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The world’s population grew by more than 2 billion people between 2000 and 2025, but that growth has varied significantly across countries.

This chart compares the countries with the fastest population growth over that period, measured by both percentage increase and total people added, using IMF data.

While smaller Gulf nations dominate in percentage terms, the largest population gains come from countries like India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, highlighting a divide between relative growth and absolute impact.

The data reveals a key split: countries leading in percentage growth are often smaller economies, while those adding the most people are already among the world’s most populous.

The Most Populous Country in History

India’s population growth since 2000 stands apart in scale.

The country added 406 million people in just 25 years, more than the population of the United States, making it the largest population increase of any country in modern history.

This represents 38% growth over its population in 2000, which had already topped one billion. In 2023, India surpassed China to become the world’s most populous country, a position it is unlikely to lose anytime soon.

Rank	Country	Population growth in millions (2000-2025)
1	India	406
2	China	138
3	Nigeria	113
4	Pakistan	105
5	Indonesia	78
6	United States	59
7	Democratic Republic of the Congo	59
8	Ethiopia	50
9	Bangladesh	46
10	Egypt	45
11	Brazil	39
12	Philippines	37
13	Tanzania	35
14	Mexico	34
15	Uganda	26
16	Iran	24
17	Kenya	24
18	Angola	23
19	Vietnam	23
20	Yemen	22
21	Türkiye	22
22	Sudan	19
23	South Africa	19
24	Mozambique	18
25	Saudi Arabia	18

Today, nearly a fifth of the world’s population lives in India, despite the country occupying roughly 2.5% of the world’s land area. This surge has made India the most populous country in recorded history.

In recent years, population growth has slowed in the South Asian giant, raising concerns that it could follow China in facing a demographic slowdown earlier than expected.

Population Booms in the Persian Gulf

While Asia leads in total population gains, the fastest growth rates are concentrated in the Persian Gulf.

Between 2005 and 2025, countries such as Bahrain (154%), Kuwait (139%), and the United Arab Emirates (250%) recorded some of the highest growth rates globally. With 423% growth, Qatar leads the world in population growth since 2000.

The following data table lists the 25 fastest-growing countries by percentage change in population since 2000.

Rank	Country	Population growth (2000–2025)
1	Qatar	423.4%
2	United Arab Emirates	249.7%
3	Equatorial Guinea	166.6%
4	Niger	157.0%
5	Bahrain	153.9%
6	Papua New Guinea	149.6%
7	Angola	139.7%
8	Kuwait	139.1%
9	Oman	129.1%
10	Chad	126.9%
11	Jordan	126.3%
12	Burundi	123.6%
13	Democratic Republic of the Congo	121.8%
14	Uganda	120.1%
15	Zambia	119.5%
16	Mali	118.4%
17	Yemen	112.9%
18	Gambia	112.8%
19	Madagascar	108.7%
20	Republic of Congo	107.0%
21	Benin	106.6%
22	Tanzania	106.4%
23	Mozambique	102.3%
24	Ivory Coast	102.3%
25	Burkina Faso	102.3%

The Gulf states’ population surges are driven largely by imported labor supporting construction and energy booms. Today, less than 15% of Qatar’s population consists of citizens, with the majority made up of foreign-born workers, particularly from South Asia.

Africa: The Next Population Hotspot

Africa is emerging as the center of global population growth.

More than two-thirds of the fastest-growing countries by percentage are located on the continent, with several nations already doubling their populations since 2000.

This growth has been driven by rising life expectancy and lower infant mortality, even as fertility rates remain high. The continent is projected to surpass 2 billion people by 2038, with some regions expected to more than quintuple in population over the 21st century.

West Africa is one such region. With a population exceeding 400 million, about half of whom live in Nigeria, it is projected to become one of the most densely populated areas in the world in the coming decades.

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Mapped: Grocery Prices Across U.S. States

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Hawaii and Alaska have the highest grocery costs in the U.S., with prices more than 25% above the national average.

Using data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, this map ranks grocery prices across all 50 states relative to a U.S. baseline of 100.

While Hawaii and Alaska are far above average due to shipping costs and geographic isolation, many Southern states offer the lowest prices, highlighting how regional cost structures shape what Americans pay at the checkout.

This variation comes at a time when food prices remain a top concern for consumers, with grocery costs still elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Ranked: States With the Highest Grocery Prices

Hawaii and Alaska stand apart, with grocery prices 31.4% and 25% above the national average.

Their geographic isolation means both states rely heavily on imported goods, making transportation a key driver of higher costs. For a typical household spending $8,000–$10,000 per year on groceries, this price gap can translate into an extra $2,000 or more annually in the most expensive states.

The table below shows each state’s grocery price index, based on 2025 annual averages benchmarked to a U.S. baseline of 100:

Rank	State or District	Grocery Price Index 2025	Cost of Living Index 2025
1	Hawaii	131.4	183.9
2	Alaska	125.0	126.7
3	California	109.3	143.1
4	Washington	108.0	112.9
5	Oregon	106.8	112.8
6	Vermont	105.5	113.5
7	Maryland	105.4	117.4
8	District of Columbia	104.8	137.8
9	Florida	104.3	101.4
10	Connecticut	103.6	114.0
11	New Jersey	103.5	115.3
12	New York	103.3	125.8
13	Nevada	102.7	99.7
14	Massachusetts	102.7	148.5
15	Arizona	101.9	110.3
16	Montana	101.6	96.8
17	Rhode Island	101.4	110.7
18	Delaware	101.3	103.1
19	Colorado	101.2	103.1
20	Maine	101.0	114
21	Minnesota	100.6	93.6
22	Kentucky	99.8	91.5
23	Wyoming	99.8	94.6
24	Illinois	99.8	95.0
25	Virginia	99.7	102.2
26	Wisconsin	99.5	98.5
27	Ohio	99.4	94.6
28	New Hampshire	99.4	110.5
29	Michigan	99.3	91.9
30	Indiana	99.2	90.7
31	South Carolina	99.0	92.7
32	North Carolina	99.0	97.9
33	Idaho	98.9	99.3
34	Nebraska	98.6	91.8
35	Pennsylvania	98.5	97.1
36	Georgia	97.8	92.2
37	South Dakota	97.7	91.8
38	Alabama	97.5	88.1
39	New Mexico	97.0	93.7
40	Utah	96.9	99.5
41	Tennessee	96.8	90.1
42	North Dakota	96.8	91.1
43	Iowa	96.6	89.8
44	Louisiana	96.4	92.9
45	West Virginia	96.3	88
46	Kansas	95.9	88.4
47	Missouri	95.9	88.9
48	Mississippi	95.5	86.0
49	Oklahoma	95.4	84.7
50	Texas	95.3	91.1
51	Arkansas	94.3	90.1

California’s grocery prices are 9.3% above the U.S. average, ranking third among all states.

Despite its massive agricultural output, California’s grocery prices remain elevated due to high labor, energy, and real estate costs. Washington faces similar pressures, along with some of the highest fuel costs in the country.

