Recent Topics

What began as a volatility hedge within crypto markets has evolved into one of the most consequential experiments in digital finance: stablecoins are now pushing into mainstream payments, institutional portfolios, and regulatory agendas worldwide. The combined stablecoin market capitalization stood at approximately 292.75 billion U.S. dollars as of July 2026, making the asset class a significant segment of the broader digital asset market. Stablecoins represented roughly 10 percent of the overall crypto market capitalization as of August 2026, a share that reflects the breadth of use cases these instruments now serve across payments, cross-border finance, and decentralized applications. Originally developed as a volatility-reducing alternative within crypto markets, stablecoins today attract institutional capital and regulatory scrutiny in equal measure. Is USDT Still Dominant? Tether (USDT) held the leading position among the top five stablecoins by market capitalization as of August 2026, reflecting a market structure that remains highly concentrated. With just two of 213 stablecoins tracked globally having surpassed 10 billion U.S. dollars in market capitalization as of August 2026, indicating the extent to which the field is dominated by a small number of issuers. Tether's collateral reserve backing stood at approximately 114.96 percent in cash and cash equivalents as of the second quarter of 2026, underscoring the emphasis the sector places on reserve transparency. Stablecoins Move Into Mainstream Payments Annualized stablecoin payment volumes totaled 390 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2025, with business-to-business transactions accounting for 226 billion U.S. dollars, or 58 percent of total volume. Stablecoin-linked card spending reached 4,500 million U.S. dollars in 2025, up 673 percent from 582 million U.S. dollars in 2024. The primary motivations of users for choosing stablecoins over other payment methods worldwide were lower transaction fees and enhanced security. Regulatory Clarity Remains the Key Variable for Growth Mentions of "stablecoin" in U.S. SEC regulatory filings reached 2,298 in 2025, up from 586 in 2024, signaling intensified regulatory attention in the United States. A total of 44 percent of market participants identified regulation and compliance as the primary bottleneck for scaling tokenized assets as of early 2026, placing the policy environment at the center of the industry's near-term trajectory. Whether stablecoins consolidate their role as mainstream payment infrastructure will depend significantly on how those regulatory frameworks take shape in the years ahead.

The United Kingdom entered 2026 as one of the world's largest economies, with UK gross domestic product reaching approximately 2.82 trillion British pounds in 2025. The headline figure, however, obscures persistent structural challenges. Annual GDP growth came in at just 1.3 percent in 2025 and one percent in 2024, barely enough to absorb a decade of low investment, sluggish productivity, and a labor market now showing new signs of strain. A labor market beginning to crack For much of the post-pandemic period, the labor market was the UK economy's most reliable bright spot. That resilience has begun to erode. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.9 percent in June 2026, one of the highest readings since 2021, as recent changes to employer tax policy coincided with a cooling in hiring conditions. Some relief came through wages: median full-time earnings reached approximately 39,000 pounds in 2025, up from 35,000 in 2023, after years of cost-of-living pressure. Brexit and the search for new markets The European Union remains the dominant destination for UK exports, accounting for half of the total in 2023, and exit from the Single Market has added friction that shows no sign of easing. The UK leaned into its services trade surplus in response, which reached 52,726 million pounds in the second quarter of 2026, driven by 141.8 billion pounds in service exports. To diversify beyond Europe, the government pursued new trade partnerships, including the UK-India Free Trade Agreement signed in July 2025 and ongoing negotiations with the United States and Gulf states. Inflation receding, but the fiscal burden is not Inflation peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022 and has since retreated to 2.9 percent in July 2026. Public spending stood at 44.6 percent of GDP in 2025/26, up from 39 percent in 2019/20, while the national debt-to-GDP ratio reached 102 percent in 2025. Higher spending has not relieved service pressure: over 193,000 patients in England were waiting more than 52 weeks for NHS elective treatment in February 2025. The trade-off between consolidation and public services remains unresolved. Growth without prosperity for most The sharpest verdict on the UK's recent economic performance is that aggregate growth has not translated into rising living standards. GDP per capita was 40,537 pounds in 2025, the same as the level recorded in 2022, as two intervening years of decline erased whatever headline growth delivered. This reflects a long-running productivity problem. When GDP expands but output per worker does not keep pace, gains spread thin across a growing population. The UK has not resolved that problem, and until it does, growth figures will continue to rise on paper while most households experience something closer to stagnation.

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) has secured its place as a distinct layer within the global payments ecosystem. BNPL's share in global e-commerce stood at four percent of total e-commerce transaction value worldwide in 2025, a figure that underplays wide regional variation; Europe registered nine percent and North America six percent. China led all BNPL markets worldwide in 2025 with 143.3 billion U.S. dollars in transaction value, followed by the United States at 107.4 billion U.S. dollars and Germany at 71.6 billion U.S. dollars. Asia-Pacific and Europe drive global BNPL volume Between 2022 and 2025, both Asia-Pacific and Europe roughly doubled their BNPL transaction volumes. Asia-Pacific reached 223.4 billion U.S. dollars in BNPL volumes in Asia-Pacific in 2025, up from 115.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Europe followed with 182.1 billion U.S. dollars in BNPL spending across the continent in 2025, up from 92.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Klarna dominates a fragmented competitive field 118 million active users. That is Klarna's lead position among global BNPL providers as of March 2026, more than three times the 32 million reported by second-placed PayPal Pay Later, and well ahead of Afterpay and Affirm at 24 million and 23 million active users, respectively. Country-level data on BNPL use across countries in 2025 shows Sweden, Finland, and Norway recording shares of 25 percent, 19 percent, and 19 percent of domestic e-commerce payments, respectively, against a global average of four percent. That concentration in the Nordic markets may reflect Klarna's origins and the density of its regional merchant network. BNPL becomes a structural fixture in payments Consumer BNPL adoption in the United States grew from 10 percent of adults in 2021 to 15 percent in 2024, then settled into a 13.8 to 15.4 percent range across monthly readings in 2025. Stabilization at that level is not a warning sign. The United States is forecast to reach 258.4 billion U.S. dollars in annual U.S. BNPL spending by 2031, more than doubling from its 2025 level. What the data describes, across regions, is a payment method that has moved past the adoption curve and into the checkout infrastructure of global commerce. BNPL is no longer competing for shelf space alongside credit cards; in several markets, it has already taken it.

