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Charted: How the World Added Decades to Life Expectancy

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The average person today can expect to live far longer than someone born in 1960, regardless of where they live.

This chart tracks life expectancy at birth across four World Bank income groups. While high-income countries still have the longest lifespans, the biggest gains have come elsewhere. Upper-middle income countries have added more than three decades to life expectancy, while low-income countries have made substantial progress as well.

The data for this visualization comes from World Bank via FRED. It tracks life expectancy at birth by income group from 1960 to the latest available data (2024).

High-Income Countries Still Lead

High-income countries still have the highest life expectancy, reaching 80.3 years in 2024.

That is up from 68.3 years in 1960, a gain of 12 years. These countries started from a much higher baseline, meaning their gains have been slower but still substantial.

Examples include the U.S., Germany, and Japan.

Upper-Middle Income Countries Saw the Fastest Gains

Upper-middle income countries posted the largest increase, rising from 41.9 years in 1960 to 76.3 years.

That is a gain of 34.4 years, the fastest improvement of any group in the dataset. This category includes countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.

Much of this improvement coincided with rising incomes, better sanitation, expanded vaccination programs, lower child mortality, and broader access to healthcare. Together, these changes helped push life expectancy in many middle-income countries toward levels once seen only in the world’s wealthiest economies.

The Global Life Expectancy Gap Has Narrowed

In 1960, people in high-income countries lived about 27 years longer than those in low-income countries.

Today, the gap stands at roughly 16 years. While a significant difference remains, low-income countries have added more than 23 years to average life expectancy since 1960. In other words, much of the world’s longevity progress has come from countries that started furthest behind.

However, the remaining gap shows that income, healthcare access, and living conditions continue to shape longevity worldwide.

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Charted: China’s Rise to Energy Superpower

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Global energy demand has undergone a historic geographic shift over the last four decades.

In 1980, advanced economies consumed nearly two-thirds of the world’s energy. Today, emerging and developing economies account for almost two-thirds.

The chart above shows how China became the biggest driver of that transition, using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

China’s Energy Share Has Quadrupled

China consumed 19 quadrillion BTUs of energy in 1980, accounting for just 7% of global demand.

By 2024, consumption had climbed to 171 quadrillion BTUs, raising China’s share to 28% and making it the world’s largest energy consumer.

Energy Consumption (Quadrillion BTU)
Year	World	Advanced Economies	United States	EMDEs	China
1980	281	176	76	105	19
1981	277	171	74	106	19
1982	277	167	71	110	19
1983	280	166	70	114	21
1984	294	173	74	121	22
1985	302	176	74	126	24
1986	308	178	74	130	24
1987	319	184	77	135	26
1988	331	190	81	141	27
1989	337	193	83	143	28
1990	338	194	82	144	27
1991	338	193	82	145	28
1992	337	196	84	141	29
1993	339	199	85	141	31
1994	343	202	87	140	34
1995	352	207	89	144	36
1996	361	214	91	147	38
1997	362	215	92	147	36
1998	365	216	93	149	37
1999	371	219	94	152	38
2000	384	223	97	160	41
2001	387	223	94	164	43
2002	395	225	96	171	46
2003	410	227	96	182	53
2004	431	232	98	199	64
2005	445	233	98	212	72
2006	459	233	97	226	80
2007	472	235	99	237	86
2008	478	231	97	247	89
2009	472	220	92	252	97
2010	503	229	95	274	108
2011	517	226	94	291	118
2012	526	222	92	304	125
2013	534	224	94	310	129
2014	538	223	95	316	130
2015	539	222	94	316	129
2016	544	223	94	321	130
2017	549	225	94	325	131
2018	562	228	97	334	136
2019	571	225	97	345	144
2020	547	208	89	339	146
2021	573	216	93	357	153
2022	579	215	95	364	153
2023	592	212	94	380	163
2024	606	212	95	394	171

The increase coincided with China’s transformation into the world’s manufacturing hub, rapid urban development, and rising household incomes, all of which required enormous amounts of energy.

Emerging Markets Now Drive Global Demand

Emerging and developing economies consumed 105 quadrillion BTUs in 1980, or 37% of the world total.