A cluster of Northeastern states—Vermont, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.—also rank among the most expensive, with grocery prices 5–6% above average. Vermont’s low population density increases transportation costs, while Washington, D.C.’s high commercial rents and wages push prices higher.

Florida ranks ninth for grocery costs, despite a more moderate cost of living. A relatively concentrated grocery market gives dominant players greater pricing power, while its tourism industry keeps demand elevated, both contributing to above-average food prices.

The Least Expensive Grocery Prices in America

Arkansas has the lowest grocery prices in the U.S., at 5.7% below the national average—marking a sharp contrast with the country’s most expensive states.

It is followed by Southern states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, where grocery prices are often 5–10% below the national average, well below many coastal and non-contiguous states.

These states also have a lower overall cost of living, meaning housing, fuel, and groceries take up a smaller share of household budgets overall.

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Homeownership in Europe shows a stark contrast: in some countries, more than 9 in 10 households own their homes, while in others, fewer than half do.

That gap is not driven by income alone. In fact, some of Europe’s richest economies, like Germany and Switzerland, have the lowest ownership rates, where renting is far more common.

This map uses the latest available data from Eurostat and the UK Parliament to show how homeownership varies across Europe by share of households.

Why this matters: Homeownership is closely tied to wealth building, financial security, and long-term stability. Countries with lower ownership rates often have more developed rental markets, while higher rates can reflect historical policies rather than current affordability.

Europe’s Highest Homeownership Rates

The highest homeownership rates on the Old Continent are found in the eastern half of the European Union, led by Romania (93.2%), Slovakia (93.1%), and Croatia (91.4%).

On average, countries in Central and Eastern Europe have homeownership rates roughly 30% higher than their peers in Western Europe.

The following data table lists European countries alongside their household homeownership rate.

Rank	Country	Homeownership Rate by share of households (%)
1	Romania	93.2
2	Slovakia	93.1
3	Croatia	91.4
4	Hungary	89.8
5	Lithuania	87.4
6	Poland	87.2
7	Bulgaria	86.1
8	Latvia	82.2
9	Norway	80.0
10	Estonia	79.7
11	Italy	77.1
12	Czechia	75.1
13	Slovenia	74.2
14	Spain	73.6
15	Portugal	71.2
16	Belgium	70.9
17	Greece	69.4
18	Ireland	69.3
19	Cyprus	69.2
20	Netherlands	68.8
21	Malta	68.1
22	Finland	66.9
23	Sweden	64.6
24	Luxembourg	63.5
25	UK	61.7
26	France	61.2
27	Denmark	60.9
28	Austria	54.5
29	Germany	47.2
30	Switzerland	42.0
--	EU	68.4

A major driver of Eastern Europe’s high ownership rates is the mass privatization of housing in the 1990s. As governments sold off state-owned apartments, often at steep discounts, millions of residents became homeowners, creating a structural gap with Western Europe that persists today.

Homeownership in Western Europe

In contrast, Western Europe tends to have lower homeownership rates on average, including roughly 61.5% of households in France and the United Kingdom and approximately 68% across the Benelux countries.

In Western Europe, higher home prices and stricter lending standards have made ownership less accessible, especially for younger generations. At the same time, strong tenant protections and stable rental markets make long-term renting a more common and viable alternative.

Meanwhile, dynamic labor markets in major cities have also contributed to the growth of large rental markets, where property owners rent to working professionals and young families.

The Germanic Outliers

Low homeownership rates are most pronounced in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), where high incomes and strong economies coexist with some of the lowest ownership levels in Europe.

In Switzerland, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, only 42% of households own the home in which they live. Germany similarly sees less than half of households classified as owner-occupiers (47.2%), while neighboring Austria is only slightly higher at 54.5%.

These countries’ low rates relative to the rest of Europe can be partly explained by cultural factors, such as young adults leaving home earlier than in Southern Europe. In addition, the post-socialist transition in places like East Germany followed a different path, with state-owned housing often sold to corporations rather than residents during the 1990s.

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Ranked: The Most Productive Countries in the World

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Not all hours worked generate the same economic value.

This chart ranks OECD countries by GDP per hour worked, a common measure of productivity. The gap at the top is striking: Ireland produces over 50% more per hour than most advanced economies.

However, these figures come with an important caveat. In countries like Ireland and Luxembourg, productivity is significantly boosted by multinational firms shifting profits, which can inflate GDP relative to actual domestic output.

Using data from the OECD, this visualization highlights where workers appear most productive—and what drives those differences.

GDP per Hour Worked by Country

With output per hour at $151 in purchasing power parity-adjusted dollars, Ireland stands well above its peers.

This table shows GDP per hour worked by country in 2023, in PPP-adjusted dollars, which account for differences in cost of living:

Country	GDP Per Hour Worked Purchasing Power Parity Dollars
Ireland	$151
Norway	$132
Luxembourg	$125
Belgium	$100
Switzerland	$99
Denmark	$99
United States	$97
Austria	$95
Iceland	$95
Netherlands	$94
Germany	$94
Sweden	$90
France	$88
Finland	$83
Australia	$79
United Kingdom	$79
Italy	$77
Canada	$75
Spain	$73
Slovenia	$66
Israel	$61
Czechia	$60
Lithuania	$60
Slovak Republic	$60
Portugal	$59
Japan	$56
Latvia	$56
New Zealand	$55
Korea	$55
Hungary	$54
Poland	$54
Estonia	$53
Greece	$45
Chile	$37
Costa Rica	$32
Mexico	$25
Colombia	$21
OECD Average	$71

Ireland’s productivity is heavily influenced by the presence of multinational corporations, particularly in tech and pharmaceuticals. For perspective, Ireland’s productivity drops by 31% to $115 when using gross national income (GNI) as an alternative measure.

Norway ($132) and Luxembourg ($125) also benefit from distinct structural advantages. Norway is supported by its energy sector, while Luxembourg’s finance industry significantly boosts its output. Similarly, Luxembourg’s productivity drops by 54% when measured using GNI.

Countries with a higher concentration of capital-intensive or knowledge-based industries, such as technology, finance, and pharmaceuticals, tend to generate more value per hour.

Meanwhile, economies with larger shares of agriculture, tourism, or lower-value services typically report lower productivity levels.

This helps explain why countries like the U.S. ($97) and Germany ($88) rank above the OECD average of $71, given their strong industrial and innovation-driven sectors, while others fall further down the list.

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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s 50 largest economies by GDP in 2026.

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Every S&P 500 Company in One Giant Chart

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What does the entire S&P 500 actually look like?

This visualization brings all 500 companies into a single view, with each sized by its share of the index and grouped by sector. It is based on data from Slickcharts as of March 30, 2026.

Each circle represents a company, making it easy to compare how market value is distributed across sectors—and to see which firms dominate the index.

One immediate takeaway is how much space is occupied by just a handful of companies. Just 10 firms now make up over 36% of the S&P 500, up from 23% in 2000.

Ranked: The Top S&P 500 Companies by Index Weight

Nvidia is now the largest company in the S&P 500, with a 7.0% index weight—larger than entire sectors like energy or utilities.

