how well states protect residents financially, prepare for emergencies, maintain road safety, and enforce workplace standards. Taken together, these factors offer a broader picture of day-to-day risk across the U.S.

This map ranks all 50 states by overall safety, combining 52 indicators into a single composite score. The data for this visualization comes from WalletHub.

The Northeast Sets the Standard for Safety

The Northeast dominates the top of the rankings. Vermont takes the top spot overall, bolstered by first-place finishes in both financial safety and road safety.

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine all rank in the top five, reflecting strong public institutions, lower violent crime rates, and robust emergency preparedness.

These states tend to benefit from higher income levels and denser access to healthcare.

Western States Show Mixed Results

Western states present a more mixed picture. Utah ranks fifth overall, driven by strong workplace safety and emergency preparedness. Meanwhile, Washington and Minnesota also perform well, though each shows weaker results in specific categories like personal safety.

By contrast, California ranks near the bottom at 38th overall, weighed down by poor scores in personal, financial, and road safety. Alaska stands out for ranking first in emergency preparedness, but low personal safety scores drag down its overall position.

The South Trails in Overall Safety

Many Southern states cluster toward the bottom of the rankings. Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida all rank in the bottom ten overall. These states often struggle with higher traffic fatality rates, weaker workplace safety outcomes, and lower emergency preparedness scores.

Mississippi ranks last overall, finishing near the bottom in nearly every category.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: The Cost of Raising a Child in Each U.S. State in 2025 on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-18 03:22:00

Mapped: Firearm Deaths by State

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.

Firearm-related deaths remain a major public health issue in the United States, but their prevalence differs sharply from state to state. Factors such as gun ownership rates, demographics, urbanization, and access to healthcare all play a role in shaping these outcomes.

This map highlights firearm death rates per 100,000 people. The data for this visualization comes from the CDC via USAFacts. Firearm deaths include homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings

Lowest Rates Concentrated in the Northeast and Hawaii

Hawaii reports the lowest firearm death rate in the country at 3.8 per 100,000 people. Several Northeastern states, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, also fall near the bottom of the ranking.

These states tend to have lower gun ownership rates and denser urban populations, factors often associated with fewer firearm-related deaths overall.

Higher Rates Across the South and Mountain West

At the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi has the highest firearm death rate at 28.1 per 100,000 people. Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alaska, and Wyoming also rank near the top.

Many of these states have higher rates of gun ownership and larger rural populations, where firearm-related suicides account for a significant share of deaths.

Washington, D.C. Stands Out

Washington, D.C. records a firearm death rate of 20.4 per 100,000—higher than most states. As a dense urban area, its rate reflects different dynamics than rural states, including concentrated violent crime rather than firearm suicides.

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