Across the financial services industry, artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from a competitive differentiator to an operational baseline. By 2025, 65 percent of financial services institutions reported actively deploying or using AI, with capital markets firms leading adoption at 68 percent. Generative AI (GenAI) accelerated this shift: 61 percent of financial services firms reported active use of GenAI in 2025, up from 52 percent in 2024. Investment has followed suit, with financial sector AI spending estimated at roughly 75 billion U.S. dollars in 2026 and forecast to reach 125.13 billion U.S. dollars by 2028, at a compound annual growth rate of 29 percent. Where banks are placing their bets In the race for AI adoption, the banking sector has made noticeable headway. In 2026, the banking sector's estimated level of AI investment reached 53.14 billion U.S. dollars, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 30 percent and on track to exceed 90 billion U.S. dollars by 2028. This trend is expected to persist as banks continue to budget for AI spending; 70 percent of banking CEOs planned to direct between 10 and 20 percent of their total budgets toward AI over the following 12 months.  Where AI delivers the strongest returns Budget priorities and actual returns tell a consistent story. AI investment priorities among financial service firms were centered on optimizing AI workflows and production cycles. This trend was reflected in AI return on investment (ROI), as AI ROI across financial services segments was highest in document processing at 32 percent overall, followed by customer experience and engagement at 30 percent. In capital markets, algorithmic trading was the second-largest ROI driver at 26 percent. These gains fed through to broader business outcomes: the primary impact of AI adoption was operational efficiencies, noted by over half of firms. Improved employee productivity was the second-highest recorded impact of AI adoption. Profitability gains are real, but distributed unevenly By early 2026, 40 percent of financial institutions reported that AI had increased their overall profitability, with 43 percent reporting no change and a single firm reporting a profitability decline. When reviewing AI profitability by firm type, a starker contrast was visible. With 56 percent of fintechs having reported positive gains compared to 34 percent of traditional financial institutions. The level of AI investment also displayed a notable contrast, as firms spending more than 100,000 U.S. dollars annually on AI reported gains at 61 percent, more than 20 percentage points ahead of lower-spending peers. Despite this variation, most banking leaders are optimistic about the timeline: 69 percent of banks expected to realize a return on their AI investment within one to three years. Just five percent of banks expect a return on AI investment to require five or more years. Future forecast AI is set to be the defining force in financial services through the remainder of the decade. As institutions move from early pilots to full-scale deployment, the strategic advantage will increasingly belong to those that have built proprietary AI capabilities rather than waiting for off-the-shelf solutions. The gap between early movers and late adopters is likely to widen as AI becomes further embedded in core operations, from risk management and compliance to client-facing services. Regulatory frameworks are expected to catch up with the pace of adoption, adding a new layer of complexity that institutions with mature AI governance structures will be better placed to manage. For the sector as a whole, the question is no longer whether AI delivers value, but how effectively each institution can capture it at scale.

Over the past decade, it has become clear that e-commerce is increasingly becoming a mainstay in the European economy. In 2025, e-commerce's share of enterprises' revenue in the European Union reached almost 20 percent, with the e-commerce penetration rate surpassing 60 percent. Online retail and, by extension, online shopping among consumers have become very common in Europe. With this growth, new behaviors and preferences have developed among e-commerce consumers. Amazon's continental grip In a market estimated to be near 700 billion U.S. dollars in 2026, fierce competition is inherent, which is precisely what can be seen in the European market. However, in most of the big European online markets, there is a clear leader: Amazon. The e-commerce giant was the top online store in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France in 2025. In each of these countries, Amazon more than doubled the net sales of its closest competitor, showing its dominance across the continent. The European market is crucial for Amazon, as Germany and the United Kingdom are its main markets outside of its domestic market. Digital wallets pulling ahead at checkout With the rise of e-commerce, online payment providers have not been standing still. Payment options are a key criterion in consumer attitudes on online shopping, and every day there are more options to choose from. The rising star in e-commerce payments is the digital wallet. In 2025, digital wallets represented over a third of the e-commerce transaction value in Europe. Far from stagnant, this payment method is expected to continue thriving and represent 45 percent of the transaction value by 2030. Buy Now, Pay Later services have also gained traction across the region. Shopping without borders European online consumers increasingly look beyond their home markets. In 2024, 40 percent of EU online shoppers purchased from sellers in other member states. The cross-border share of online retail varies widely across the region, but it has reached double digits in most European countries. As new platforms and technologies lower barriers to international purchases, the behavior of European online shoppers is expected to keep evolving.

From galvanizing steel to dietary supplements, zinc, a solid transition metal, has many uses and applications. The majority of zinc mining occurs underground, but this production method generates just over half of the total production volume. As zinc ores contain small concentrations of zinc, they must often be crushed for optimal separation from other minerals. There are several processes to obtain more zinc concentrates, such as roasting and sintering for zinc blends or the pyrometallurgical process. Zinc is one of the world’s most widely used non-ferrous metals, underpinning industries from construction to automotive manufacturing. At 240 million metric tons in 2025, global zinc reserves are large enough to sustain extraction well into the coming decades. Global mine production of zinc numbered approximately 12.5 million metric tons in 2025, up from around 11.9 million metric tons in 2024, confirming that the supply base held after several years of softness. China commands mine output Mine production remains highly concentrated geographically. China produced 4.1 million metric tons in 2025, more than twice the volume of second-ranked Peru at 1.5 million metric tons and third-ranked Australia at 1.1 million metric tons, as zinc mine output by country data show. China’s share of global zinc mining stood at 33.3 percent in 2024; Peru added a further 10.8 percent to global mining production. Together, the two countries controlled nearly half of world supply. India, Mexico, and the United States each contributed between 670,000 and 870,000 metric tons in 2025, a grouping that trails the leaders by a wide margin and shows no signs of closing the gap. The majority of global zinc production happens in politically unstable countries; the share of production in extremely unstable countries is low. Galvanizing anchors demand Corrosion protection drives this market. Galvanizing accounted for 60 percent of zinc end uses worldwide in 2024, applied as a coating on steel used in construction, appliances, and vehicles. Die-casting alloys represented a further 15 percent. Global refined zinc consumption reached approximately 13.8 million metric tons in 2025, a level largely unchanged across recent years, and refined zinc supply and demand data show metal production of 13.8 million metric tons nearly equaled global usage that same year. Beyond traditional industrial applications, zinc is used as a material for photovoltaic cells and as a galvanizing agent for offshore wind turbines as well as storage batteries. Prices climb as trade concentrates in key markets India’s Vedanta led global zinc-producing companies in the first quarter of 2026 with output of 364,000 metric tons, ahead of Switzerland’s Glencore at 176,900 metric tons. On the trade side, the leading zinc-importing nations in 2025 were the United States, with imports valued at 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, and Germany at 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. The quarterly zinc price worldwide climbed to 3,457 U.S. dollars per metric ton in the second quarter of 2026, the highest level recorded since at least the fourth quarter of 2022. That price trajectory reflects a supply side under quiet pressure. Teck Resources’ zinc output of concentrated zinc fell from 650,000 metric tons in 2022 to 565,000 metric tons in 2025. 

Digitalization has fundamentally changed how the world travels. Starting with the establishment of the online travel market in the mid-1990s, through to the emergence of mobile travel apps in the second half of the 2000s, the market share of online travel agencies (OTAs) has grown spectacularly. In fact, online sales channels accounted for an estimated 71 percent share of the global travel market's revenue in 2025. The next step in this revolution is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into travel and tourism, which is already changing the way travelers book and organize their trips. AI adoption among travelers is growing fast but unevenly In 2025, over 40 percent of global travelers said they had used AI to generate travel itineraries. Meanwhile, around a third had used it for translation or searching for flights. This adoption, however, has not been consistent among generations nor among nationalities. When surveyed in December 2025, it was found that the use of AI for travel inspiration worldwide was most prevalent among Gen Zs and Millennials, with over 60 percent of respondents from both age brackets saying they planned to use AI when planning their next vacation. In comparison, less than a third of respondents who fell into the baby boomer category said they planned to do so. There is also a noticeable split geographically, with 81 percent of Chinese travelers saying they intended to use AI for inspiring their next holiday, while less than a third of German and French respondents said the same. Booking Holdings and the cost of staying on top AI might be poised to turn the travel market on its head, with countless possibilities from large language models (LLMs) yet to be realized. However, OTAs still dominate the market when it comes to booking trips. Among the leading OTAs by revenue, one company stands out among the rest – Booking Holdings – generating close to 27 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025. This was nearly double the figure recorded by the Expedia Group. Looking at the most visited travel and tourism websites worldwide in April 2026, the primacy of booking.com, the main brand of Booking Holdings, is even more pronounced. That month, there were close to 400 million visits to the website, which was over three-fold the number of visits recorded by second-placed trip.com. That kind of traffic doesn't come free: travel ranked among the industries with the highest share of digital advertising spending in the United States in 2024, reflecting how heavily OTAs invest in paid channels to maintain their visibility. Whether AI-powered planning tools will eventually redirect some of that spending remains one of the industry's open questions.

