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2026-01-11 03:49:17

Oil Benchmarks Around the World: How Venezuela Compares

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Crude oil is not a uniform product. Its quality varies widely by region, shaping everything from refinery design to global trade flows.

This visualization compares Venezuela’s oil with the world’s most traded crude blends.

The data for this visualization comes from a combination of sources, including Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), S&P Global, PEMEX, and the Canada Energy Regulator. It compares major global crude grades using API gravity, crude type, and sulfur content to show how oil quality differs around the world.

Venezuelan Oil: Heavy and Sour

API gravity measures how heavy or light crude oil is compared to water. Oils above 10° API are lighter and float, while those below 10° API are heavier and sink. In general, lighter crudes are easier to refine into fuels like gasoline and diesel. Heavy crude oils typically produce more residual products, such as asphalt.

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but most of its production consists of heavy and extra-heavy crude.

The country’s flagship blend Merey 16 has API gravity well below 20°. The oil is also sour, meaning it contains high sulfur levels.

Top Producer	Grade	API Gravity	Crude Type	Sweet / Sour
Saudi Arabia	Arab Super Light	50°	Extra Light	Sweet
Malaysia	Tapis	45.8°	Extra Light	Sweet
U.S.	Eagle Ford	45°	Extra Light	Sweet
Algeria	Saharan Blend	43.2°	Extra Light	Sweet
U.S.	WTI	40°	Light	Sweet
UK, Norway	Brent Blend	40°	Light	Sweet
Nigeria	Bonny Light	37°	Light	Sweet
Oman	Oman Crude	33.2°	Medium	Sour
Russia	Urals	31.7°	Medium	Sour
UAE, Oman	Dubai (Fateh)	31°	Medium	Sour
U.S.	Mars Blend	28.5°	Medium	Sour
Venezuela	Mesa 30	29.1°	Medium	Sour
Mexico	Maya	21°	Heavy	Sour
Canada	Western Canadian Select	21°	Heavy	Sour
Colombia	Castilla	18.8°	Heavy	Sour
Venezuela	Hamaca	17°	Heavy	Sour
Venezuela	Merey 16	15.9°	Heavy	Sour
Venezuela	Boscan	10.1°	Extra Heavy	Sour
Canada	Athabasca Bitumen	8°	Extra Heavy	Sour

Because of these characteristics, Venezuelan crude requires complex and expensive refining processes. Only a limited number of refineries globally are equipped to handle such heavy feedstocks efficiently.

Why Light and Sweet Crudes Dominate Global Trade

Many of the world’s most traded crude oils—such as Brent, WTI, and Arab Light—are light and sweet. With API gravities near or above 40° and low sulfur content (sweet), these crudes are cheaper to process and yield higher proportions of valuable fuels. This makes them attractive benchmarks for global pricing.

Extra-light crudes like Arab Super Light and Tapis sit at the top of the quality spectrum. Their high API gravity and low sulfur content allow refiners to maximize output with minimal processing complexity.

Despite its challenges, heavy crude still plays an important role in global markets. U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, for example, were specifically configured with cokers and other complex units to process high-sulfur, low-API crude crude oils from countries like Venezuela, Mexico, and Canada.

Venezuela is geographically closer to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries than Canada, but most of its crude is heavy and costly to produce. Historically, U.S. refiners purchased significant volumes of Venezuelan heavy crude before sanctions reduced those flows, and Canadian heavy crude has since become the largest foreign heavy crude supply to the U.S. market.

Venezuela’s Rise, Fall, and Changing Role in Global Oil

At its peak in the 1970s, Venezuela produced around 3.5 million barrels per day, representing more than 7% of global oil output at the time.

Since then, production has declined sharply due to underinvestment, infrastructure decay, and geopolitical pressures, including sanctions.

Today, Venezuela’s output averages around 1 million barrels per day, or about 1 % of global supply.

Despite the collapse in production, Chevron continues to operate in Venezuela through joint ventures, maintaining a presence that few other U.S. oil majors have preserved amid sanctions and nationalizations.