By 2024, that figure had risen to 394 quadrillion BTUs, equal to 65% of global consumption.

Even excluding China, emerging markets consumed 223 quadrillion BTUs in 2024, more than all advanced economies combined.

Much of the growth in global energy demand now comes from countries that are still industrializing and urbanizing, particularly across Asia.

Advanced Economies Have Plateaued

Advanced economies consumed 176 quadrillion BTUs in 1980 and 212 quadrillion BTUs in 2024.

While energy use continued to rise in emerging markets, demand in advanced economies grew slowly, causing their share of global consumption to steadily decline.

The Global Energy Map Has Changed

One way to understand the scale of China’s rise is to compare it with other developed economies. In 2024, China consumed 171 quadrillion BTUs of energy, exceeding the combined total of advanced economies outside the United States (118 quadrillion BTUs).

That comparison highlights how dramatically the balance of global energy demand has shifted since 1980.

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Ranked: The States Where Education Pays Off Most

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A college degree remains one of the strongest predictors of income in America, but the relationship varies considerably across states.

This graphic compares the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree against median household income across all 50 states and Washington D.C., using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In many states, higher educational attainment coincides with significantly higher household earnings, helping explain why some regions consistently rank near the top for prosperity.

Among the top 10 income states, the average bachelor’s degree attainment rate is roughly 44%, compared with about 29% among the bottom 10 states.

At the same time, several states outperform or underperform what education levels alone might suggest, revealing the role that industry mix, labor demand, and local economic strengths play in shaping incomes.

How Do Education and Income Vary Across America?

The table below shows where Americans are most educated and how much households earn. Educational attainment data is as of 2023, while median household incomes are as of 2024.

Rank (Income)	State	Share of College Grads	Median Household Income
1	District of Columbia	66%	$109,707
2	Massachusetts	48%	$104,828
3	New Jersey	44%	$104,294
4	Maryland	44%	$102,905
5	Hawaii	37%	$100,745
6	California	38%	$100,149
7	New Hampshire	41%	$99,782
8	Washington	41%	$99,389
9	Colorado	46%	$97,113
10	Utah	38%	$96,658
11	Connecticut	43%	$96,049
12	Alaska	32%	$95,665
13	Virginia	42%	$92,090
14	Delaware	37%	$87,534
15	Minnesota	40%	$87,117
16	New York	41%	$85,820
17	Oregon	38%	$85,220
18	Rhode Island	39%	$83,504
19	Illinois	38%	$83,211
20	Vermont	44%	$82,730
21	Arizona	34%	$81,486
22	Idaho	32%	$81,166
23	Nevada	29%	$81,134
24	Georgia	35%	$79,991
25	Texas	34%	$79,721
26	North Dakota	34%	$77,871
27	Florida	35%	$77,735
28	Pennsylvania	35%	$77,545
29	Wisconsin	34%	$77,488
30	South Dakota	33%	$76,881
31	Maine	37%	$76,442
32	Nebraska	35%	$76,376
33	Wyoming	30%	$75,532
34	Kansas	36%	$75,514
35	Iowa	32%	$75,501
36	Montana	35%	$75,340
37	North Carolina	37%	$73,958
38	Michigan	33%	$72,389
39	South Carolina	33%	$72,350
40	Ohio	32%	$72,212
41	Tennessee	32%	$71,997
42	Indiana	30%	$71,959
43	Missouri	33%	$71,589
44	New Mexico	32%	$67,816
45	Alabama	29%	$66,659
46	Oklahoma	29%	$66,148
47	Kentucky	28%	$64,526
48	Arkansas	26%	$62,106
49	Louisiana	27%	$60,986
50	West Virginia	24%	$60,798
51	Mississippi	26%	$59,127

Where Education Delivers the Biggest Income Advantage

Across the U.S., states with larger shares of college graduates tend to report higher household incomes. Among the highest-income states, bachelor’s degree attainment often exceeds 40%, while many lower-income states have college graduate shares below 30%.

The pattern suggests that educational attainment remains closely linked to household prosperity, even as local economic conditions continue to influence outcomes.

Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, and Washington rank near the top on both measures. These states are home to high-paying industries such as technology, finance, healthcare, and professional services, which attract and reward highly educated workers.

Meanwhile, states with lower educational attainment generally report lower household incomes, reinforcing the long-established connection between education and earnings. The gap is particularly notable in several Southern states, where education rates can be up to 20 percentage points lower than those at the top.

Nationally, bachelor’s degree holders earn about $13,000 more than the median worker, with California seeing the highest wage premium of $23,732 and Wyoming seeing one of the lowest, at $4,051.

When Education Isn’t the Whole Story

While educational attainment helps explain income differences across much of the country, several states challenge the trend.

Alaska is among the most notable examples. Despite ranking well below many top-income states in college graduate share, its median household income approaches $96,000. High-paying jobs in energy, transportation, and resource industries help support earnings that exceed what education levels alone might predict.

At the other end of the spectrum, some highly educated states generate lower incomes than peers with similar graduation rates. For example, Vermont’s 44% grad rate matches New Jersey and Maryland, yet its median income lags $20,000 behind, demonstrating that workforce composition and industry mix remain critical pieces of the equation.

Together, these outliers show that education is only one piece of the economic puzzle.

Why the Degree Advantage Is Evolving

For decades, earning a degree was one of the clearest paths to higher income.

While that relationship remains strong, advances in artificial intelligence and ongoing shifts in the labor market are changing the outlook for many knowledge-based occupations.

As a result, future economic success may depend not only on educational attainment, but also on how effectively states connect skilled workers with industries that have strong labor demand.

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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s most educated countries.

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Mapped: The Salary Needed to Afford Rent Across America

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A modest two-bedroom rental now requires nearly $70,000 a year in income to be considered affordable in the U.S.

Using data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, this map shows the salary needed to afford a two-bedroom rental in every state in 2025 while spending no more than 30% of income on housing and utilities.

The gap between wages and housing costs varies dramatically across the country. In some states, renters can meet the affordability benchmark on incomes below $40,000. In others, even six-figure salaries are barely enough to keep up with rent.

Where Rent Requires a Six-Figure Income

California and Hawaii are the only states where renters need more than $100,000 annually to afford a modest two-bedroom home.

New York and Massachusetts are close behind at roughly $96,000, underscoring how quickly housing costs can outpace incomes in the nation’s most expensive markets.

Rank	State	Salary Needed to Afford Rent (2 bedroom)	Hourly Wage
1	California	$103.2K	$49.61
2	Hawaii	$102.3K	$49.19
3	New York	$95.7K	$46.03
4	Massachusetts	$95.5K	$45.90
5	District of Columbia	$92.6K	$44.50
6	Washington	$85.5K	$41.11
7	New Jersey	$83.2K	$39.99
8	Maryland	$81.4K	$39.15
9	Florida	$77.5K	$37.27
10	Colorado	$76.5K	$36.79
11	Connecticut	$73.7K	$35.42
12	New Hampshire	$73.0K	$35.08
13	Arizona	$71.1K	$34.18
14	Virginia	$70.0K	$33.64
15	Oregon	$68.7K	$33.02
16	Nevada	$68.5K	$32.94
17	Delaware	$66.9K	$32.18
18	Rhode Island	$66.0K	$31.71
19	Illinois	$62.0K	$29.81
20	Alaska	$61.8K	$29.73
21	Vermont	$61.8K	$29.73
22	Texas	$61.6K	$29.64
23	Georgia	$61.3K	$29.46
24	Utah	$60.9K	$29.29
25	Montana	$60.3K	$28.99
26	Maine	$59.1K	$28.42
27	Minnesota	$58.7K	$28.23
28	Pennsylvania	$57.9K	$27.83
29	Idaho	$57.9K	$27.83
30	North Carolina	$56.4K	$27.14
31	Tennessee	$56.2K	$27.01
32	South Carolina	$53.9K	$25.91
33	Michigan	$50.9K	$24.46
34	New Mexico	$48.2K	$23.18
35	Wisconsin	$48.2K	$23.15
36	Louisiana	$47.6K	$22.88
37	Ohio	$46.8K	$22.51
38	Indiana	$46.1K	$22.18
39	Missouri	$44.9K	$21.61
40	Nebraska	$44.9K	$21.57
41	Kentucky	$44.7K	$21.47
42	Oklahoma	$43.6K	$20.98
43	Kansas	$43.4K	$20.87
44	Mississippi	$43.2K	$20.79
45	Alabama	$42.9K	$20.61
46	Wyoming	$42.1K	$20.25
47	Iowa	$41.6K	$19.99
48	North Dakota	$40.5K	$19.47
49	Arkansas	$39.5K	$18.98
50	South Dakota	$39.4K	$18.96
51	West Virginia	$39.4K	$18.94
--	U.S. Average	$69.9K	$33.63