Apple follows with a 6.3% share, while Microsoft ranks third at 4.6%. These three companies account for about 18% of the S&P 500’s total value, while AI-driven firms represent 10 of the top 20 largest companies.

This table ranks every company in the S&P 500 by index weight as of March 30, 2026:

Rank	Name	Sector	Weight % (Mar 30, 2026)
1	Nvidia	Info Tech	7.0%
2	Apple Inc.	Info Tech	6.3%
3	Microsoft	Info Tech	4.6%
4	Amazon	Consumer Discretionary	3.7%
5	Alphabet Inc. (Class A)	Communication Services	3.0%
6	Alphabet Inc. (Class C)	Communication Services	2.8%
7	Broadcom	Info Tech	2.4%
8	Meta Platforms	Communication Services	2.4%
9	Tesla, Inc.	Consumer Discretionary	2.3%
10	Berkshire Hathaway	Financials	1.8%
11	Walmart	Consumer Staples	1.7%
12	Lilly (Eli)	Health Care	1.4%
13	JPMorgan Chase	Financials	1.3%
14	ExxonMobil	Energy	1.2%
15	Johnson & Johnson	Health Care	1.0%
16	Visa Inc.	Financials	1.0%
17	Costco	Consumer Staples	0.8%
18	Mastercard	Financials	0.8%
19	Chevron Corporation	Energy	0.7%
20	Oracle Corporation	Info Tech	0.7%
21	Netflix	Communication Services	0.7%
22	AbbVie	Health Care	0.7%
23	Micron Technology	Info Tech	0.6%
24	Bank of America	Financials	0.6%
25	Procter & Gamble	Consumer Staples	0.6%
26	Coca-Cola Company (The)	Consumer Staples	0.6%
27	Palantir Technologies	Info Tech	0.6%
28	Home Depot (The)	Consumer Discretionary	0.6%
29	Advanced Micro Devices	Info Tech	0.6%
30	Caterpillar Inc.	Industrials	0.5%
31	Cisco	Info Tech	0.5%
32	Merck & Co.	Health Care	0.5%
33	GE Aerospace	Industrials	0.5%
34	Philip Morris International	Consumer Staples	0.5%
35	Applied Materials	Info Tech	0.5%
36	Morgan Stanley	Financials	0.4%
37	RTX Corporation	Industrials	0.4%
38	Lam Research	Info Tech	0.4%
39	T-Mobile US	Communication Services	0.4%
40	Goldman Sachs	Financials	0.4%
41	Wells Fargo	Financials	0.4%
42	UnitedHealth Group	Health Care	0.4%
43	Linde plc	Materials	0.4%
44	IBM	Info Tech	0.4%
45	McDonald's	Consumer Discretionary	0.4%
46	GE Vernova	Industrials	0.4%
47	Verizon	Communication Services	0.4%
48	PepsiCo	Consumer Staples	0.4%
49	Intel	Info Tech	0.4%
50	AT&T	Communication Services	0.4%
51	American Express	Financials	0.4%
52	Citigroup	Financials	0.3%
53	Amgen	Health Care	0.3%
54	NextEra Energy	Utilities	0.3%
55	Thermo Fisher Scientific	Health Care	0.3%
56	Abbott Laboratories	Health Care	0.3%
57	KLA Corporation	Info Tech	0.3%
58	TJX Companies	Consumer Discretionary	0.3%
59	Salesforce	Info Tech	0.3%
60	Walt Disney Company (The)	Communication Services	0.3%
61	Gilead Sciences	Health Care	0.3%
62	Texas Instruments	Info Tech	0.3%
63	ConocoPhillips	Energy	0.3%
64	Charles Schwab Corporation	Financials	0.3%
65	Intuitive Surgical	Health Care	0.3%
66	Pfizer	Health Care	0.3%
67	Deere & Company	Industrials	0.3%
68	Boeing	Industrials	0.3%
69	Analog Devices	Info Tech	0.3%
70	Uber	Industrials	0.3%
71	BlackRock	Financials	0.3%
72	Honeywell	Industrials	0.3%
73	Union Pacific Corporation	Industrials	0.3%
74	Amphenol	Info Tech	0.3%
75	Arista Networks	Info Tech	0.3%
76	Lockheed Martin	Industrials	0.2%
77	Qualcomm	Info Tech	0.2%
78	Welltower	Real Estate	0.2%
79	Booking Holdings	Consumer Discretionary	0.2%
80	Lowe's	Consumer Discretionary	0.2%
81	Danaher Corporation	Health Care	0.2%
82	Eaton Corporation	Industrials	0.2%
83	Chubb Limited	Financials	0.2%
84	S&P Global	Financials	0.2%
85	Stryker Corporation	Health Care	0.2%
86	AppLovin Corporation	Info Tech	0.2%
87	Palo Alto Networks	Info Tech	0.2%
88	Bristol Myers Squibb	Health Care	0.2%
89	Accenture	Info Tech	0.2%
90	Intuit	Info Tech	0.2%
91	Prologis	Real Estate	0.2%
92	Progressive Corporation	Financials	0.2%
93	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	Health Care	0.2%
94	Altria	Consumer Staples	0.2%
95	Capital One	Financials	0.2%
96	CME Group	Financials	0.2%
97	Medtronic	Health Care	0.2%
98	Parker Hannifin	Industrials	0.2%
99	Corning Inc.	Info Tech	0.2%
100	ServiceNow	Info Tech	0.2%
101	Newmont	Materials	0.2%
102	Southern Company	Utilities	0.2%
103	Constellation Energy	Utilities	0.2%
104	Comcast	Communication Services	0.2%
105	McKesson Corporation	Health Care	0.2%
106	HCA Healthcare	Health Care	0.2%
107	Dell Technologies	Info Tech	0.2%
108	Duke Energy	Utilities	0.2%
109	Starbucks	Consumer Discretionary	0.2%
110	Northrop Grumman	Industrials	0.2%
111	Adobe Inc.	Info Tech	0.2%
112	CrowdStrike	Info Tech	0.2%
113	Boston Scientific	Health Care	0.2%
114	Waste Management	Industrials	0.2%
115	General Dynamics	Industrials	0.2%
116	Vertiv Holdings Co	Industrials	0.2%
117	Howmet Aerospace	Industrials	0.2%
118	Trane Technologies	Industrials	0.2%
119	Equinix	Real Estate	0.2%
120	Marriott International	Consumer Discretionary	0.2%
121	Williams Companies	Energy	0.2%
122	Intercontinental Exchange	Financials	0.2%
123	Blackstone Inc.	Financials	0.2%
124	Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.	Financials	0.2%
125	CVS Health	Health Care	0.2%
126	Western Digital	Info Tech	0.2%
127	Sandisk Corporation	Info Tech	0.2%
128	EOG Resources	Energy	0.1%
129	PNC Financial Services	Financials	0.1%
130	KKR	Financials	0.1%
131	BNY Mellon	Financials	0.1%
132	U.S. Bancorp	Financials	0.1%
133	Regeneron Pharmaceuticals	Health Care	0.1%
134	Automatic Data Processing	Industrials	0.1%
135	FedEx	Industrials	0.1%
136	United Parcel Service	Industrials	0.1%
137	Quanta Services	Industrials	0.1%
138	Seagate Technology	Info Tech	0.1%
139	Freeport-McMoRan	Materials	0.1%
140	Sherwin-Williams	Materials	0.1%
141	American Tower	Real Estate	0.1%
142	O'Reilly Auto Parts	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
143	Nike, Inc.	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
144	Airbnb	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
145	Mondelez International	Consumer Staples	0.1%
146	Schlumberger	Energy	0.1%
147	Kinder Morgan	Energy	0.1%
148	Valero Energy	Energy	0.1%
149	Phillips 66	Energy	0.1%
150	Marathon Petroleum	Energy	0.1%
151	Moody's Corporation	Financials	0.1%
152	Johnson Controls	Industrials	0.1%
153	3M	Industrials	0.1%
154	CSX Corporation	Industrials	0.1%
155	Illinois Tool Works	Industrials	0.1%
156	Cadence Design Systems	Info Tech	0.1%
157	Synopsys	Info Tech	0.1%
158	Ecolab	Materials	0.1%
159	Warner Bros. Discovery	Communication Services	0.1%
160	Royal Caribbean Group	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
161	Hilton Worldwide	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
162	Ross Stores	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
163	Monster Beverage	Consumer Staples	0.1%
164	Colgate-Palmolive	Consumer Staples	0.1%
165	Aon	Financials	0.1%
166	Cigna	Health Care	0.1%
167	Cummins	Industrials	0.1%
168	Emerson Electric	Industrials	0.1%
169	Republic Services	Industrials	0.1%
170	Cintas	Industrials	0.1%