Venezuela was also a founding member of OPEC in 1960, alongside Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. However, its influence within the group has diminished as production declined and its ability to meet export commitments weakened.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out All of the World’s Oil Reserves by Country, in One Visualization on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-11 01:34:13

Ranked: Beer Consumption per Person by Country in 2024

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Beer remains one of the world’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverages, deeply tied to cultural traditions, social habits, and national identity in many countries.

This infographic ranks countries by their beer consumption per capita in 2024, based on data from Kirin Holdings, which tracks global alcohol consumption trends annually.

Where Do People Drink the Most Beer?

Czechia tops global per-capita beer consumption for the 32nd year in a row, although consumption has been declining for the last two years. Beer has deep historical roots in Czechia stretching back to the 10th century, when brewing first began at the Břevnov Monastery.

The table below shows the top 35 countries by beer consumption per person in 2024:

Rank	Country	Per Capita Consumption (Liters)
1	Czechia	148.8
2	Lithuania	110.6
3	Austria	104.6
4	Ireland	99.0
5	Croatia	95.1
6	Estonia	93.2
7	Spain	91.8
8	Slovenia	88.4
9	Romania	87.4
10	Germany	86.9
11	Panama	86.1
12	Mexico	83.4
13	Poland	83.2
14	Bulgaria	81.4
15	Slovakia	81.0
16	Gabon	80.9
17	Latvia	79.1
18	South Africa	75.2
19	Hungary	74.1
20	Bosnia and Herzegovina	71.4
21	Brazil	70.3
22	Finland	68.7
23	Portugal	66.9
24	United Kingdom	66.3
25	Netherlands	66.2
26	Namibia	66.1
27	Russia	66.1
28	Serbia	65.5
29	United States	65.4
30	Australia	65.0
31	Puerto Rico	61.8
32	Denmark	60.8
33	Belgium	57.4
34	Norway	55.8
35	Laos	55.2

The average Czech drinks 148.8 liters of beer annually, amounting to around 419 standard bottles (355 ml, or 0.75 pints)—double that of many top beer-consuming nations.

Lithuania and Austria follow, each exceeding 100 liters per capita, along with Ireland, home of Guinness. Croatia rounds out the top five countries, which are unchanged from 2023.

While Europe dominates the ranking, beer is also popular in Latin America, with Mexico, Panama, Brazil, and Puerto Rico among the top beer-consuming countries. Notably, Brazil is also the world’s third-largest beer consumer in absolute terms, behind China and the United States.

Why Beer Consumption Differs Globally

Countries with strong beer traditions often combine cultural acceptance, local production, and affordability. In contrast, regions where spirits or wine dominate tend to show lower beer consumption.

Demographics also play a role, with aging populations and younger generations drinking less alcohol overall.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, explore more food, beverage, and lifestyle insights on Voronoi, including The Most Popular Beer in Every U.S. State.

2026-01-10 23:24:37

Ranked: The Countries that Drink the Most Beer

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.

Beer remains one of the world’s most popular alcoholic beverages. While per-capita drinking often gets the spotlight, total consumption tells a different story, shaped by population size, economic growth, and shifting consumer habits.

This visualization ranks nations by the total volume of beer consumed in 2024. The data for this graphic comes from Kirin Holdings.

China and the U.S. Dominate Global Beer Consumption

China remains the world’s largest beer market by a wide margin, consuming 40.5 billion liters—nearly 21% of global demand.

Despite its size, China’s beer consumption fell by 3.7% year over year. The United States ranks second at 22.3 billion liters, accounting for 11.5% of the global market. Similar to China, U.S. beer consumption edged lower, continuing a long-term trend toward moderation and alternative beverages.