State averages only tell part of the story. In some of America’s most expensive metro areas, the income needed to afford a modest rental climbs far beyond the six-figure threshold.

In parts of Santa Cruz County, renters need more than $168,000 annually to afford a modest two-bedroom home. In nearby San Jose, the threshold approaches $138,000, highlighting how housing costs can strain even highly paid workers.

The Most Affordable States for Renters

At the other end of the ranking, several Midwestern and Southern states require hourly wages of roughly $20 to meet the same affordability standard.

In Arkansas, West Virginia, and Mississippi, renters need less than half the income required in the most expensive states to afford a modest two-bedroom rental.

The affordability gap becomes even clearer when compared with local incomes. In West Virginia, the median household income is roughly $61,000, more than $20,000 above the state’s affordability threshold. Similar gaps exist in South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, and several other lower-cost states.

Over Half of U.S. Renters Are Cost-Burdened

A record 22.6 million renter households were cost-burdened in 2023, up 2.2 million since 2019.

Florida has the nation’s highest share of cost-burdened renters, with roughly 60% of households spending more than 30% of income on housing. Nevada (57%) and California (55%) also rank among the most stretched.

North Dakota and Alaska stand apart as the only states where fewer than four in 10 renter households are cost-burdened.

The result is a growing housing affordability challenge. In lower-cost states, median household incomes still comfortably exceed the salary needed to afford rent. In many high-cost states, however, renters increasingly need incomes once associated with upper-middle-class households just to secure a modest two-bedroom home.

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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic showing the salary needed to buy a home in each state.

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Ranked: The Countries With the Most Uranium

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Uranium resources are heavily concentrated in a handful of countries, with Australia alone holding more than a quarter of the world’s known supply.

This graphic ranks countries by identified recoverable uranium resources in 2023. The figures include resources that can be recovered at costs of up to $130 per kilogram of uranium.

The data for this visualization comes from the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and International Atomic Energy Agency.

Australia Leads by a Wide Margin

Global identified uranium resources totaled 5.9 million tonnes in 2023. More than half of that supply is concentrated in just three countries: Australia, Kazakhstan, and Canada.

Australia has the world’s largest uranium resource base, with 1.7 million tonnes of contained uranium metal.

That equals 28% of the global total, making Australia the clear leader. Its resources are more than double those of Kazakhstan, the second-largest holder.

Country	Metric tons of identified recoverable uranium (2023)	Percentage of world
Australia	1,671,200	28%
Kazakhstan	813,900	14%
Canada	582,000	10%
Namibia	497,900	8%
Russia	476,600	8%
Niger	336,000	6%
South Africa	320,900	5%
China	270,500	5%
Brazil	167,800	3%
Mongolia	144,600	2%
Ukraine	106,700	2%
Botswana	87,200	1%
United States	67,800	1%
Tanzania	57,700	1%
Uzbekistan	45,000	1%
Argentina	34,300	1%
Peru	33,400	1%
Spain	28,500	1%
Türkiye	27,100	1%
Zambia	23,000	0%
Mauritania	18,200	0%
Other	115,400	2%
World total	5,925,700	100%

Having large uranium resources does not necessarily mean producing the most uranium. Resource estimates measure what is known to exist and can potentially be recovered economically, while production depends on mine development, investment, permitting, and government policy.

Despite this large resource base, Australia’s uranium mining industry is smaller than its reserves might suggest, partly due to policy restrictions and project development timelines.