Switzerland is known today as the leader of the watchmaking scene. Swiss watches are said to be some of the most reliable, attractive, well-crafted products. Swiss watchmaking has also withstood the test of time, surviving the invention of Quartz watches, digital watches, as well as smart watches. Today, Swiss watches can be seen as a luxury item, and many people buy them for their superior quality and status. Revenue in the luxury watches and jewelry segment worldwide surpassed 150 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, underscoring the scale of global demand. Swiss watch exports worldwide In 2025, global Swiss watch exports were valued at approximately 25.6 billion Swiss francs. The leading destination for Swiss watch exports was the United States, which accounted for approximately 17 percent of all exports that year, followed by Japan and China. In recent years, the majority of Swiss watch export value has been driven by luxury items. Swiss watches valued over three thousand Swiss francs account for an overwhelming share of the market export value. Neuchâtel at the heart of Swiss watchmaking As of 2025, there were 685 individual companies within the Swiss watchmaking industry. The highest number of these watchmaking companies are located in the canton of Neuchâtel. Around 190 Swiss watch companies operate in that canton alone. Unsurprisingly, Rolex is the brand with the largest market share of Swiss watches in the world. In 2025, the brand pulled in the highest sales revenue among luxury watch makers. Rolex is a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer located in Geneva, Switzerland. Cartier held the second-largest brand share, while Omega, which is now a subsidiary of the Swatch Group, ranked fourth. The Swatch Group's revenues have fluctuated over the years; in the financial year 2025, the company generated around 6.3 billion Swiss francs. Even as total Swiss watch export value eased slightly from 2024, the dominance of high-end timepieces in the export mix points to an industry that continues to bet on luxury as its foundation.

The UEFA European Championships (EURO) 2020 was originally scheduled to take place from June 12 to July 12, 2020, but, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it was decided on March 17, 2020 that the tournament would be postponed by one year to be held from June 11 to July 11, 2021. The final, which was held at Wembley Stadium in front of over 60,000 fans, was won by Italy on penalties against England, marking the nation's second title at the European Championships. The European Championships first took place in 1960 and have taken place every four years since. So far, there have been 15 tournaments, making EURO 2020 (held in 2021) number 16. There was another aspect which, aside from the aforementioned postponement, set this year's championship apart from the previous editions - for the first time in the tournament's history, the matches did not take place in one (or two) countries, but across 11 countries all over Europe. Hosting nations vs. COVID-19 There were initially 13 countries chosen to host matches for EURO 2020. However, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin announced in March 2021 that matches would only be held in stadiums which allowed spectators according to the corresponding government's coronavirus regulations. This move was aimed at aiding the already suffering revenue lost from the original postponement, as well as fostering the soccer spirit of the EUROs by allowing fans to see the games live. As a result of this announcement, Bilbao and Dublin were removed as host nations, leaving 11 remaining host cities: Amsterdam, Baku, Budapest, Bucharest, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Munich, London, Rome, Seville, and Saint Petersburg.The semi-finals and final were held at Wembley Stadium in London and, at one point, there were even discussions about hosting the entire tournament in the UK, which 2 out of 5 Britons would have been in favor of. In the same survey, two thirds of respondents believed that proof of vaccination should be mandatory in order to attend matches as a fan. Ultimately, hosting cities had different regulations regarding attendance during the pandemic, with permitted attendances ranging from roughly 25 to 45 percent of stadium capacities. Outliers included Munich with the lowest allowed attendance of 22 percent, Baku and Saint Petersburg with 50 percent, and Budapest, which allowed full stadium attendance for some games. Wembley Stadium had the largest stadium capacity of all the EURO 2020 hosts, and was therefore unsurprisingly estimated to have the highest ticket sales. Tournament structure and teams For the second time in its history after the tournament's expansion in 2016, EURO 2020 included 24 national teams and a total of 51 matches. The teams were separated into six groups from A to F, of which Turkey vs. Italy in Group A contested the opener in Rome on June 11, 2021. Going into the tournament, the two standout nations from previous tournaments were Germany and Spain. Germany holds the record for most appearances in the EUROs, having taken part 13 times, while Spain has appeared 11 times in the tournament. Both countries are tied for most championships won with three titles each. However, there were also some new faces in this year's European Championships, with Finland and North Macedonia making their debut in the EUROs.In terms of the assembled national squads, England had the most expensive team in the lead up to the tournament, with the national team's entire roster adding up to a market value of approximately 1.47 billion euros. Top of the list of England's squad was captain Harry Kane, who was the Three Lions' most valuable player, estimated at around 120 million euros. Of course, other nations also had their star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, who holds the record for most goals in EURO history, or Kylian Mbappé of France, who was estimated to be the most valuable player at the tournament in terms of market value. UEFA's prized possession The revenue of the EUROs has significantly increased throughout the decades and is the most significant national tournament on UEFA's calendar. EURO 2016 in France generated roughly 1.9 billion euros. The majority of this income came from broadcasting fees, followed by commercials rights. Since these revenue sources are not as heavily affected by the coronavirus as ticketing, it remains to be seen how badly the pandemic will affect these revenues. In 2020, it was estimated that a postponement would cause a revenue loss of 300 million euros. The latest projected target revenue for EURO 2020 stood at roughly 2.5 billion, with a target profit of one billion euros. Gamblers hope to win big One of the many activities people are into while watching the games, aside from chatting on social media, searching for match details or simply working, is checking odds and betting on gambling websites. According to a recent survey in the United Kingdom, the most common way to bet on the EUROs was via an online sportsbook or bookmaker, where people tended to rely on a hunch or feeling as well as their understanding from previous results to make their selections. The most common bets during the tournament were forecast to be on individual matches and the overall championship winner. Celebrity soccer stars Soccer players are celebrated for their achievements and their talent on the pitch. However, some reach celebrity status and are able to market their own brands off the pitch as well. To celebrate this year's EUROs, Statista has combined data on social media, news media articles, and transfer market values to provide a EURO 2021 - Celebrity Index in the form of a DossierPlus.

Although the lowest point of the COVID-19 financial crash occurred during March 2020 for all major stock markets, the subsequent recovery has been uneven. While some markets (notably in the U.S.) rebounded to reach record highs by the end of 2020, others (such as in the U.K.) remain below their pre-coronavirus peak. Other types of financial markets have also seen variable pandemic-related developments over 2020. For example, government bond yields plummeted with the onset of the pandemic as investors sought a safe haven for their funds. However, 10-year bond yields in the U.S. rose more quickly than in Germany over 2020, indicating investors have more confidence in U.S. economic growth than German. 2020 also saw varying returns within commodity markets, with precious metals outperforming U.S. equities, even though overall commodity prices generated negative returns. Influence of government responses Three factors related to governments’ responses to the pandemic influenced the uneven recovery of financial markets: differing COVID-19 case rates among countries; coronavirus vaccination rates, and differing levels of fiscal stimulus spending. Each of these three factors likely played a role in the speed of recovery, however it is difficult to isolate the exact influence of each factor as countries generally show a difference across more than one variable. For example, despite similar vaccination rates, the quicker recovery of German financial markets than French was likely influenced by both Germany’s lower case rates, and higher fiscal spending. Similarly, U.S. markets recovered faster than Germany’s, despite the former’s higher case rates and proportionally lower fiscal stimulus. This cannot simply be attributed to the U.S.’s higher vaccination rate though: initial U.S. stimulus spending was specifically targeted at capital; meanwhile U.K. financial markets remain below pre-corona levels, despite having one of highest vaccination rates (although this is likely also affected by Brexit). Effect of COVID-19 on different industries Another other important factor in the uneven post-corona recovery of financial markets is the question of what types of companies operate in which markets. It is telling that the NASDAQ – which is comprised largely of companies in the technology sector - recovered more quickly than other stock exchanges. The NASDAQ is home to many of the fastest growing companies in 2020, with many of these companies (such as Amazon and PayPal) being beneficiaries of the growth in online retailing precipitated by lockdowns. Conversely, companies which lost the most value over 2020 tended to operate in more traditional industries – notably energy and tourism. This is not surprising given the reduction in tourism and commuting during the pandemic. Accordingly, financial markets with a high concentration of shares for companies benefiting from the pandemic recovered more quickly than more diversified, traditional markets.