Rank	Country	Billion liters	Global Market Share	Growth (2023-24)
1	China	40.5	20.9%	-3.7%
2	United States of America	22.3	11.5%	-0.5%
3	Brazil	15.3	7.9%	1.1%
4	Mexico	10.8	5.6%	5.4%
5	Russia	9.5	4.9%	9.0%
6	Germany	7.2	3.7%	-2.2%
7	South Africa	4.6	2.4%	4.5%
8	Vietnam	4.6	2.4%	0.6%
9	United Kingdom	4.5	2.3%	1.7%
10	Spain	4.4	2.2%	-1.3%
11	Japan	4.1	2.1%	-2.7%
12	India	3.4	1.8%	14.6%
13	Poland	3.3	1.7%	-1.7%
14	Colombia	2.6	1.4%	3.2%
15	South Korea	2.3	1.2%	0.7%
16	Italy	2.2	1.1%	0.9%
17	France	2.1	1.1%	-1.0%
18	Thailand	2.0	1.0%	5.8%
19	Canada	1.8	0.9%	-0.1%
20	Australia	1.7	0.9%	-2.6%
21	Ethiopia	1.7	0.9%	5.1%
22	Romania	1.7	0.9%	2.0%
23	Philippines	1.7	0.9%	0.3%
24	Ukraine	1.7	0.9%	3.0%
25	Czechia	1.6	0.8%	-0.9%
--	Rest of world	36.4	18.7%	--
--	Global Total	194.1	100.0%	0.5%

Growth Shifts Toward Emerging Markets

Several emerging markets posted notable gains in beer consumption. India recorded the fastest growth among major countries, with volumes rising 14.6% as incomes increase and beer becomes more popular among younger consumers.

Mexico and Russia also stood out, growing by 5.4% and 9.0% respectively.

Europe’s Mixed Picture

Europe remains a key beer-producing and consuming region, but trends vary widely by country.

Germany, the world’s sixth-largest beer market, saw consumption decline by 2.2%, while Czechia—famous for having the highest per-capita beer intake—also posted a modest drop.

In contrast, countries like the UK, Italy, and Romania experienced mild growth.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Most Popular Beer in Every U.S. State on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-10 21:05:08

Mapped: Average Annual Temperature by Country

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This map shows the average annual temperature for countries and territories around the world.

The data for this visualization comes from the World Bank Group via Wikipedia, based on Climatic Research Unit gridded climatology data. Average yearly temperature reflects the mean of daily minimum and maximum temperatures for each country from 1991 to 2020.

Important caveat: this is showing the geographical mean temperature, and it is not based on where people live in a given country. As an example, Russia and Canada have massive portions of remote, Arctic land that count towards this mean, even though population centers tend to exist in more temperate regions within these landmasses.

Africa Is Home to the World’s Hottest Countries

Burkina Faso tops the global ranking with an average annual temperature of 30.4°C. Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Djibouti, and Gambia also rank among the hottest countries worldwide. In total, six of the 10 hottest countries are located in Africa.

Much of this heat concentration is driven by geography. Large portions of the continent sit near the equator or within arid and semi-arid climate zones, where high solar radiation and limited cloud cover push temperatures higher year-round.