Kazakhstan and Canada Round Out the Top Three

Kazakhstan holds 813,900 tonnes of uranium resources, or 14% of the global total.

Canada follows with 582,000 tonnes, equal to 10% of the world’s resources. Together with Australia, these three countries account for 52% of identified global uranium resources.

Both Kazakhstan and Canada are also major uranium producers, making them central to the global nuclear fuel supply chain.

A Broad Global Resource Base

Beyond the top three, uranium resources are spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Namibia and Niger are notable African holders, while Russia, China, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan represent major Eurasian resource bases. Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and the U.S. add to the resource picture in the Americas.

As countries look to expand low-carbon electricity generation, uranium supply has become increasingly important to energy security planning. Continued exploration has helped increase identified global uranium resources by more than 25% over the last decade, expanding the potential fuel base for future nuclear power growth.

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Ranked: Refugees Hosted Per Capita by Country

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The countries carrying the world’s largest refugee burden are often not the ones most people expect.

Using data from the UNHCR via Our World in Data, this graphic ranks countries by the number of refugees hosted per 1,000 residents in 2024.

The results reveal how proximity to conflict frequently matters more than economic size. Many of the countries at the top of the ranking border active war zones and have absorbed large refugee populations relative to their own populations.

Which Countries Carry the Largest Refugee Burden?

Roughly two-thirds of the world’s refugees remain in neighboring countries, helping explain why several relatively small nations rank ahead of much larger economies.

Rather than being distributed across the world’s wealthiest countries, refugee populations are often concentrated in states that share borders with major conflicts. The ranking below shows which countries carry the largest refugee burden relative to their population.

Rank	Country	Refugees Per 1,000 People 2024	Region
1	Lebanon	130.7	Middle East
2	Chad	63.0	Africa
3	Jordan	55.7	Middle East
4	Armenia	48.5	Asia
5	Moldova	44.8	Europe
6	South Sudan	43.1	Africa
7	Iran	38.1	Middle East
8	Czechia	36.4	Europe
9	Uganda	35.2	Africa
10	Cyprus	33.7	Europe
11	Türkiye	33.6	Europe
12	Germany	32.5	Europe
13	Austria	31.2	Europe
14	Estonia	31.1	Europe
15	Mauritania	30.0	Africa
16	Montenegro	29.2	Europe
17	Libya	27.1	Africa
18	Latvia	26.3	Europe
19	Slovakia	26.2	Europe
20	Poland	26.2	Europe
21	Ireland	23.7	Europe
22	Norway	22.2	Europe
23	Switzerland	22.0	Europe
24	Liechtenstein	21.1	Europe
25	Djibouti	20.5	Africa
26	Iceland	20.0	Europe
27	Lithuania	18.7	Europe
28	Finland	16.6	Europe
29	Denmark	16.4	Europe
30	Bulgaria	16.1	Europe
82	United States	1.3	North America

Why Does Lebanon Rank So High?

Lebanon tops the ranking by a wide margin, hosting 130.7 refugees per 1,000 residents. Put differently, about one out of every eight people living in the country is a refugee, the highest ratio in the world.

Its position reflects the country’s proximity to Syria, which has produced one of the world’s largest refugee crises since civil war broke out in 2011. Over the past decade, millions of Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring countries, with Lebanon absorbing one of the largest shares relative to its population.

The country has also faced mounting economic and political challenges of its own. More recently, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah displaced more than one million people within Lebanon, adding further strain to public services and infrastructure.

Taken together, these pressures help explain why Lebanon remains one of the countries most affected by displacement anywhere in the world.

Geography Matters More Than Wealth

Many of the countries hosting the largest refugee populations are located near active conflicts or regions experiencing prolonged instability.

Jordan and Lebanon border Syria. Moldova shares a border with Ukraine. Chad hosts refugees from neighboring Sudan, while Uganda has long received people fleeing violence in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The pattern helps explain why many smaller countries appear near the top of the ranking despite having far fewer economic resources than larger developed nations.

For refugees, crossing a nearby border is often the fastest and safest option. As a result, neighboring countries frequently absorb the largest influxes long before refugees are resettled elsewhere.

Why the U.S. Ranks 82nd

At first glance, America’s ranking may seem surprisingly low.

