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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.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: The Highest Homicide Rates in the U.S. on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

2026-01-18 00:26:00

Published

24 hours ago

on

January 17, 2026

By

Julia Wendling

Graphics & Design

• Athul Alexander

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The following content is sponsored by OANDA

How the Gold Rally Is Playing Out Around the World

Key Takeaways

• Gold has surged worldwide, not just in U.S. dollar terms where the metal has gained 64.5%.
• Even stronger currencies like the Swiss franc (+44.1%) and euro (+45.5%) still saw substantial gains in gold.
• Currency moves and global rate cut expectations will be key drivers of gold’s next phase.

Gold’s breakout in 2025 has been striking in U.S. dollar terms, but the rally looks even more compelling when viewed across global currencies.

In partnership with OANDA, this visualization compares gold’s rally across different currencies. Which ones are rising the fastest? 

The Gold Rally Through a Global Lens

This chart indexes gold prices in major currencies, revealing how broadly the metal’s surge has played out worldwide. Even in regions with relatively resilient currencies (such as the euro and Swiss franc) gold has posted solid double-digit gains, underscoring the strength of the underlying move.

Currency	Gold Prices December 2025	Gold Price Performance 2025 (% change)
USD	4,315.09	64.5
EUR	3,686.22	45.5
GBP	3,216.17	53.4
JPY	677,956.00	64.4
CHF	3,430.90	44.1
CNY	30,274.60	58.1

The rally has been even more dramatic in countries where currencies have faced greater pressure. In the U.S., for example, gold prices rose more dramatically than in other countries. This divergence highlights how local currency performance can amplify or dampen gold’s returns, even when the underlying global price is moving in tandem.

The Role of Currency and Monetary Policy

These differences point to a key dynamic for investors: gold’s performance is tightly linked to foreign exchange. When a currency weakens, the local price of gold tends to rise more quickly, effectively delivering an FX-driven boost to returns. Conversely, in markets with stronger currencies, gold can still perform well, but gains are typically more muted.

Looking ahead, expectations for global rate cuts could play a pivotal role in shaping gold’s next phase. Easing monetary policy often weighs on currencies while improving gold’s relative appeal as a store of value. As central banks move at different speeds, shifts in currency strength may become just as important as movements in the U.S. dollar gold price itself.

What This Means Going Forward

As 2026 starts, gold’s global performance will likely hinge on the interplay between currency moves and monetary policy, not just the metal’s price in dollar terms.

Note: Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Related Topics: #USD #oanda #chf #cny #jpy #currencies #xau #u.s. dollar #fx #currency #gold

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2026-01-17 23:21:24

Mapped: Countries that Earn the Most from Foreign Visitors

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.

Each year, the global tourism economy generates trillions in revenue as travelers explore new destinations and revisit old favorites. According to UN Tourism data, international tourist receipts reached a total of $1.74 trillion in 2024, which is up 14% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Visual creator Iswardi Ishak mapped the countries that benefit most from this spending, revealing which economies gain the most from foreign visitors.

Here’s a closer look at the data:

Unsurprisingly, the U.S. leads by a wide margin, earning $215 billion from international visitors. Europe dominates the top ranks, with Spain ($106.5 billion), the UK ($82.5 billion), France ($77 billion), and Italy ($58.7 billion) all drawing in major tourism income. Japan ($54.7 billion), China ($39.7 billion), and Thailand ($42.7 billion) round out Asia’s biggest earners.

Why Some Countries Earn More Than Others

Tourism receipts depend on several factors: not just the number of visitors, but how much each tourist spends. The U.S., for example, combines high visitor volumes with high average spending. Meanwhile, countries like Maldives or Jamaica may have smaller absolute totals but are far more dependent on tourism as a share of GDP.

In Europe, cultural heritage, high-speed transportation, and proximity to major markets help countries rack up significant tourist spending. Spain, which now outpaces even France, offers an unusually wide range of tourism experiences, from world‑class beaches and island archipelagos to historic cities, gastronomy, and cultural heritage. This diversity helps attract visitors year‑round and from multiple source markets. As a result, the country became the most-visited nation in the EU in 2024.

Tourism in Conflict Zones: The Ukraine Example

One of the more surprising figures in the dataset is Ukraine’s $1B in international tourism receipts. Despite the ongoing war, some regions of the country, particularly in the west, have remained relatively stable and open to humanitarian, business, and diaspora-related travel. Ukrainians returning to visit family and international volunteers have contributed to tourism-like spending, even under extraordinary conditions.

2026-01-17 21:01:52

Mapped: Each State’s Average Grocery Bill as a Share of Income

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.

Groceries eat up a significant part of your paycheck, but the impact is felt differently across states.

Despite having among the highest grocery prices in the country, Californians spend only 6.8% of income on grocery bills versus the 8.1% U.S. average. In many Southern states, meanwhile, lower median household incomes push grocery spending to a larger share of earnings.

This graphic shows the average grocery bill by state as a share of income, based on analysis from GOBankingRates.

The Average Grocery Bill Hits Hardest in Mississippi

Below, we show average grocery spending relative to median household income by state. Data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey as of July 8, 2025.

With $54,915 in median household income and $5,805 in average annual grocery costs, Mississippi residents spend 10.6% of income at the supermarket.

Compared to July 2024, grocery costs have increased 5.7% across the state. Making matters worse, the state has high levels of poverty, with nearly one in five households facing food insecurity.

As we can see, eight of the top 10 states with the highest grocery spending relative income are in the South, including West Virginia, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Montana (#9) stands out as an exception. While its median household income is higher at $69,922, residents still spend $6,325 annually on groceries. Between July 2024 and July 2025, grocery spending in the state jumped 9.5%, one of the fastest increases nationwide.

By contrast, Massachusetts has the lowest grocery burden overall, largely due to its high median household income of $101,341. As a result, grocery spending accounts for just 6.1% of income.

Overall, states with the lowest grocery cost burden tend to have median household incomes above $90,000 and are primarily concentrated in the West and Northeast.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the global cities with the most expensive groceries.