Rank	Country or Entity	Continent	Temperature
1	Burkina Faso	Africa	30.40 °C (86.72 °F)
2	Mali	Africa	29.21 °C (84.58 °F)
3	Aruba	South America	29.17 °C (84.51 °F)
4	Senegal	Africa	28.90 °C (84.02 °F)
5	Mauritania	Africa	28.82 °C (83.88 °F)
6	Tokelau	Oceania	28.71 °C (83.68 °F)
7	Tuvalu	Oceania	28.62 °C (83.52 °F)
8	Djibouti	Africa	28.49 °C (83.28 °F)
9	Curaçao	North America	28.40 °C (83.12 °F)
10	Gambia	Africa	28.38 °C (83.08 °F)
11	United Arab Emirates	Asia	28.17 °C (82.71 °F)
12	Maldives	Asia	28.11 °C (82.60 °F)
13	Niger	Africa	28.04 °C (82.47 °F)
14	Benin	Africa	28.02 °C (82.44 °F)
15	Qatar	Asia	28.02 °C (82.44 °F)
16	Marshall Islands	Oceania	28.01 °C (82.42 °F)
17	Guinea-Bissau	Africa	27.98 °C (82.36 °F)
18	South Sudan	Africa	27.97 °C (82.35 °F)
19	Sudan	Africa	27.95 °C (82.31 °F)
20	Palau	Oceania	27.90 °C (82.22 °F)
21	Nauru	Oceania	27.83 °C (82.09 °F)
22	Cayman Islands	North America	27.82 °C (82.08 °F)
23	Guam	Oceania	27.81 °C (82.06 °F)
24	Kiribati	Oceania	27.77 °C (81.99 °F)
25	Anguilla	North America	27.71 °C (81.88 °F)
26	Saint Martin	North America	27.71 °C (81.88 °F)
27	Sint Maarten	North America	27.71 °C (81.88 °F)
28	Bahrain	Asia	27.69 °C (81.84 °F)
29	Singapore	Asia	27.68 °C (81.82 °F)
30	Ghana	Africa	27.66 °C (81.79 °F)
31	Oman	Asia	27.64 °C (81.75 °F)
32	Chad	Africa	27.63 °C (81.73 °F)
33	British Indian Ocean Territory	Africa	27.61 °C (81.70 °F)
34	Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	27.60 °C (81.68 °F)
35	Samoa	Oceania	27.58 °C (81.64 °F)
36	Caribbean Netherlands	North America	27.47 °C (81.45 °F)
37	Saint Kitts and Nevis	North America	27.47 °C (81.45 °F)
38	Cambodia	Asia	27.41 °C (81.34 °F)
39	American Samoa	Oceania	27.38 °C (81.28 °F)
40	Togo	Africa	27.33 °C (81.19 °F)
41	Nigeria	Africa	27.30 °C (81.14 °F)
42	Wallis and Futuna	Oceania	27.30 °C (81.14 °F)
43	Federated States of Micronesia	Oceania	27.28 °C (81.10 °F)
44	Sri Lanka	Asia	27.25 °C (81.05 °F)
45	Antigua and Barbuda	North America	27.20 °C (80.96 °F)
46	Seychelles	Africa	27.09 °C (80.76 °F)
47	Saint Lucia	North America	27.00 °C (80.60 °F)
48	United States Virgin Islands	North America	26.98 °C (80.56 °F)
49	Brunei	Asia	26.95 °C (80.51 °F)
50	Somalia	Africa	26.95 °C (80.51 °F)
51	Thailand	Asia	26.85 °C (80.33 °F)
52	Dominica	North America	26.83 °C (80.29 °F)
53	Ivory Coast	Africa	26.80 °C (80.24 °F)
54	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Oceania	26.79 °C (80.22 °F)
55	British Virgin Islands	North America	26.70 °C (80.06 °F)
56	Eritrea	Africa	26.63 °C (79.93 °F)
57	Barbados	North America	26.61 °C (79.90 °F)
58	Suriname	South America	26.58 °C (79.84 °F)
59	Trinidad and Tobago	North America	26.55 °C (79.79 °F)
60	Sierra Leone	Africa	26.54 °C (79.77 °F)
61	Grenada	North America	26.49 °C (79.68 °F)
62	Malaysia	Asia	26.38 °C (79.48 °F)
63	Kuwait	Asia	26.31 °C (79.36 °F)
64	Turks and Caicos Islands	North America	26.29 °C (79.32 °F)
65	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	North America	26.17 °C (79.11 °F)
66	Guyana	South America	26.12 °C (79.02 °F)
67	Christmas Island	Oceania	26.06 °C (78.91 °F)
68	Indonesia	Asia	25.96 °C (78.73 °F)
69	Saudi Arabia	Asia	25.94 °C (78.69 °F)
70	Solomon Islands	Oceania	25.92 °C (78.66 °F)
71	Jamaica	North America	25.91 °C (78.64 °F)
72	Nicaragua	Central America	25.88 °C (78.58 °F)
73	Guinea	Africa	25.86 °C (78.55 °F)
74	Cuba	North America	25.81 °C (78.46 °F)
75	Montserrat	North America	25.75 °C (78.35 °F)
76	Bangladesh	Asia	25.71 °C (78.28 °F)