Several of the world’s most valuable companies had humble beginnings as startups and were founded by influential entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg. A startup is a young company that has developed a unique business idea, aims to make an instant impact, and take over the market. Highly valued startups are known as unicorns, which is a reference to their elusiveness. China and the United States have the highest number of unicorns worldwide, but one of the most active regions for startups is Latin America. Meanwhile, a smaller percentage of the population of South Korea and India are involved in startups. The most valuable startups worldwide New startups get off the ground around the world every day. However, for each successful idea, there are thousands that fail. Highly valued startups are known as unicorns, which is a reference to their elusiveness. As of April 2021, the most valuable startup worldwide was the Chinese tech company Ant Group, previously known as Ant Financial. Most of the highest valued unicorns globally hail from either China or the United States. Although more than twice as many unicorns were headquartered in the U.S. as were in China, the highest valued Chinese unicorns were worth almost twice as much as their U.S. counterparts. Which region has the most unicorn exits? Once a unicorn goes public or is acquired, then it is no longer referred to as a unicorn and this process is called an exit. The number of North American unicorn exits has risen steadily year-on-year since 2014. However, the same cannot be said for unicorns from any other region. For instance, the peak of exits in the Asia-Pacific region occurred in 2018 before falling in subsequent years. In spite of the difference in volume of exits, the value of exits in North America and the Asia-Pacific region over the last decade and a half has remained high.

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from the real world. The aim of VR is to create a sensory experience for the user sometimes including sight, touch, hearing, smell, or even taste. Global spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is forecast to amount to 58.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, whilst the consumer VR hardware and software market alone is projected to increase to 5.1 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. The potential impacts of new technologies like VR are now more apparent, with forecasts suggesting VR will boost gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide by 450.5 billion U.S. dollars by 2030. In addition to this, it is predicted that over 23 million jobs globally will be enhanced by VR/AR technologies globally by 2030. AR/VR market in Europe In Europe, the AR/VR market is forecast to reach 20.9 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, with the use cases of VR widening and developing as businesses realize the full potential. For European nations, VR is similarly forecast to bring about economic benefits. A boost to GDP of 29.8 billion U.S. dollars by 2030 has been projected in Germany, whilst in the UK, GDP is forecast to receive a 20.1 billion U.S. dollar boost as a result of VR technology. Furthermore, over 400 thousand jobs will be enhanced by VR/AR in both Germany and the UK by 2030, an increase from the 10 to 15 thousand jobs that were enhanced by VR/AR in each of these countries in 2019. AR/VR technology Currently, standard virtual reality systems use either virtual reality headsets or multi-projected environments to generate realistic sensations that simulate a user's physical presence in a virtual environment. The effect is commonly created by VR headsets consisting of a head-mounted display (HMD) - a wraparound headset which does not allow light or images from the real world to interfere with the virtual one. VR headset suppliers include HTC, Oculus, PlayStation and Valve. VR gaming and VR video make up the largest consumer use cases for VR technology, with 20.8 billion U.S. dollars expected to be spent worldwide in 2023 on these areas alone. In Poland, ten percent of gamers used VR devices, with a VR mobile set among the most common device types. However, experts have suggested that the benefits of VR will have an impact upon industry too, with improvements to efficiency a real possibility. As a result, by 2023 it is expected that industrial usage worldwide will be three times larger than that of consumers.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup took place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. It was the 22nd edition of the World Cup, with the tournament first taking place in 1930. It was also the first World Cup held in an Arab nation, and only the second to be held in Asia. After an eventful tournament, Argentina emerged as winners, with Lionel Messi lifting the country's third World Cup title following a dramatic final victory against France. The host nation - Qatar Qatar is a peninsula in the Persian Gulf with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Eight stadiums hosted the tournament's World Cup matches, mostly located towards the eastern coast of the 11.6 thousand square kilometer (or 4.5 thousand square mile) large peninsula. Six stadiums had a capacity of roughly 40 thousand spectators, with the Al Bayt Stadium hosting the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador on November 20. The Lusail Stadium, also known as the Lusail Iconic Stadium, hosted the tournament's final.After Qatar won the bid for the rights to host the World Cup 2022 back in December 2010, accusations were made of corruption, bribery, and cheating by the Qatar bid committee to obtain these rights. An internal investigation by FIFA was launched, but in its final report, it was concluded that there was no wrongdoing by Qatar. The country subsequently faced intense criticism due to its treatment of migrant workers in the construction of the stadiums ahead of the tournament. The hottest ticket in town doesn't come cheap Category 1 tickets for the final cost 5,850 Qatari riyal, or roughly 1,607 U.S. dollars. This marked an increase of 46 percent on the 1,100 U.S. dollars charged at the previous World Cup in Russia. For group matches, Category 4 tickets sold for a much more reasonable 11 U.S. dollars. Ticket prices for a team-specific match series ranged from 227 U.S. dollars for three Category 3 group matches, to 4,754 U.S. dollars for seven Category 1 tickets, including the opening match, the quarter-final, semi-final and final. The ever-growing World Cup FIFA considered increasing the number of teams competing in Qatar 2022 from 32 to 48. However, it was decided that the number of participating teams would remain at 32, with the expansion to 48 nations starting at the next World Cup in 2026. Following an initial eight-group stage, the 2022 tournament entered a knockout phase, with the final ultimately taking place on December 18. England had the star squad, but crashed out in the quarter finals Ahead of the tournament, England's squad had the highest market value at approximately 1.5 billion euros, followed by Brazil at 1.46 billion euros. The player with the highest market value was France's Kylian Mbappé, who won the tournament's Golden Boot award. Mbappé, who plays for Paris-Saint Germain, was valued at 160 million euros. On the other end of the spectrum, Costa Rica's squad ranked lowest in market value, with a combined value of around 23 million euros. Effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine After the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the national teams of Czechia, Poland, and Sweden, who were due to face Russia in the UEFA play-offs to qualify for the World Cup, announced their unwillingness to play any matches on Russian territory. Just three days later, FIFA issued several sanctions around Russia's participation, followed one day later by a suspension of Russia from international competitions until further notice.