171	Motorola Solutions	Info Tech	0.1%
172	CRH plc	Materials	0.1%
173	American Electric Power	Utilities	0.1%
174	General Motors	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
175	DoorDash	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
176	Occidental Petroleum	Energy	0.1%
177	Apollo Global Management	Financials	0.1%
178	Travelers Companies (The)	Financials	0.1%
179	Elevance Health	Health Care	0.1%
180	TransDigm Group	Industrials	0.1%
181	L3Harris	Industrials	0.1%
182	Norfolk Southern Railway	Industrials	0.1%
183	Air Products	Materials	0.1%
184	Sempra	Utilities	0.1%
185	AutoZone	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
186	Baker Hughes	Energy	0.1%
187	ONEOK	Energy	0.1%
188	Diamondback Energy	Energy	0.1%
189	Robinhood Markets, Inc.	Financials	0.1%
190	Aflac	Financials	0.1%
191	Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.	Financials	0.1%
192	Truist Financial	Financials	0.1%
193	Cencora	Health Care	0.1%
194	Paccar	Industrials	0.1%
195	Fortinet	Info Tech	0.1%
196	TE Connectivity	Info Tech	0.1%
197	Corteva	Materials	0.1%
198	Digital Realty	Real Estate	0.1%
199	Simon Property Group	Real Estate	0.1%
200	Realty Income	Real Estate	0.1%
201	Electronic Arts	Communication Services	0.1%
202	Target Corporation	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
203	Targa Resources	Energy	0.1%
204	Allstate	Financials	0.1%
205	Zoetis	Health Care	0.1%
206	Fastenal	Industrials	0.1%
207	W. W. Grainger	Industrials	0.1%
208	Ciena Corporation	Info Tech	0.1%
209	Autodesk	Info Tech	0.1%
210	Monolithic Power Systems	Info Tech	0.1%
211	Dominion Energy	Utilities	0.1%
212	Entergy	Utilities	0.1%
213	Exelon	Utilities	0.1%
214	Vistra Corp.	Utilities	0.1%
215	Xcel Energy	Utilities	0.1%
216	Ford Motor Company	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
217	Garmin	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
218	Kroger	Consumer Staples	0.1%
219	Hershey Company (The)	Consumer Staples	0.1%
220	Nasdaq, Inc.	Financials	0.1%
221	MetLife	Financials	0.1%
222	Cardinal Health	Health Care	0.1%
223	Edwards Lifesciences	Health Care	0.1%
224	Idexx Laboratories	Health Care	0.1%
225	Becton Dickinson	Health Care	0.1%
226	Ametek	Industrials	0.1%
227	Carrier Global	Industrials	0.1%
228	United Rentals	Industrials	0.1%
229	Comfort Systems USA, Inc.	Industrials	0.1%
230	NXP Semiconductors	Info Tech	0.1%
231	Lumentum Holdings Inc.	Info Tech	0.1%
232	Keysight Technologies	Info Tech	0.1%
233	Teradyne	Info Tech	0.1%
234	Public Storage	Real Estate	0.1%
235	Yum! Brands	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
236	Carvana Co.	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
237	Chipotle Mexican Grill	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
238	eBay	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
239	D. R. Horton	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
240	EQT Corporation	Energy	0.1%
241	Coinbase Global	Financials	0.1%
242	PayPal	Financials	0.1%
243	Fifth Third Bancorp	Financials	0.1%
244	Ameriprise Financial	Financials	0.1%
245	American International Group	Financials	0.1%
246	MSCI	Financials	0.1%
247	Delta Air Lines	Industrials	0.1%
248	Wabtec	Industrials	0.1%
249	Old Dominion	Industrials	0.1%
250	Rockwell Automation	Industrials	0.1%
251	Coherent, Inc.	Info Tech	0.1%
252	Datadog	Info Tech	0.1%
253	Nucor	Materials	0.1%
254	CBRE Group	Real Estate	0.1%
255	Ventas	Real Estate	0.1%
256	Consolidated Edison	Utilities	0.1%
257	Public Service Enterprise Group	Utilities	0.1%
258	PG&E Corporation	Utilities	0.1%
259	WEC Energy Group	Utilities	0.1%
260	Take-Two Interactive	Communication Services	0.1%
261	Live Nation Entertainment	Communication Services	0.1%
262	EchoStar Corporation	Communication Services	0.1%
263	Las Vegas Sands	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
264	Carnival	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
265	Keurig Dr Pepper	Consumer Staples	0.1%
266	Archer Daniels Midland	Consumer Staples	0.1%
267	Sysco	Consumer Staples	0.1%
268	Kenvue	Consumer Staples	0.1%
269	Kimberly-Clark	Consumer Staples	0.1%
270	Halliburton	Energy	0.1%
271	Texas Pacific Land Corporation	Energy	0.1%
272	Devon Energy	Energy	0.1%
273	Hartford (The)	Financials	0.1%
274	State Street Corporation	Financials	0.1%
275	Block, Inc.	Financials	0.1%
276	Arch Capital Group	Financials	0.1%
277	Prudential Financial	Financials	0.1%
278	ResMed	Health Care	0.1%
279	Axon Enterprise	Industrials	0.1%
280	Paychex	Industrials	0.1%
281	Roper Technologies	Info Tech	0.1%
282	Workday, Inc.	Info Tech	0.1%
283	Microchip Technology	Info Tech	0.1%
284	Vulcan Materials Company	Materials	0.1%
285	Martin Marietta Materials	Materials	0.1%
286	Crown Castle	Real Estate	0.1%
287	Charter Communications	Communication Services	0.1%
288	Expedia Group	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
289	Tapestry, Inc.	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
290	Dollar General	Consumer Discretionary	0.1%
291	Kraft Heinz	Consumer Staples	0.1%
292	Constellation Brands	Consumer Staples	0.1%
293	Coterra	Energy	0.1%
294	Expand Energy	Energy	0.1%
295	Huntington Bancshares	Financials	0.1%
296	M&T Bank	Financials	0.1%
297	Cboe Global Markets	Financials	0.1%
298	Fiserv, Inc.	Financials	0.1%
299	Interactive Brokers Group	Financials	0.1%
300	Raymond James Financial	Financials	0.1%
301	Willis Towers Watson	Financials	0.1%
302	Agilent Technologies	Health Care	0.1%
303	GE HealthCare	Health Care	0.1%
304	Waters Corporation	Health Care	0.1%
305	IQVIA	Health Care	0.1%
306	Biogen	Health Care	0.1%
307	Copart	Industrials	0.1%
308	EMCOR Group, Inc.	Industrials	0.1%
309	Ingersoll Rand	Industrials	0.1%
310	Otis Worldwide	Industrials	0.1%
311	Xylem Inc.	Industrials	0.1%
312	United Airlines Holdings	Industrials	0.1%
313	Dover Corporation	Industrials	0.1%
314	Hewlett Packard Enterprise	Info Tech	0.1%
315	Cognizant	Info Tech	0.1%
316	Teledyne Technologies	Info Tech	0.1%
317	Jabil	Info Tech	0.1%
318	Dow Inc.	Materials	0.1%
319	LyondellBasell	Materials	0.1%
320	Iron Mountain	Real Estate	0.1%
321	Vici Properties	Real Estate	0.1%
322	Extra Space Storage	Real Estate	0.1%
323	Atmos Energy	Utilities	0.1%
324	DTE Energy	Utilities	0.1%
325	Ameren	Utilities	0.1%
326	NRG Energy	Utilities	0.1%
327	FirstEnergy	Utilities	0.1%
328	PPL Corporation	Utilities	0.1%
329	CenterPoint Energy	Utilities	0.1%
330	Edison International	Utilities	0.1%
331	American Water Works	Utilities	0.1%
332	Omnicom Group	Communication Services	0.04%
333	Tractor Supply	Consumer Discretionary	0.04%
334	Darden Restaurants	Consumer Discretionary	0.04%
335	Ulta Beauty	Consumer Discretionary	0.04%
336	PulteGroup	Consumer Discretionary	0.04%
337	Williams-Sonoma	Consumer Discretionary	0.04%