77	Venezuela	South America	25.71 °C (78.28 °F)
78	Belize	Central America	25.70 °C (78.26 °F)
79	Panama	Central America	25.60 °C (78.08 °F)
80	Bahamas	North America	25.58 °C (78.04 °F)
81	Yemen	Asia	25.54 °C (77.97 °F)
82	Central African Republic	Africa	25.47 °C (77.85 °F)
83	Liberia	Africa	25.45 °C (77.81 °F)
84	Brazil	South America	25.44 °C (77.79 °F)
85	El Salvador	Central America	25.23 °C (77.41 °F)
86	Gabon	Africa	25.20 °C (77.36 °F)
87	Kenya	Africa	25.08 °C (77.14 °F)
88	Puerto Rico	North America	25.04 °C (77.07 °F)
89	Niue	Oceania	25.03 °C (77.05 °F)
90	Tonga	Oceania	25.01 °C (77.02 °F)
91	Colombia	South America	25.00 °C (77.00 °F)
92	United States Minor Outlying Islands	Oceania and North America	24.97 °C (76.95 °F)
93	Haiti	North America	24.95 °C (76.91 °F)
94	India	Asia	24.94 °C (76.89 °F)
95	Costa Rica	Central America	24.83 °C (76.69 °F)
96	Cameroon	Africa	24.80 °C (76.64 °F)
97	Vietnam	Asia	24.79 °C (76.62 °F)
98	Republic of the Congo	Africa	24.74 °C (76.53 °F)
99	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	24.74 °C (76.53 °F)
100	Honduras	Central America	24.72 °C (76.50 °F)
101	Cook Islands	Oceania	24.71 °C (76.48 °F)
102	Fiji	Oceania	24.68 °C (76.42 °F)
103	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	24.66 °C (76.39 °F)
104	Timor-Leste	Asia	24.57 °C (76.23 °F)
105	Dominican Republic	North America	24.55 °C (76.19 °F)
106	São Tomé and Príncipe	Africa	24.49 °C (76.08 °F)
107	Vanuatu	Oceania	24.44 °C (75.99 °F)
108	Mozambique	Africa	24.41 °C (75.94 °F)
109	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	24.35 °C (75.83 °F)
110	French Polynesia	Oceania	24.30 °C (75.74 °F)
111	Laos	Asia	24.16 °C (75.49 °F)
112	Paraguay	South America	23.92 °C (75.06 °F)
113	Myanmar	Asia	23.82 °C (74.88 °F)
114	Comoros	Africa	23.73 °C (74.71 °F)
115	Guatemala	Central America	23.65 °C (74.57 °F)
116	Algeria	Africa	23.60 °C (74.48 °F)
117	Ethiopia	Africa	23.36 °C (74.05 °F)
118	Mauritius	Africa	23.33 °C (73.99 °F)
119	Uganda	Africa	23.25 °C (73.85 °F)
120	Egypt	Africa	23.14 °C (73.65 °F)
121	Philippines	Asia	23.1 °C (73.6 °F)
122	Iraq	Asia	22.95 °C (73.31 °F)
123	Tanzania	Africa	22.92 °C (73.26 °F)
124	Libya	Africa	22.81 °C (73.06 °F)
125	New Caledonia	Oceania	22.69 °C (72.84 °F)
126	Malawi	Africa	22.66 °C (72.79 °F)
127	Madagascar	Africa	22.64 °C (72.75 °F)
128	Cape Verde	Africa	22.53 °C (72.55 °F)
129	Zambia	Africa	22.23 °C (72.01 °F)
130	Botswana	Africa	22.09 °C (71.76 °F)
131	Australia	Oceania	22.05 °C (71.69 °F)
132	Zimbabwe	Africa	21.90 °C (71.42 °F)
133	Angola	Africa	21.77 °C (71.19 °F)
134	Bermuda	North America	21.67 °C (71.01 °F)
135	Ecuador	South America	21.43 °C (70.57 °F)
136	Pakistan	Asia	21.38 °C (70.48 °F)
137	Mexico	North America	21.31 °C (70.36 °F)
138	Bolivia	South America	20.76 °C (69.37 °F)
139	Eswatini	Africa	20.64 °C (69.15 °F)
140	Pitcairn Islands	Oceania	20.56 °C (69.01 °F)
141	Tunisia	Africa	20.53 °C (68.95 °F)
142	Burundi	Africa	20.51 °C (68.92 °F)
143	Namibia	Africa	20.45 °C (68.81 °F)
144	Israel	Asia	20.25 °C (68.45 °F)
145	Peru	South America	20.07 °C (68.13 °F)
146	Malta	Europe	20.06 °C (68.11 °F)
147	Jordan	Asia	20.05 °C (68.09 °F)
148	Palestine	Asia	20.04 °C (68.07 °F)
149	Rwanda	Africa	20.03 °C (68.05 °F)
150	Norfolk Island	Oceania	20.02 °C (68.04 °F)
151	Cyprus	Europe	20.01 °C (68.02 °F)
152	Syria	Asia	18.75 °C (65.75 °F)
153	Iran	Asia	18.34 °C (65.01 °F)
154	South Africa	Africa	18.23 °C (64.81 °F)
155	Gibraltar	Europe	18.15 °C (64.67 °F)