The world is currently embroiled in a global energy crisis that has greatly affected commodity prices, with repercussions for households, manufacturers, and the wider economy alike. As reduced global natural gas supply could not keep up with the growth in demand arising from the first stages of economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, gas prices skyrocketed. Record high prices for natural gas saw demand for coal as an alternative - and therefore coal prices - also rise. The ripple effects of the energy supply shortage have since been felt in the prices of electricity, transportation fuels, and even fertilizers. A perfect storm for the European energy sector Between a long and cold winter that depleted gas stocks, extreme temperatures in the summer months, and the rebound of commercial and industrial activities, 2021 saw primary energy demand in Europe return to pre-pandemic levels. However, the growth in demand was met by low wind speeds which impacted wind power generation, coal-fired and nuclear electricity capacities that have been declining for over a decade, and a reduced natural gas supply from its main source, Russia. In turn, monthly wholesale electricity prices surged across the continent. Although prices had seen small signs of recovery in the first two months of 2022, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (and the trade and economic sanctions that followed) prices have been on an upward trend, breaking records month after month, and reminding the European Union of its reliance on Russia for meeting energy demand. China and a coal supply crisis On the other side of the world, China’s energy crisis primarily concentrated around coal. Like Europe, China’s electricity demand has increased in the “post-pandemic” recovery, sparked by both domestic and international appetite for Chinese goods. Coal is the main source of energy generation in China. However, in recent years, the government has slowly tried to transition away from this emission-intensive fuel, resulting in a slowing of coal production. Combined with a ban on coal imports from its largest supplier, Australia, power demand began exceeding supply. In turn, the government had to ration electricity, leading to factories facing blackouts and reduced output, and causing supply chain disruptions the world over. More recently, in mid-2022, a record heatwave and subsequent drought has impacted China’s hydropower capacity, boosting coal demand once again. Rising coal prices affected other major coal consumers in the continent, such as India, and also brought about swelling prices for commodities such as aluminum and steel, which are produced in smelters using coal. Repercussions for wider economy As the Northern Hemisphere heads once again into the winter months, greater energy demand for heating is set to exacerbate the supply shortage and force manufacturers into increasing consumer prices further. Global inflation rate forecasts show that costs for goods and services are to increase by more than seven percent in 2022, when compared to the previous year. With energy commodities traded in the global market, even countries fairly independent of fossil fuel imports have not been spared. For example, the U.S. saw its retail prices for diesel fuel grow more than 75 percent in June 2022, year-on-year. Meanwhile, the European Commission has proposed a series of emergency measures as they prepare for the winter, from filling up natural gas storages and reducing peak electricity demand, to redistributing excessive profits from fossil fuel activities.

The United States, as the name suggests, has been a federal state system since the inception of the nation. However, what has changed is the number of states contained in the country. When the United States was established in 1776, there were 13 states. There are now 50 states in the United States, with Congress most recently exercising their right to admit new states in 1959, when Hawaii and Alaska were admitted to the union. All these changes prompted a number of flag changes over the years, with the number of states in the union dictating the number of stars present in the iconic “Stars and Stripes” of the United States. The District of Columbia and state-by-state analysis Given the geographic, historical, and cultural diversities of the various states, it is not surprising that analysis in the United States is often conducted on the state level. The District of Columbia is often included in such analyses as the 51st "state." The district does not hold statehood, as it was established as a political neutral without allegiance to any particular state. The inclusion of D.C. can certainly be justified in state by state comparisons, as it often falls at the more extreme ends of the scale. D.C. boasts the highest per capita real GDP, but at the same time has the highest violent crime rate in the country, both by considerable margins. Such analysis is also desirable due to the responsibilities of government allocated at the state level. States are given liberty to tax their citizens, shape their health and education systems, and install statewide economic regulation. This allows for policy makers to target issues in the specific states in which they arise without being bound by national interests or federal politics. For example, income inequality is considerably higher in New York than it is in Hawaii. The ability of New York to increase state taxes and institute a higher minimum wage to help combat the issue of poverty without directly influencing the economies of other states is a prime example of the advantages of a state system. The un-United States? The downside of such a state based system is that the states of the United States are not always so united on the federal level. A look at religiosity of each state suggests that state politics may result in difference democratic outcomes depending on the demographic composition of that state. When it comes to morally contentious issues such as abortion, consensus has then proven almost impossible to achieve despite many individual states holding a clear stance on the issue.

Vietnam has been among the leading countries for cryptocurrency usage for the past few years. Despite the country’s lack of legal framework for owning, trading, and using cryptocurrencies, the adoption rate of these digital currencies among its population has been among the highest worldwide. The majority of Vietnamese investors, especially younger ones, are aware of and have expressed positive sentiments toward cryptocurrencies as a type of investment. Why are cryptocurrencies so popular in Vietnam? According to the Crypto Adoption Index, in October 2021, Vietnam surpassed most countries in terms of the overall peer-to-peer transaction value, as well as payments made by individuals. Initially, cryptocurrency appeared as a viable alternative for remittance transfers from overseas Vietnamese who were looking to avoid the hassle and costs associated with using banking services. In general, remittances have been representing a substantial share of Vietnam’s GDP, which gave early cryptocurrency usage a good foothold in the country. Another possible explanation for the popularity of these digital assets in Vietnam is that they are often seen and used as investment tools. The uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to investment interest in cryptocurrencies as a new income source among Vietnamese investors. Furthermore, the Vietnamese population has been known to embrace all things digital, from the internet and smartphones to digital payment formats such as e-wallets and crypto assets. Cryptocurrencies in Vietnam: Bitcoin, GameFi, and more Bitcoin is arguably the most established cryptocurrency worldwide, and Vietnam is no exception. Regardless of the emergence and development of other cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin remains the digital currency with the most search interest and the highest ownership rate among Vietnamese investors. Apart from Bitcoin and other well-known cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, GameFi is another popular cryptocurrency category among Vietnamese investors. GameFi cryptocurrencies combine gaming and decentralized finance, which means participants can make a profit from playing games and investing in tokens at the same time. Vietnam's growing gamer community provides GameFi coins with a solid basis to thrive. For instance, AXS, a GameFi cryptocurrency created by the Vietnamese game developer company Axie Infinity, has recently achieved a market capitalization of over 2.5 billion U.S. dollars within a few years of its release. Nevertheless, all cryptocurrencies still face the challenge of not being recognized as either a legitimate payment form or as a type of property in Vietnam, hence, the exchange of these assets has yet to be legal. While Vietnamese investors still trade and use crypto assets using international platforms, their activities are potentially subjected to legal fines, and their investments are neither taxable nor protected by Vietnamese laws. The State Bank of Vietnam is currently working on a pilot regulation project for digital assets, which is to be implemented latest in 2023. The elimination of this legal gap should foster the further development of the crypto market in the country in the future.

Although COVID-19 continues to circulate around the world, the impact of the disease in many countries has greatly lessened. High rates of vaccination in many countries and the high number of people who have already been infected with the disease, have contributed to a decrease in new cases and many countries have completely lifted COVID-19 restrictions and even stopped keeping accurate counts of new infections. As of May 2, 2023, the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide had reached over 687 million. Canada confirmed its first case in late January 2020 – linked to an individual who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China. It was not until the beginning of March 2020 that the first case of community transmission was reported. Shortly afterward, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Canada began to rise. This resulted in provinces and territories declaring states of emergency, closing schools and non-essential businesses, and prohibiting public gatherings. As a result, the daily number of new cases of COVID-19 in Canada decreased. However, cases began to surge in the autumn, once again causing restrictions to be put into place. A sharp fall in cases was recorded in early 2021, but the country started to experience a third wave of infection in March and again in December of 2021. As of April 25, 2023, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Canada had reached 4.65 million, with most cases found in Ontario and Quebec. What percentage of Canada’s population has been vaccinated? There are currently a number of COVID-19 vaccines approved for distribution and administration in Canada. The COVID-19 vaccine most widely distributed in Canada has been developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. The other vaccines have been made by Moderna, Novavax, Medicago, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. The number of people in Canada who are partially vaccinated against COVID-19 is around 2.66 million, while 24.4 million have been fully vaccinated. The provinces or territories with the highest coverage of fully vaccinated people are Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Around 80.7 percent of Canada’s population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of March 26, 2023. The COVID-19 death toll in Canada As of April 15, 2023, there had been 51.9 thousand coronavirus-related fatalities across the country. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Canada by province showed that, once again, Quebec and Ontario were the most affected areas. Unsurprisingly, when looking at the number of COVID-19 deaths in Canada by age, it is very clear that the elderly are most at risk. In fact, those aged 80 years and older have accounted for around 58 percent of the deaths in Canada. What impact has the pandemic had on Canada’s economy? Much like the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a staggering effect on Canada’s economy. It was estimated that the unemployment rate in Canada in 2020 was around 9.58 percent, almost double what it was in 2019. Furthermore, Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) decreased in 2020 for the first time in decades. The pandemic has negatively impacted many industries, with tourism, airlines, and other service-related industries some of the hardest hit. In response, the government has initiated financial aid and social security programs aimed at helping individuals and families as well as businesses.For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