338	Lennar	Consumer Discretionary	0.04%
339	Dollar Tree	Consumer Staples	0.04%
340	Estée Lauder Companies (The)	Consumer Staples	0.04%
341	Bunge Global	Consumer Staples	0.04%
342	Tyson Foods	Consumer Staples	0.04%
343	Church & Dwight	Consumer Staples	0.04%
344	Northern Trust	Financials	0.04%
345	W. R. Berkley Corporation	Financials	0.04%
346	Citizens Financial Group	Financials	0.04%
347	Fidelity National Information Services	Financials	0.04%
348	Cincinnati Financial	Financials	0.04%
349	Ares Management Corporation	Financials	0.04%
350	Synchrony Financial	Financials	0.04%
351	Brown & Brown	Financials	0.04%
352	Loews Corporation	Financials	0.04%
353	Regions Financial Corporation	Financials	0.04%
354	KeyCorp	Financials	0.04%
355	Mettler Toledo	Health Care	0.04%
356	Dexcom	Health Care	0.04%
357	LabCorp	Health Care	0.04%
358	Quest Diagnostics	Health Care	0.04%
359	Steris	Health Care	0.04%
360	Verisk Analytics	Industrials	0.04%
361	Rollins, Inc.	Industrials	0.04%
362	Hubbell Incorporated	Industrials	0.04%
363	Equifax	Industrials	0.04%
364	Veralto	Industrials	0.04%
365	Fair Isaac	Info Tech	0.04%
366	Verisign	Info Tech	0.04%
367	Qnity Electronics	Info Tech	0.04%
368	ON Semiconductor	Info Tech	0.04%
369	Steel Dynamics	Materials	0.04%
370	PPG Industries	Materials	0.04%
371	CF Industries	Materials	0.04%
372	Albemarle Corporation	Materials	0.04%
373	AvalonBay Communities	Real Estate	0.04%
374	Equity Residential	Real Estate	0.04%
375	Eversource Energy	Utilities	0.04%
376	CMS Energy	Utilities	0.04%
377	NiSource	Utilities	0.04%
378	TKO Group Holdings	Communication Services	0.03%
379	Ralph Lauren Corporation	Consumer Discretionary	0.03%
380	NVR, Inc.	Consumer Discretionary	0.03%
381	Lululemon Athletica	Consumer Discretionary	0.03%
382	Genuine Parts Company	Consumer Discretionary	0.03%
383	General Mills	Consumer Staples	0.03%
384	McCormick & Company	Consumer Staples	0.03%
385	APA Corporation	Energy	0.03%
386	Corpay	Financials	0.03%
387	T. Rowe Price	Financials	0.03%
388	Principal Financial Group	Financials	0.03%
389	Broadridge Financial Solutions	Financials	0.03%
390	Global Payments	Financials	0.03%
391	Humana	Health Care	0.03%
392	Moderna	Health Care	0.03%
393	Incyte	Health Care	0.03%
394	West Pharmaceutical Services	Health Care	0.03%
395	Zimmer Biomet	Health Care	0.03%
396	Hologic	Health Care	0.03%
397	Centene Corporation	Health Care	0.03%
398	Viatris	Health Care	0.03%
399	Insulet Corporation	Health Care	0.03%
400	Leidos	Industrials	0.03%
401	J.B. Hunt	Industrials	0.03%
402	C.H. Robinson	Industrials	0.03%
403	Expeditors International	Industrials	0.03%
404	Snap-on	Industrials	0.03%
405	Southwest Airlines	Industrials	0.03%
406	Fortive	Industrials	0.03%
407	Lennox International	Industrials	0.03%
408	Textron	Industrials	0.03%
409	Jacobs Solutions	Industrials	0.03%
410	Huntington Ingalls Industries	Industrials	0.03%
411	NetApp	Info Tech	0.03%
412	First Solar	Info Tech	0.03%
413	HP Inc.	Info Tech	0.03%
414	PTC Inc.	Info Tech	0.03%
415	Akamai Technologies	Info Tech	0.03%
416	F5, Inc.	Info Tech	0.03%
417	CDW	Info Tech	0.03%
418	Trimble Inc.	Info Tech	0.03%
419	Tyler Technologies	Info Tech	0.03%
420	Smurfit WestRock	Materials	0.03%
421	Packaging Corporation of America	Materials	0.03%
422	International Paper	Materials	0.03%
423	International Flavors & Fragrances	Materials	0.03%
424	DuPont	Materials	0.03%
425	Amcor	Materials	0.03%
426	Ball Corporation	Materials	0.03%
427	SBA Communications	Real Estate	0.03%
428	Weyerhaeuser	Real Estate	0.03%
429	CoStar Group	Real Estate	0.03%
430	Essex Property Trust	Real Estate	0.03%
431	Invitation Homes	Real Estate	0.03%
432	Kimco Realty	Real Estate	0.03%
433	Evergy	Utilities	0.03%
434	Alliant Energy	Utilities	0.03%
435	Fox Corporation (Class B)	Communication Services	0.02%
436	Fox Corporation (Class A)	Communication Services	0.02%
437	The Trade Desk, Inc.	Communication Services	0.02%
438	Paramount Skydance Corp	Communication Services	0.02%
439	News Corp (Class A)	Communication Services	0.02%
440	Aptiv	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
441	Deckers Brands	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
442	Best Buy	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
443	Hasbro	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
444	Domino's	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
445	Wynn Resorts	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
446	MGM Resorts	Consumer Discretionary	0.02%
447	Hormel Foods	Consumer Staples	0.02%
448	Clorox	Consumer Staples	0.02%
449	Brown–Forman	Consumer Staples	0.02%
450	J.M. Smucker Company (The)	Consumer Staples	0.02%
451	Everest Group	Financials	0.02%
452	Erie Indemnity	Financials	0.02%
453	Franklin Resources	Financials	0.02%
454	Assurant	Financials	0.02%
455	Globe Life	Financials	0.02%
456	Invesco	Financials	0.02%
457	Cooper Companies (The)	Health Care	0.02%
458	Align Technology	Health Care	0.02%
459	Universal Health Services	Health Care	0.02%
460	Solventum	Health Care	0.02%
461	DaVita	Health Care	0.02%
462	Revvity	Health Care	0.02%
463	Nordson Corporation	Industrials	0.02%
464	IDEX Corporation	Industrials	0.02%
465	Pentair	Industrials	0.02%
466	Allegion	Industrials	0.02%
467	Masco	Industrials	0.02%
468	Generac	Industrials	0.02%
469	Stanley Black & Decker	Industrials	0.02%
470	A. O. Smith	Industrials	0.02%
471	Builders FirstSource	Industrials	0.02%
472	Supermicro	Info Tech	0.02%
473	Jack Henry & Associates	Info Tech	0.02%
474	Gartner	Info Tech	0.02%
475	Gen Digital	Info Tech	0.02%
476	GoDaddy	Info Tech	0.02%
477	Zebra Technologies	Info Tech	0.02%
478	Avery Dennison	Materials	0.02%
479	Mid-America Apartment Communities	Real Estate	0.02%
480	Regency Centers	Real Estate	0.02%
481	Host Hotels & Resorts	Real Estate	0.02%
482	Healthpeak Properties	Real Estate	0.02%
483	UDR, Inc.	Real Estate	0.02%
484	Camden Property Trust	Real Estate	0.02%
485	Federal Realty Investment Trust	Real Estate	0.02%
486	Pinnacle West	Utilities	0.02%
487	AES Corporation	Utilities	0.02%
488	News Corp (Class B)	Communication Services	0.01%
489	Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings	Consumer Discretionary	0.01%
490	Pool Corporation	Consumer Discretionary	0.01%
491	Molson Coors Beverage Company	Consumer Staples	0.01%
492	Conagra Brands	Consumer Staples	0.01%
493	Campbell Soup Company	Consumer Staples	0.01%
494	FactSet	Financials	0.01%
495	Henry Schein	Health Care	0.01%
496	Baxter International	Health Care	0.01%
497	Bio-Techne	Health Care	0.01%
498	Charles River Laboratories	Health Care	0.01%
499	Skyworks Solutions	Info Tech	0.01%
500	EPAM Systems	Info Tech	0.01%
501	Mosaic Company (The)	Materials	0.01%
502	BXP, Inc.	Real Estate	0.01%
503	Alexandria Real Estate Equities	Real Estate	0.01%

