2026-03-15 02:13:43

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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
2026-03-15 00:53:04
See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app.
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.
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.
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 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).
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.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Which Economies Have the Largest Ecological Footprints? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
2026-03-14 23:32:00
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:
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 |
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 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.
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.

Learn more about the Dubai Future Forum.

Exploring space with opportunities shaping the future through discovery, investment, and innovation with the Dubai Future Foundation.

Exploring the Mind: opportunities that could shape the future through discovery, investment, and innovation with the Dubai Future Foundation.

Explore ocean opportunities that could shape the future through discovery, investment, and innovation with the Dubai Future Foundation.
2026-03-14 22:15:06
See more visualizations like this on the Voronoi app.

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.
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.
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.
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.
To learn more about languages online, check out this graphic which charts the digital divide.
2026-03-14 20:04:05
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.
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 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.
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the top 15 countries by land area.
2026-03-14 00:36:46
See more visuals like this on the Voronoi app.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Countries With the Most Oil Reserves on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.