156	Morocco	Africa	18.14 °C (64.65 °F)
157	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Africa	18.10 °C (64.58 °F)
158	Uruguay	South America	17.97 °C (64.35 °F)
159	Turkmenistan	Asia	16.66 °C (61.99 °F)
160	Argentina	South America	16.30 °C (61.34 °F)
161	Portugal	Europe	15.85 °C (60.53 °F)
162	Lebanon	Asia	15.45 °C (59.81 °F)
163	Vatican City	Europe	15.20 °C (59.36 °F)
164	Greece	Europe	13.17 °C (55.71 °F)
165	Spain	Europe	13.07 °C (55.53 °F)
166	Uzbekistan	Asia	13.06 °C (55.51 °F)
167	Monaco	Europe	13.05 °C (55.49 °F)
168	Afghanistan	Asia	13.04 °C (55.47 °F)
169	Italy	Europe	13.02 °C (55.44 °F)
170	Azerbaijan	Asia	12.96 °C (55.33 °F)
171	San Marino	Europe	12.83 °C (55.09 °F)
172	Albania	Europe	12.44 °C (54.39 °F)
173	Lesotho	Africa	12.38 °C (54.28 °F)
174	Jersey	Europe	12.27 °C (54.09 °F)
175	South Korea	Asia	12.22 °C (54.00 °F)
176	Guernsey	Europe	12.09 °C (53.76 °F)
177	Croatia	Europe	11.96 °C (53.53 °F)
178	Japan	Asia	11.78 °C (53.20 °F)
179	Turkey	Asia and Europe	11.66 °C (52.99 °F)
180	France	Europe	11.65 °C (52.97 °F)
181	Hungary	Europe	11.50 °C (52.70 °F)
182	Serbia	Europe	11.40 °C (52.52 °F)
183	Bulgaria	Europe	11.35 °C (52.43 °F)
184	Moldova	Europe	10.89 °C (51.60 °F)
185	North Macedonia	Europe	10.79 °C (51.42 °F)
186	Belgium	Europe	10.67 °C (51.21 °F)
187	Netherlands	Europe	10.49 °C (50.88 °F)
188	New Zealand	Oceania	10.46 °C (50.83 °F)
189	Bhutan	Asia	10.38 °C (50.68 °F)
190	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	10.35 °C (50.63 °F)
191	Romania	Europe	10.18 °C (50.32 °F)
192	Kosovo	Europe	10.02 °C (50.04 °F)
193	Luxembourg	Europe	10.02 °C (50.04 °F)
194	Montenegro	Europe	9.93 °C (49.87 °F)
195	Slovenia	Europe	9.86 °C (49.75 °F)
196	Ireland	Europe	9.73 °C (49.51 °F)
197	Isle of Man	Europe	9.65 °C (49.37 °F)
198	Germany	Europe	9.59 °C (49.26 °F)
199	United States	North America	9.46 °C (49.03 °F)
200	Chile	South America	9.39 °C (48.90 °F)
201	Ukraine	Europe	9.27 °C (48.69 °F)
202	United Kingdom	Europe	9.24 °C (48.63 °F)
203	Georgia	Asia	9.01 °C (48.22 °F)
204	Denmark	Europe	8.90 °C (48.02 °F)
205	Slovakia	Europe	8.83 °C (47.89 °F)
206	Poland	Europe	8.78 °C (47.80 °F)
207	Czech Republic	Europe	8.60 °C (47.48 °F)
208	Andorra	Europe	8.27 °C (46.89 °F)
209	Armenia	Asia	7.82 °C (46.08 °F)
210	China	Asia	7.59 °C (45.66 °F)
211	Liechtenstein	Europe	7.55 °C (45.59 °F)
212	Belarus	Europe	7.45 °C (45.41 °F)
213	Austria	Europe	7.44 °C (45.39 °F)
214	Lithuania	Europe	7.38 °C (45.28 °F)
215	Kazakhstan	Asia	7.11 °C (44.80 °F)
216	North Korea	Asia	6.98 °C (44.56 °F)
217	Latvia	Europe	6.87 °C (44.37 °F)
218	Faroe Islands	Europe	6.60 °C (43.88 °F)
219	Switzerland	Europe	6.47 °C (43.65 °F)
220	Estonia	Europe	6.34 °C (43.41 °F)
221	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	North America	5.72 °C (42.30 °F)
222	French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Antarctica	4.11 °C (39.40 °F)
223	Tajikistan	Asia	3.85 °C (38.93 °F)
224	Sweden	Europe	3.23 °C (37.81 °F)
225	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	2.65 °C (36.77 °F)
226	Finland	Europe	2.46 °C (36.43 °F)
227	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Antarctica	2.46 °C (36.43 °F)
228	Norway	Europe	2.21 °C (35.98 °F)
229	Iceland	Europe	1.85 °C (35.33 °F)
230	Mongolia	Asia	1.07 °C (33.93 °F)
231	Russia	Asia and Europe	−3.79 °C (25.18 °F)
232	Canada	North America	−4.03 °C (24.75 °F)
233	Svalbard and Jan Mayen	Europe	−6.78 °C (19.80 °F)
234	Greenland	North America	−18.68 °C (−1.62 °F)