After reigning for more than 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96. The Queen was the longest-reigning monarch in British history having recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in the summer of 2022. King Charles III became the British monarch immediately after his mother's death, with his coronation taking place on May 6, 2023. The King's reign so far Charles III became King at the age of 73 and is the oldest British monarch to be crowned in history. Almost three years into his reign, Charles has already seen two Prime Ministers come and go, following the resignation of Liz Truss in October 2022, and the defeat of her successor Rishi Sunak in the 2024 general election. Just a few months before this election, the King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, and briefly withdrew from Royal Duties while receiving treatment. The King's daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, was also diagnosed with cancer around this time, and underwent chemotherapy treatment that she completed in September 2024. An eventful reign comes to an end Throughout her reign, the Queen witnessed a vast array of changes to the United Kingdom's global position, largely due to the collapse of the British Empire after World War Two. The Queen also saw the rise and fall of 15 different British Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill, born in 1874, to Liz Truss born over a hundred years later in 1975, as well as 13 U.S. presidents. As of 2022, the Queen was by far the most-popular member of the Royal Family, with 81 percent of people in Great Britain having a positive impression of her. Although not universally supported by the British public, recent surveys suggest that a majority of people in Great Britain wanted to keep the monarchy, rather than have an elected head of state. Royal Controversies The Royal Family are no strangers to controversy and the mixed fortunes of the Royals in recent years have been well-documented. In Oprah Winfrey's March 2021 interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan described experiences of racism and how their treatment by the British media damaged their mental health, leading to their move to the United States in early 2020. These revelations have further damaged the standing of the Royal Family, still reeling from recent sexual abuse allegations made against the late Queen's son Prince Andrew. A survey conducted just after the Harry and Meghan interview, however, highlighted the split in public opinion regarding the matter, with 36 percent of British people feeling more sympathy for the Queen and Royal Family than they did for the Sussexes, who had 22 percent of people feeling sympathetic to them. How is the Royal Family funded? According to the most recent financial accounts, the Royal Family spent approximately 85.2 million pounds in the 2024/25 financial year, with that figure increasing by almost 20 million pounds between 2017/18 and 2018/19. These expenses are covered by a variety of different income sources, although the main one by far is the Sovereign Grant, the annual payment from the UK government to the monarchy based on revenue from the crown estates. Another important source of funding for the monarch is the income from their private estate; the Duchy of Lancaster, while for the Prince of Wales, an income is provided by revenue from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Around the world, costs for consumers have been increasing and the price of food and drink is no exception; advice on how to save money when grocery shopping and cooking at home in the most developed economies worldwide is now commonplace. Food price increases have begun to creep up again in 2025, meaning that levels of food insecurity and poor nutrition may continue to rise further, helping to keep inflation at the top of the list of consumers’ biggest worries around the world in 2025. Recently, have been notable price spikes in cocoa, coffee, and eggs, the latter specifically in the United States. As of July 2025, the average 12-month inflation rate for all food items in the United States stood at 2.9 percent, however, eggs experienced a price increase of over 16 percent compared to the previous year. American grocery expenditure may continue to rise past the all-time high of 2025 if such trends continue. How are changes in food prices measured? Indexes are a useful tool for gauging price increases across categories. The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) measures the change in global prices of a basket of food products by comparing current prices against a weighted average of one hundred. The index tracks the most traded food commodities: meat, dairy, cereals, vegetable oils, and sugar. The global food price index averaged an all-time high in March 2022 at 159.3 points. After the initial price explosion, the index began to return to levels similar to the beginning of 2022. The index stood at 130.1 in August 2025. Secondly, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a key national inflation measurement tool designed to track the rise and fall in product prices, that also uses weighted averages. Despite the global price index dropping compared to the high in 2022, the picture on a national level can look quite different; a record-high CPI for food and non-alcoholic beverages was measured in July 2025 in the UK. Some Latin American countries are also feeling the pinch more than ever; the inflation rate of food prices reached an all-time high in Argentina in March 2024 at just over 308 percent. Price growth has slowed down but remained positive into 2025, meaning that prices are still rising. What causes food price increases? According to the aforementioned global food price index, prices began to rise in the early summer of 2020. The economic impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide, such as product and labor shortages, started to show around this time. Things took a turn for the worse early in 2022; between January 2022 and March 2022 alone, coinciding with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, figures increased by over 17 percent. Both Russia and Ukraine are responsible for a large share of global trade in essential agricultural commodities. In the 2024/2025 trade year, it was forecast that Ukraine would export 14 million metric tons of wheat, flour, and wheat products, the lowest figure on record since 2014/15. The war is likely to continue to hit Ukraine and Russia's output of all agri-food products, causing shortages and further price increases globally. Along with the assault on Ukraine and the long-lasting global impact of the pandemic, inflated costs of energy which impact fertilizer costs used in agricultural production, tariffs on agri-food products, poor crop conditions caused by extreme weather and droughts, and avian flu outbreaks are other factors in pushing up the cost of basic food staples. For example, the impact of avian flu can be seen in the standout increase in the price of eggs in the United States. How are consumers reacting? People around the world are adapting their shopping habits in response to these financial pressures. Private label products, otherwise known as own-brand or store-brand, are generally a cheaper alternative; food categories experiencing the highest level of inflation may continue to see an increase in sales of private label products. During a 2025 survey, between 32 and 52 percent of European respondents in selected countries stated that they were trying to save on food costs by purchasing mostly store brands. Portuguese respondents were the most likely to exhibit such shopping behavior, while Italian shoppers were the least likely. The most common way to cut down on grocery costs that respondents reported across almost all surveyed countries was to reduce at-home food waste.

If one enterprise knows how to keep growing in a challenging global environment via shrewd acquisitions and divestment, it is Nestlé. Nestlé is the biggest FMCG company on the planet and is intent on keeping it that way. Its North American business can be seen as an example of acquisitions paying their dividends. The heart of Nestlé’s NA business is the sale of pet care products. The success in this industry can be traced back to the acquisitions of pet care companies Spillers Petfoods and Ralston Purina around the turn of the century, which vastly expanded the company’s presence in the pet food sector and especially in the U.S. market. More recently Nestlé bought a majority of shares for the Brazilian premium chocolate company Grupo CRM. This purchase brought the brands Kopenhagen and Brazil Cacau into Nestlé’s sizeable brand portfolio. Nestlé also acquired the coffee brand Seattle’s Best Coffee from Starbucks in 2022. The business of the number one As the biggest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company on the planet, the Swiss corporation needs no real introduction. Its business is primarily made with the sale of powdered and liquid beverages and pet care products with more than 25 billion Swiss francs and close to 18.5 billion Swiss francs in sales, respectively. Among the sectors the company is active in, confectionery ranks sixth in sales but has been growing for the past five years. This reversed a downward trend in confectionery sales from 2012 to 2020. In 2018, Nestlé divested itself from its U.S. confectionery business and sold it to Ferrero, intending to focus on growth markets in other categories. Moving ahead with a tainted reputation Nestlé has had its share of scandals, from the critique of its advertising practices for baby food in developing countries in the 1970s to more recent accusations of child labor on plantations that supply the company with cocoa. Nestlé responded by implementing its Cocoa Plan: a program which includes a Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System designed to reduce child labor risks. By now, 96.2 percent of its cocoa is sourced through this plan. Staying in the lead Beyond rectifying previous mistakes, Nestlé is proactively seeking to align its practices with standards increasingly demanded by shareholders and consumers alike. The company is moving forward with a transition of energy supplies for its manufacturing, and as of 2024, more than 95 percent of the company’s electricity demand for product manufacturing was covered by renewables. Furthermore, Nestlé boasts a share of 48.2 percent of women in middle and senior management positions. The company thus also addresses consumer demands for sustainability and social representation, future-proofing its reputation.