The United States hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees and remains the world’s 18th-largest refugee destination in absolute terms. However, its population of more than 340 million significantly changes the picture.

When refugee numbers are adjusted for population size, the U.S. hosts roughly 1.3 refugees per 1,000 residents, placing it 82nd globally.

The gap highlights why per-capita measures can reveal a different reality than headline totals. While large countries often host more refugees overall, smaller nations can experience a much greater impact relative to their population size.

Refugee Pressures Are Reaching Record Levels

The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has surpassed 120 million, nearly double the level seen a decade ago. Conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, and other regions continue to drive displacement across borders.

For host countries, the impact extends beyond humanitarian assistance. Large refugee populations can increase demand for housing, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and public services, particularly in smaller countries with limited resources.

The ranking highlights a reality often overlooked in global migration debates: the countries carrying the largest refugee burden are frequently those located closest to conflict, not necessarily those with the largest economies.

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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the world’s largest migration corridors.

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Ranked: The Countries With the Most High-Speed Rail

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Over the last two decades, high-speed rail has evolved from a niche transportation technology into a centerpiece of national infrastructure strategy.

Countries have pursued these networks for different reasons, from reducing domestic flight demand to improving connections between major economic hubs. The result is a striking global divide between nations that have invested heavily in high-speed rail and those that have largely stayed on the sidelines.

This graphic ranks countries by installed high-speed rail length using 2024 data from the International Union of Railways (UIC). High-speed rail generally refers to passenger lines capable of operating at speeds of at least 200 km/h (124 mph), including Japan’s famous Shinkansen bullet trains.

China: The Giant of High-Speed Rail

China has built 40,493 km of high-speed rail, giving it a network larger than all other countries combined. The scale of this lead is striking: Spain, the world’s second-ranked country, operates less than one-tenth as much high-speed rail.

China’s rail expansion has been one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in modern history. Since the late 2000s, the country has rapidly connected major cities through a national network designed to reduce travel times and support economic growth. The network links major metropolitan areas including Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Wuhan.

This data table ranks countries based on their total high-speed rail length in operation as of 2024.

Rank	Country	Length in km
1	China	40,493
2	Spain	3993
3	Japan	3146
4	France	2735
5	Germany	1631
6	Turkiye	1232
7	Finland	1120
8	Italy	921
9	Sweden	895
10	South Korea	873
11	USA	735
12	Saudi Arabia	449
13	Austria	254
14	Poland	224
15	Belgium	209
16	Morocco	186
17	Switzerland	176
18	UK	113
19	Netherlands	90
20	Serbia	78
21	Denmark	56

China’s high-speed rail network extends to all Chinese provinces as well as Hong Kong, although Macau remains disconnected as of 2026.

The Beijing-Tianjin route, which began operations in 2008, was China’s first high-speed passenger rail line.

Europe’s High-Speed Rail Champion

In Europe, no country has rolled out high-speed rail more extensively than Spain, which counted 3,993 km of network length as of 2024.

The Barcelona-Madrid high-speed line, which was also introduced in 2008, has helped reduce carbon emissions as travelers have opted for rail instead of short-haul flights between the nation’s two largest cities.

Unlike China’s coast-oriented system, Spain’s high-speed rail network is concentrated around Madrid, which is located in the center of the country. This creates a drawback for travelers hoping to bypass the capital, such as those traveling between Barcelona and Valencia or Alicante and Málaga.

The Lack of High-Speed Rail in the Americas

High-speed rail remains rare outside Eurasia. Of the world’s 10 largest high-speed rail networks, eight are located in Europe or Asia, highlighting how concentrated this infrastructure remains despite decades of discussion in other regions.

In Africa, the challenge has largely been one of resources. Morocco (186 km) is the only country with any high-speed rail in operation as of 2024, while other countries have prioritized more essential infrastructure projects.

In the Americas, meanwhile, high-speed rail has lagged due to transportation systems that prioritize highways and automobile travel over intercity rail. The U.S. has only 735 km of high-speed rail in operation, as long-awaited projects in California have yet to come to fruition.

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If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The State of High-Speed Rail Projects in the U.S. on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.