Tropical Islands and the Middle East Follow Closely

Beyond Africa, several tropical island nations and Middle Eastern countries also record consistently high temperatures. Places such as Aruba, Tokelau, Tuvalu, and Curaçao average around 28–29°C annually, while countries like Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates post similar figures.

These regions experience relatively small seasonal temperature swings. Warm ocean waters and desert climates help keep average temperatures elevated throughout the year.

Cold Extremes Concentrated at High Latitudes

At the opposite end of the spectrum are countries located at high latitudes or with significant polar territory. Greenland has the lowest average annual temperature at −18.7°C, followed by Svalbard and Jan Mayen (Artic territories of Norway), Canada, and Russia.

European countries generally fall in the middle of the ranking, with average temperatures between 8°C and 15°C.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

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2026-01-10 08:12:44

Now Available: 2026 Global Forecast Report

The 2026 Global Forecast Report is now available exclusively on VC+.

The report is part of our annual Global Forecast Series, presented by Inigo, and it brings together more than 2,000 predictions from leading economists, strategists, and technologists to distill the most important forces shaping the year ahead.

Rather than focusing on short-term forecasts, Visual Capitalist’s editorial team synthesizes areas of consensus, disagreement, and emerging risk across global economic growth, financial markets, geopolitics, technology, climate risk, and social trends—offering a clear, high-level perspective on potential risks and opportunities for 2026.

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2026-01-10 02:12:47

Healthy Diets Are Getting Pricier, Yet More Affordable

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.

A healthy diet is often discussed as a top public health issue, but affordability remains one of its biggest barriers.

Over the past decade, food prices have climbed due to inflation, supply chain disruptions, and climate-related shocks. At the same time, incomes and food access have improved in many regions.

This graphic highlights how these competing forces have shaped the global cost of eating well—and who is still being left behind. The data for this visualization comes from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. It tracks the average daily cost of a healthy diet worldwide.

Healthy Diet Costs Are Rising

A healthy diet is defined as providing 2,330 kilocalories per day, with nutritionally adequate proportions across six food groups. These include starchy staples, vegetables, fruits, animal-source foods, legumes, nuts and seeds, and oils and fats.

In 2017, the average global cost of a healthy diet was $3.14 per person per day. By 2024, that figure had climbed to $4.46. The sharpest increases occurred after 2020, coinciding with pandemic-related disruptions and global food price inflation.

Affordability Is Improving Despite Higher Prices

While costs have risen, affordability has steadily improved. In 2017, 38.4% of the global population—about 2.93 billion people—could not afford a healthy diet. By 2024, that share had fallen to 31.9%, representing roughly 2.6 billion people.

Despite global progress, affordability challenges remain concentrated in low-income and conflict-affected regions. Even small increases in food prices can have outsized effects where households already spend a large share of income on food.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out How Much Meat do We Eat? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.