Berkshire Hathaway is the only financials company in the top 10 by market cap, with its ranking falling from sixth to 10th place since 2023. By contrast, Walmart has climbed to 11th from 29th in just two years amid strong online sales.

Among health care firms, Eli Lilly (#12) has overtaken UnitedHealth Group (#42) as the most valuable company, fueled by sales of its weight-loss drugs.

Why This Concentration Matters

While the top 10 companies’ share of the index has edged down from 41% in 2025, its still-elevated concentration relative to historical levels has real implications:

• Diversification is shrinking: Index investors are more exposed to a handful of companies than at previous market-cycle peaks
• Market performance is narrowing: A small group of firms is increasingly driving overall returns
• The index is evolving: The S&P 500 may no longer broadly reflect the U.S. economy

In effect, the market is behaving less like a 500-company index, and more like a concentrated bet on a few dominant firms. At the center of this shift is the AI boom, illustrating how a single technological wave is reshaping the market’s hierarchy.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on 151 years of S&P 500 returns.

Mapped: The Salary Needed to Live Comfortably in U.S. Cities

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.

How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in a major American city? Increasingly, the answer is a six-figure salary.

This map shows the income required for a comfortable lifestyle across 56 U.S. cities, factoring in housing, food, transportation, savings, and discretionary spending.

The data comes from SmartAsset, using the MIT Living Wage Calculator and updated in February 2026.

The Highest-Cost Cities Now Require Nearly $160K

New York tops the list at $158,954, narrowly ahead of San Jose at $158,080.

California accounts for many of the highest-cost cities overall, with Irvine, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Sacramento all ranking near the top.

Taken together, the top of the ranking highlights how concentrated the highest costs are in a handful of major metros, particularly in California and the Northeast.

Boston, Honolulu, Seattle, and Jersey City also stand out, showing that the highest salary thresholds extend well beyond just a handful of coastal hubs.

Six-Figure Salaries Are Becoming the Norm

A key shift in the data is how quickly six-figure income requirements have spread beyond the most expensive cities.

Beyond the usual high-cost leaders, cities such as Denver, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, and Boise now require roughly $100K or more for a comfortable lifestyle. That shift suggests higher living costs are no longer confined to the country’s most expensive coastal markets.

Lower-Cost Cities Still Require Substantial Income

At the lower end of the ranking, the salary needed to live comfortably still remains substantial. San Antonio has the lowest threshold at $83,069, followed by Memphis at $86,444 and Tulsa at $87,690.

Even in the most affordable cities on the map, the income needed for a comfortable lifestyle is far above what many households earn, highlighting how even the most “affordable” major cities now require incomes that were once considered high.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Where Americans Pay the Most Income Tax on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Use This Visualization

Who Owns America’s $39T Debt

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.

Who really finances America’s $39T debt, and how much is held at home versus abroad?

This chart shows where U.S. debt ultimately sits, from domestic investors and foreign governments to the Federal Reserve and internal trust funds.

