Global Attitudes About the Economy

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Claudia Soria

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 39 nations, regarding attitudes about the state of the economy in the respondents’ respective countries, yielded interesting results.

Respondents in emerging economies are the most optimistic. A median of 53% believe their economy is doing well, specially in China and Malaysia. In contrast, respondents in developed economies are the most pessimistic. A median of only 24% say their economy is doing well. European nations such as Greece, Italy, Spain, and France are the most pessimistic of all.

In the case of developing economies, some are somewhat optimistic (Philippines and Bolivia), and other not so much (Tunisia and Lebanon).

Source: Pew Research Global Attitudes Project: Widespread Dissatisfaction with Economy

Read full report: Pew Research Global Attitudes Project: Economies of Emerging Markets Better Rated During Difficult Times

Key Commodities and Emerging Markets

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Claudia Soria

Commodities are raw materials essential for the production of more complex products. Commodities fall into three large categories: agricultural, energy, and metals.

According to this visualization, emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India Indonesia, China, South Africa, etc.) have the largest reserves of certain key energy and metal commodities such as oil, coal, copper, cobalt, iron ore, molybdenum, nickel, zinc, and aluminum.

Source: Business Insider: 36 Maps That Explain The Entire World

Crude Oil Exports and Imports by Country

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Claudia Soria

Vast quantities of crude oil are exported and imported each year. Some countries are net exporters (their oil exports are larger than their oil imports), and some are net importers (their oil imports are larger than their exports).

In this visualization by Data Driven Consulting, we can see that the United States was the largest net importer of crude oil in 2009. Other net importer countries include China, India, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Belgium, Italy, UK, Spain, Singapore, and Australia.

Among the net exporters of crude oil we find Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Norway, Venezuela, Mexico, and Canada.

For the full-size interactive dashboard, visit: Tableau Public: Exporters and Importers

Number of Nuclear Tests Since 1945

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Claudia Soria

North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on February, 2013. Two nuclear test preceded this one, the first in 2006, and the second in 2009.

However, the nation that has performed the largest number of nuclear tests since 1945 is the United States, a total of 1,032. In the same period, the USSR/Russia performed a total of 715 nuclear tests, and France performed a total of 210 nuclear tests.

Source: Statista: North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test

Total Carbon Emissions by Country

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Claudia Soria

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty that seeks the reduction of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming by setting emission reduction targets for industrialized nations. The Kyoto Protocol was signed on December 11, 1997 in Kyoto (Japan) by 191 countries. The United Stated signed the treaty, but later it did not ratify it.

This visualization by The Guardian shows total carbon emissions by country between 1997 and 2007, ten years since the protocol was signed.

The United States is the country that has produced the largest amount of carbon emissions (64,166 million tonnes) in the period 1997-2007 followed by China, Russia, Japan, India, and Germany.

Asia and Oceania combined are the regions with the highest carbon emissions produced in the same period (96,306 million tonnes). Asia and Oceania are followed by North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) with carbon emissions of the order of 74,867 million tonnes, and Europe with carbon emissions at 50,370 million tonnes as of 2007.

Death Sentences and Executions by Country

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Claudia Soria

In this visualization by The Guardian, based on data from Amnesty International, we can see which countries still use the death penalty.

In 2012, 1,923 people were handed out a death sentence in 58 countries, and 976 executions were carried out in 20 countries.

China is by far the country that has carried out the largest number of executions, more than the rest of the world combined. Numbers are not know, though, since China keeps that information secret. China is followed by Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United States, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia.

The Influenza Virus Visualized

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Claudia Soria

Humans can be infected by influenza viruses types A,B, and C. Type A affects humans, birds, and pigs. Type B and C affect only humans. Type C is less severe than type A and it does not cause pandemics.

In this visualization by Information is Beautiful, we can see how the different strains of influenza virus affect humans, what is their origin, and how they are transmitted from pigs and from birds ultimately to humans.

Type A influenza is divided into H and N strains. The “swine flu” N1H1 killed 15,000 people worldwide in 2009-2010. The “bird flu” H5N1 strain, with a fatality rate of 60%, has killed 371 people as of 2013. The more recent H7N9 strain has killed thousand of pigs in China, with 8 human fatalities to date.

Billionaires and their Wealth by Country

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Claudia Soria

This map of the world’s wealthiest citizens was created by Forbes. A total of 1,426 billionaires were found across the globe, worth $5.4 trillion combined.

The wealth of billionaires in the U.S. alone, 1,872.5 trillion, is larger than the combined wealth of billionaires in each continent. The wealth of the world’s richest in the Americas is an outstanding $2.4 trillion thanks to the contributions of billionaires mainly from the U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.

The Americas are followed by Europe, where the wealth of its billionaires combined is valued at $1.55 trillion. Europe is followed by Asia with the wealth of its billionaires estimated at $1.16 trillion. Africa and the Middle East come at last, where the total net worth of its richest citizens is valued at $279 billion.

Cancer Death Rates for Men and Women

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Claudia Soria

Cancer affects both women and men globally. However, cancer death rates are different for each gender, as can be seen in the two maps displayed in this article.

We find the highest cancer death rates for women (126 or more per 100,000 population) in Mongolia, Denmark, Albania, Macedonia, Uganda, and Honduras.

The cancer death rate for men is the highest (150 per 100,000 people) in most parts of the world, compared to women. Countries with high death rates for males include most European countries, Middle Eastern nations, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China, Japan, South and North Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, and Cuba. Other countries with high death rates for males (126 or above per 100,000 people) include the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.

We can only speculate about the factor behind this disparity in numbers of cancer death rates for men and women worldwide.

For detailed information, please visit:

Male Gender Preference Globally

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Claudia Soria

In this day and age, it is still surprising that in most parts of the world, there is still a preference for sons over daughters. It is even more surprising when you are talking about developed nations such as Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea.

Other nations where the preference of sons overs daughters is extremely abnormal include China, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia among others.

Resource: Women Stats: Map – Son Preference and Sex Ratios

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