When it comes to physical gambling locations, the United States is certainly holding a few aces. Hearing the name of Las Vegas alone is enough to conjure images of stacked poker tables, whirling slot machines, and opulent casinos. However, regarding the digital side of the industry, the rise of online gambling in the last two decades has not been as seamless in the U.S. as it has been in other parts of the world. In fact, only nine states had fully legalized online casino games and poker as of December 2024. On the other hand, state legislators have been more permissive with online sports betting, with 32 states having fully legalized it between 2018 and 2025. Nevertheless, in-person gambling in the U.S. has continued to dominate, with the gross gaming revenue (GGR) from commercial land-based gambling being almost two-fold that of the GGR from online gambling in 2025.  What are the most popular forms of online gambling in the U.S.? During a 2024 survey, it was found that online sports betting was more popular in the U.S. than either online casino games or online slot machines. In total, 10 percent of U.S. adults said they took part in online sports betting. In the same survey, it was also revealed that online sports betting was also the form of gambling with the largest disparity between male and female participants, with 15 percent of men in the U.S. betting on sports online, while only six percent of women did. The popularity of sports betting in the U.S. is reflected in the market size of the online gambling industry in the U.S. increasing nearly ten-fold between 2018 and 2025, going from 5.46 billion U.S. dollars to close to 31.83 billion U.S. dollars.  What does the future hold for online gambling in the U.S.? Estimates from Statista Digital Market Insights predict the market size of the U.S. online gambling industry will continue to grow in the coming years, reaching nearly 50 billion U.S. dollars by 2030. Increased participation in all gambling forms in the U.S. between 2021 and 2024 and a higher level of acceptance surrounding gambling in recent years both suggest that the online gambling markets (in the current states that have legalized it) will contribute significantly to the overall growth of the industry. Calls for legalization in other states, however, were noticeably subdued in 2024, with concerns about the cannibalization of the land-based market and the heightened risk of problem gambling looming large on the minds of legislators. This comes on the back of research that shows the higher prevalence of problem gambling among those who participate in online gambling compared to those who take part in-person. Nevertheless, with tax rates on iGaming reaching as high as 28 percent in states such as Michigan, the financial incentive to legalize online casinos might convince more and more states to follow suit in the coming years.

As an industry seemingly built on chance, the odds of the global casino sector growing in the coming years appear a safe bet. Thanks to the ongoing legalization of gambling-related activities in many parts of the world, licensed casinos have expanded to new markets and generated record-breaking revenue figures. While the market size of the casino and online gambling industry suffered heavily during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, falling by nearly 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, the recovery has been steady. As of 2024, the industry’s market size totaled over 283 billion U.S. dollars. At the center of this growth have been leading casino companies such as MGM Resorts, which alone generated 17.24 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2024. Online enterprises specializing in sports betting have also carved out significant chunks of the market share, with Fanduel and DraftKings both ranking as two of the most valuable gambling brands globally in 2025.  Casinos in the United States: Placing all bets on Las Vegas? Whether land-based, on riverboats, or at racetracks, casinos are among the most popular gambling establishments in the United States. Over the last few years, the number of commercial and tribal casinos in the U.S. has remained relatively consistent, with 492 commercial and 537 tribal casinos operating nationwide in 2024. Today, the U.S. is home to some of the most famous names in the gambling world, such as Caesar’s Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands, and Wynn Resorts, as well as perhaps the most widely known gambling destination in the world: Las Vegas, Nevada. Every year, the number of visitors to Las Vegas reaches into the tens of millions, with many wanting to try their luck at poker tables and slot machines, or enjoy the casinos' various hotel and restaurant services, live shows, and entertainment options. Thanks to this influx of American and international tourists, Nevada remains the U.S. state with the highest gross gaming casino revenue in the country. Is Macao the new Las Vegas? While Las Vegas remains the gambling and entertainment capital of the U.S., Macao has been fighting for its place as the global casino capital since the early 2000s. As one of the two Special Administrative Regions of China, Macao is the only part of China where commercial gambling is legal, which makes it one of the country's most thriving tourism hubs and an attractive playground for international investors. After a wave of casino openings, Macao has become a leader in the global casino market with an annual gross gaming and gambling revenue of around 226 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Having taken Vegas’ crown as the global focal point for gambling, Macao’s place at the top does look like coming to an end any time soon.

What distinguishes the European Union is its unified regulatory architecture governing pharmaceutical standards across 27 member states. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) operates as the centralized authority evaluating drug safety, efficacy, and quality before market authorization through Regulation (EC) No 726/2004. This harmonized approach ensures a single approval decision grants market access across the entire bloc. The EU pharmaceutical market reached 205 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, making regulatory compliance a non-negotiable strategic priority. Non-compliance can halt multi-million-dollar product lines overnight. In March 2026, the EU published its most comprehensive pharmaceutical legislation overhaul in over two decades, introducing regulatory sandboxes and shortened EMA review timelines (180 days versus 210). Oncology drugs lead the therapeutic landscape with 38 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025, reflecting the bloc's commitment to supporting innovation in high-stakes disease areas. When Supplements Cross the Regulatory Boundary Under Directive 2002/46/EC, dietary supplements are legally classified as foodstuffs rather than drugs—a distinction that exempts them from premarket drug approval. Marketing claims serve as the legal trigger: "supports bone health" qualifies as compliant, whereas "treats osteoporosis" reclassifies the product as a drug. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) oversees this boundary through Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, requiring all health claims undergo rigorous scientific validation. This process can extend two years and cost millions of euros. The rejection rate for submitted health claims exceeds 80 percent, constraining marketing strategies and favoring established players with resources to fund clinical trials. This gatekeeping effect has shifted consumer expectations: research shows consumers increasingly prioritize trustworthiness and reliability when selecting supplement brands, reflecting the regulatory emphasis on scientific validation. Individual member states retain authority to impose additional restrictions on ingredients and health claims, creating a patchwork of national rules that complicates product formulation and market access. Medical Devices and the Spillover Into Food Safety The medical technology sector faces stringent, evidence-based premarket requirements under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR), implemented in 2021. The EU medical devices market reached 111 billion euros in 2025, making the bloc the second-largest medtech market globally. The MDR introduces risk-based classification and mandatory Conformity Assessment procedures, with high-risk devices requiring exhaustive clinical evidence before market authorization. Chemical safety standards developed for medical products increasingly cross into the consumer food supply chain. In February 2022, the European Commission banned titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive after the EFSA concluded it posed unresolved genotoxicity concerns. Under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), now in effect as of August 2026, food-contact packaging containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) above specified limits is no longer permitted on the EU market. Consumer research indicates growing demand for products free from artificial flavors and preservatives, demonstrating that regulatory restrictions align with shifting consumer preferences. This regulatory spillover demonstrates that public health mandates directly shape the production of everyday consumer goods. Strategic Outlook The regulatory spillovers occurring across medical devices, dietary supplements, and food supply chains are accelerating a structural shift in the EU health regulatory landscape. The Brussels Effect—whereby the EU's strict regulatory standards become de facto global norms due to economic scale—is intensifying as manufacturers cannot maintain split supply chains. The precautionary principle embedded in EU law shifts the burden of proof to industry to demonstrate safety rather than requiring regulators to prove harm, creating a fundamentally different risk calculus than permissive frameworks elsewhere. This regulatory architecture introduces strategic risk as traditional boundaries dividing pharmaceutical, medtech, and consumer goods collapse. The PFAS ban, E171 prohibition, and EFSA's stringent health claim evaluation process are converging to create a unified toxicological standard extending from prescription drugs to confectionery. While regulatory harmonization within the EU remains strong, asymmetry with trading partners—particularly the United States, where titanium dioxide remains permitted—creates operational complexity. Navigating this transition requires a strategic pivot: companies must design flexible formulations and sourcing frameworks that allow specific ingredients or materials to be substituted quickly, without halting production or triggering years of re-engineering.