Data is sourced from Treasury’s daily Debt to the Penny, the U.S. Joint Economic Committee, TIC data, and the Federal Reserve, as of March 19, 2026.

Breaking Down Who Holds U.S. Debt

To finance its growing deficits, the U.S. relies on a wide range of buyers, including domestic institutions, foreign governments, and its own central bank.

The table below shows how U.S. debt is distributed across its largest holders:

Of the $39 trillion in gross debt, $31.4 trillion (81%) is held by domestic and foreign investors.

The remaining $7.6 trillion (19%) is intragovernmental debt, reflecting internal government transactions. This total is roughly twice the combined fortune of the world’s top 20 billionaires.

Debt held by the public represents what the U.S. owes to outside investors and directly influences interest rates, borrowing costs, and financial markets. By contrast, intragovernmental debt is money the government owes to itself, primarily through programs like Social Security.

Mutual funds and pension funds are the largest public holders, at $6.6 trillion, reflecting strong demand for safe, liquid assets. The Federal Reserve holds $4.4 trillion on its balance sheet, more than the top three foreign creditors—Japan, the U.K., and China—combined.

Among individuals, Warren Buffett, through his company Berkshire Hathaway, is the largest non-government holder of U.S. Treasury bills, with holdings valued at $339 billion as of Q4 2025.

What Does High U.S. Debt Mean for the Average American?

The U.S. is among the top 10 most indebted countries globally in debt-to-GDP terms, and its debt is growing by about $1 trillion every three months. This trend can affect Americans’ standard of living.

As debt rises, a larger share of the federal budget goes toward interest payments, crowding out spending on priorities like infrastructure, defense, and social programs.

Excessive debt can dampen wage growth and job creation while contributing to higher interest rates, making mortgages, loans, and credit card debt more expensive.

As the national debt continues to rise, its composition and ownership remain critical for understanding risks to financial markets and the broader economy.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about global government debt, check out this graphic, which visualizes the world’s $111 trillion in government debt by country.

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Ranked: How Much People Save Around the World

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.

How much of your income do people actually save, and how does your country compare?

This chart ranks household savings rates across major economies using the latest OECD data. It reveals a wide gap between top savers and those struggling to set money aside. In countries like Sweden and Hungary, households save more than 10% of their income. In the U.S., that figure is just 4.9%.

In some cases, the gap is even more striking. Americans save roughly half as much as households in Mexico, highlighting how cost pressures and consumption patterns differ across economies.

How Much People Save by Country

Sweden ranks as the most disciplined saver, with net household savings rates rising nearly eightfold from 2.3% to 16% over the past two decades.

Many European countries also rank at the top of the list. Households continue to set aside a relatively large share of their income, including Hungary (14.3%) and France (12.8%). These elevated rates are often linked to structural factors such as pension systems and aging populations.

The table below shows savings rates by country in 2024, or the latest available data:

Country	Net Saving Rate (% of net disposable income)
Sweden	16.0%
Hungary	14.3%
Czechia	13.7%
France	12.8%
Austria	11.7%
Germany	11.2%
Netherlands	9.5%
Spain	9.2%
Ireland	9.0%
Denmark	8.5%
Mexico	8.1%
Belgium	6.6%
Poland	6.1%
Australia	6.1%
Luxembourg	5.0%
Canada	5.0%
United States	4.9%
South Korea	4.8%
United Kingdom	4.7%
Portugal	4.5%
Finland	4.3%
Italy	4.2%
Norway	4.2%
Lithuania	3.8%
Estonia	3.0%
Japan	0.9%
Latvia	0.0%
South Africa	-1.0%
New Zealand	-1.3%

In the middle of the pack, savings rates drop off quickly. The U.S., Canada, and the UK all cluster around 5% or lower, far behind top European savers. The gap is particularly striking when compared globally. U.S. households save about half as much as those in Mexico, and less than one-third of what households in Sweden set aside each year.

At the bottom of the ranking, the picture flips entirely. In countries like New Zealand and South Africa, households are not saving at all. Instead, they are spending more than they earn.

Negative savings rates typically mean people are dipping into past savings or taking on debt to cover everyday expenses, a sign of financial strain rather than choice.

What It Means Going Forward

Savings rates are a key signal of financial resilience.

Countries where households consistently save more tend to have a stronger buffer against inflation, job losses, or economic shocks. Higher savings can also support long-term investment and stability.

On the other hand, persistently low or negative savings rates can point to underlying pressure. When households have little margin to save, economies may become more vulnerable to downturns, rising debt levels, and weaker consumer spending over time.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the global cost of living index in 2026.

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Mapped: Only One Country Can Feed Itself Fully

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.

Food security isn’t just about producing enough calories—it’s about covering the full range of nutrients needed for a balanced diet.

This map shows how many of seven essential food groups each country can supply domestically, based on data from a Nature Food study. The result reveals a striking gap: just one country can meet all its food needs on its own.

The analysis covers key categories including starchy staples, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, and legumes—offering a more complete picture of national food independence. Even major agricultural producers like the United States and China still depend on imports for at least one of these groups.

Only One Country Covers All Food Groups

Guyana is the only country that can produce enough of all seven essential food groups to meet domestic demand. It not only covers every category, but exceeds needs in starchy staples and fruit—making it a clear global outlier in food independence.

China and Vietnam come close, each covering six out of seven groups. However, both fall short in dairy production, reflecting structural constraints in key sectors. Even top performers still rely on imports for at least one essential category.

Country	Self-Sufficient Food Groups (of 7)
Guyana	7
China	6
Vietnam	6
Paraguay	5
New Zealand	5
Uruguay	5
Vanuatu	5
Argentina	5
Brazil	5
Lithuania	5
Estonia	5
Australia	5
Latvia	5
Spain	5
Serbia	5
Kazakhstan	5
Croatia	5
Ukraine	5
Peru	5
Türkiye	5
Romania	5
Uzbekistan	5
Russia	5
Lao PDR	5
Kyrgyzstan	5
Oman	5
Philippines	5
Canada	4
Denmark	4
United States	4
Belarus	4
Netherlands	4
Poland	4
Chile	4
Belgium	4
Moldova	4
France	4
Hungary	4
Papua New Guinea	4
Myanmar	4
Ecuador	4
Dominican Republic	4
Senegal	4
Greece	4
Albania	4
Nicaragua	4
Portugal	4
Niger	4
Italy	4
Israel	4
Cameroon	4
Malawi	4
Bolivia	4
Armenia	4
Mexico	4
Thailand	4
Mali	4
Azerbaijan	4
Slovakia	4
Tunisia	4
South Sudan	4
Guatemala	4
Iran	4
Turkmenistan	4
Tonga	4
Bosnia and Herzegovina	4
Indonesia	4
Morocco	4
Nepal	4
Syrian Arab Republic	4
Suriname	4
Iceland	3
Tuvalu	3
Ireland	3
Norway	3
Costa Rica	3
Samoa	3
Central African Republic	3
Belize	3
Finland	3
Guinea-Bissau	3
Burkina Faso	3
Germany	3
Sudan	3
Dominica	3
Czechia	3
North Macedonia	3
Guinea	3
Ghana	3
Panama	3
Tanzania	3
Sweden	3
Colombia	3
Chad	3
Uganda	3
Rwanda	3
India	3
Bulgaria	3
South Africa	3
Côte d'Ivoire	3
Cyprus	3
Tajikistan	3
Solomon Islands	3
South Korea	3
Jamaica	3
Egypt	3
Lebanon	3
Burundi	3
Kenya	3
Angola	3
Pakistan	3
Algeria	3
Venezuela	3
Gabon	3
Sierra Leone	3
Saudi Arabia	3
Kiribati	2
Micronesia	2
Seychelles	2
Mongolia	2
Luxembourg	2
Austria	2
Comoros	2
Namibia	2
Mauritania	2
Switzerland	2
Slovenia	2
Sri Lanka	2
Benin	2
United Kingdom	2
Nauru	2
Cambodia	2
Nigeria	2
Georgia	2
Montenegro	2
Fiji	2
Malaysia	2
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	2
Honduras	2
Mozambique	2
Cuba	2
Bhutan	2
Sao Tome and Principe	2
Ethiopia	2
Zambia	2
Bangladesh	2
Botswana	2
Grenada	2
Barbados	2
St. Lucia	2
Eswatini	2
El Salvador	2
Libya	2
Togo	2
New Caledonia	2
Haiti	2
Jordan	2
Maldives	1
Zimbabwe	1
DR Congo	1
Bahamas, The	1
Republic of the Congo	1
Japan	1
Cabo Verde	1
Madagascar	1
Timor-Leste	1
Trinidad and Tobago	1
Somalia	1
Mauritius	1
The Gambia	1
Liberia	1
French Polynesia	1
Kuwait	1
St. Kitts and Nevis	1
Malta	1
Djibouti	1
Antigua and Barbuda	1
Lesotho	1
Bahrain	1
Hong Kong	1
Afghanistan	0
Iraq	0
Yemen	0
United Arab Emirates	0
Qatar	0
Macao	0

Wealth Doesn’t Guarantee Food Independence

High-income countries often rank lower than expected. For example, Canada and the United States each cover only four out of seven food groups. Despite strong production in meat, dairy, and grains, both countries depend heavily on imports for fruits and vegetables.

This pattern reflects geography and climate. Northern countries face shorter growing seasons, limiting domestic output of fresh produce. As a result, even advanced agricultural systems cannot fully produce a balanced diet domestically.

Structural Constraints Shape Regional Gaps

The Middle East and North Africa consistently rank among the least self-sufficient regions. Limited water resources play a major role. The region holds roughly 6% of the global population but less than 2% of renewable water supply, restricting agricultural expansion.

Fish production is another major constraint globally. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Asia accounts for 91% of aquaculture output. This concentration leaves many countries dependent on seafood imports, even when they can produce meat or crops domestically.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out this graphic about how 30% of food produced worldwide goes to waste.

Use This Visualization

Mapped: The Cost of Living Across 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.

Living in one U.S. state versus another can change your annual costs by as much as $75,000.

Using GOBankingRate’s analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey and Missouri Economic Research and Information Center data as of Q3 2025, this map shows how annual household costs vary across all 50 states.

From $141,127 in Hawaii to $66,284 in Oklahoma, the difference is stark. For many households, location alone can be one of the biggest drivers of overall cost.

The Most Expensive States to Live In

Hawaii tops the list at $141,127 per year, making it the most expensive state by a wide margin. That is about $75,000 more than Oklahoma and roughly $63,000 above the U.S. average.

In many cases, paying off a home in the Aloha State requires multi-generational efforts due to steep housing costs. Residents also pay 28% more for healthcare and 33% more for groceries than the national average.

This table shows average household expenditures by state, based on cost-of-living indexes and consumer spending across groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare:

Rank	State	Annual Average Expenditures	Cost-of-Living Index
1	Hawaii	$141,127	179.7
2	Massachusetts	$118,431	150.8
3	California	$107,357	136.7
4	Alaska	$100,289	127.7
5	New York	$99,425	126.6
6	Maryland	$93,378	118.9
7	New Jersey	$90,001	114.6
8	Maine	$89,687	114.2
9	Connecticut	$89,608	114.1
10	Washington	$89,451	113.9
11	Vermont	$89,294	113.7
12	Rhode Island	$89,059	113.4
13	Oregon	$87,231	111.8
14	Montana	$86,231	109.8
15	New Hampshire	$85,760	109.2
16	Arizona	$85,446	108.8
17	Delaware	$80,734	102.8
18	Colorado	$80,655	102.7
19	Virginia	$78,614	100.1
20	Florida	$78,142	99.5
21	Utah	$77,828	99.1
22	Idaho	$77,750	99.0
23	Nevada	$77,436	98.6
24	Wisconsin	$76,729	97.7
25	North Carolina	$76,493	97.4
26	Pennsylvania	$76,257	97.1
27	Illinois	$75,315	95.9
28	Wyoming	$74,844	95.3
29	Michigan	$74,373	94.7
30	Minnesota	$73,980	94.2
31	Ohio	$72,880	92.8
32	Louisiana	$72,802	92.7
33	New Mexico	$72,645	92.5
34	South Carolina	$72,645	92.5
35	Kentucky	$72,174	91.9
36	Georgia	$72,095	91.8
37	South Dakota	$72,095	91.8
38	Nebraska	$71,938	91.6
39	North Dakota	$71,702	91.3
40	Texas	$71,310	90.8
41	Indiana	$71,153	90.6
42	Iowa	$70,917	90.3
43	Tennessee	$70,917	90.3
44	Arkansas	$70,132	89.3
45	Missouri	$69,896	89.0
46	Kansas	$69,818	88.9
47	West Virginia	$69,189	88.1
48	Alabama	$69,032	87.9
49	Mississippi	$67,147	85.5
50	Oklahoma	$66,284	84.4

Massachusetts ($118,431), California ($107,357), Alaska ($100,289), and New York ($99,425) round out the top five, reflecting a mix of housing pressure, geographic isolation, and higher overall costs.

The Cheapest States to Live In

In Oklahoma, average annual household spending is $66,284, making it the most affordable state overall.

With the median home sale price in Oklahoma City at $240,000, housing remains relatively affordable, with prices rising just 1% year over year as of December 2025. By contrast, the U.S. median stood at nearly $359,000.

Meanwhile, the state benefits from lower gas prices than Texas due to lower taxes and regional supply advantages, along with some of the most affordable groceries in the country.

Mississippi ranks second at $67,147, where annual living costs are more than $10,000 lower than in Florida.

Texas ranks 11th, with average spending of $71,310. Despite strong interstate migration, robust home construction has helped ease pressure on prices. Notably, home prices in Houston fell 2.2% annually last year to about $302,000.

The map highlights a clear reality: in the U.S., location alone can shift annual living costs by tens of thousands of dollars. For households considering a move, that difference can rival the impact of income itself.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the global cost of living index in 2026.