As students in the United States brace themselves to say goodbye to their summer freedom and head back to school, parents are bracing themselves to say goodbye to their paycheck. During the 2025 back-to-school (BTS) shopping season, which typically takes place in the summer and early autumn, American parents, guardians, and children were planning to spend an estimated total of nearly 40 billion U.S. dollars. In the last two years, back-to-school expenditures were expected to be higher than ever. For 2025 specifically, this would equate to roughly 858 U.S. dollars in school supply expenses per American household. What are parents buying? Some of the most common educational necessities bought by guardians of school children include clothing and accessories, as well as school supplies, such as books, pens, backpacks, and more. As technology has advanced electronics have become a necessity for many school children. Whilst almost half of parents were budgeting to spend less than 50 U.S. dollars on such products, a quarter of shoppers were expecting to spend over 500 U.S. dollars. Parents tend to spend a considerable amount on tech products during the back-to-school season, but in 2025, clothing and related accessories took up the lion's share of parents' budget. School costs and tariffs The economic climate has a had a large impact on the prices of retail goods and the implementation of tariffs has driven the price of back-to-school items up. Consumers have implemented various methods to combat these price hikes including buying different brands compared to the previous year, going to different retailers and purchasing fewer clothing items. However, an increase in price is not the only cause of rising back-to-school costs. Over 70 percent of parents feel that they are asked to buy too many items which naturally leads to more spending. The back-to-class season has gotten more expensive over time, with consumers spending close to twice as much as they used to back in the mid-2000s. In fact, consumers spent more during the back-to-school season than they did during the winter holidays in 2024, a trend that could continue for 2025 and beyond.

Outdoor furniture, also known as garden or patio furniture is a growing seasonal market worldwide. Products from this sector are typically more robust than indoor furniture and furnishings, and have been designed to withstand the conditions and wear and tear associated with outdoor use. Outdoor furniture comes in a range of materials which are tailored for the outdoors, such as wood, metal, and plastic. The U.S. outdoor furniture market was estimated to reach around 18.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2026 and continue to steadily grow until the end of the decade. Leading retailers Most furniture and home improvement stores in the United States offer outdoor furniture products, with additional offerings becoming available based on seasonality. In 2025, Lowe’s net sales in the seasonal and outdoor living product category reached 7.1 billion U.S. dollars, making it the second most popular product category of the retailer. Among furniture retailers, IKEA, LA-Z-Boy, and the Williams-Sonoma-owned Pottery Barn and West Elm are the biggest players in the United States. The highest revenue was generated by IKEA, a staggering 44.6 billion U.S. dollars globally, of which 5.3 billion U.S. dollars in retail sales were generated in the United States. Patio renovations Among American consumers, the renovation of outdoor spaces remains popular, with outdoor living spaces, more specifically decks and shaded structures leading the list in 2026. A further 12 percent updated their outdoor kitchens, while 11 percent renovated their sheds or workshops. The most popular furniture and decoration purchases were led by outdoor landscaping or deck lighting, while new chairs were mentioned by around a fourth of the survey respondents. The main reason for remodeling outdoor spaces was the deterioration of outdoor elements, as over 40 percent of consumers reported. In 2024, the average annual expenditure on outdoor furniture was 47 U.S. dollars.Similarly to the American market, the global outdoor furniture industry is expected to steadily grow and reach over 58 billion U.S. dollars by the end of the decade.

Silicon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth and a cornerstone of the global economy, underpinning industries from steelmaking and aluminum casting to the fabrication of computer chips and solar panels. Global silicon production reached an estimated 9.6 million metric tons in 2025, retreating slightly from a record 10.1 million metric tons in 2024. Silicon wafer market revenue worldwide came in at 11.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, confirming that the material’s commercial significance extends far beyond its origins in mining and smelting. China’s dominance defines global supply Silicon production in China amounted to an estimated 7.5 million metric tons in 2025. Russia ranked second among leading silicon producing countries worldwide with 455,000 metric tons, followed by Brazil at 350,000 metric tons and Norway at 280,000 metric tons. Each is a distant fraction of China’s output. The gap is not a supply-chain vulnerability to be managed; it is the structure of the market itself, and no other country is positioned to alter it. Silicon wafers fuel the semiconductor boom The global semiconductor industry generated 795.64 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025, a 26.2 percent increase over the prior year. Silicon wafers, thin semiconductor slices essential to integrated circuit fabrication, are the material link between raw extraction and that level of high-technology demand. Silicon wafer area shipments worldwide rose to 12.97 billion square inches in 2025 from 12.27 billion square inches in 2024, tracking the broader expansion of chip manufacturing capacity. The wafer market, modest in revenue against the semiconductor totals it enables, is where raw material becomes a strategic asset. Price correction squeezes Western producers From a peak of 361.86 cents per pound in 2022, silicon metal prices in the United States fell to an average of 130 U.S. cents per pound in 2025. That is more than a cyclical correction. The trade data confirms the direction: U.S. silicon exports totaled approximately 30,000 metric tons of silicon metal and 2,000 metric tons of ferrosilicon in 2025, continuing a multi-year pullback from peak volumes recorded in 2017. Ferroglobe’s annual revenue fell to 1.34 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, less than half its 2022 peak of 2.60 billion U.S. dollars. For Western producers without China’s cost base or scale, the price normalization of the past three years has not been a market correction; it has been a structural reset they cannot simply grow their way out of.

Global graphite mine production reached a record 1.8 million metric tons in 2025, up more than 16 percent from the prior year, reflecting intensifying demand across industrial and clean energy applications. One country drives the vast majority of that output: China’s share of world production stood at nearly 78 percent in 2025, with no other producer coming close. China Controls the Ground and the Trade China’s structural advantage extends well below the surface. Graphite reserves by country show China sitting on approximately 100 million metric tons — the world’s largest endowment — followed by Brazil at 74 million metric tons and Madagascar at 27 million metric tons. On the trade side, China is equally dominant as the leading exporter: natural graphite export value from China reached 179.3 million U.S. dollars in 2024, dwarfing all other suppliers. The United States was the largest buyer: natural graphite import value for the country totaled 141.8 million U.S. dollars in 2024, well ahead of Germany at 54.6 million U.S. dollars. Electric Vehicles Are Rewriting Demand Priorities The clean energy transition is reshaping who buys graphite and why. Electric vehicles consumed the largest share of graphite demand at 2,087 thousand metric tons in 2025, more than five times the 404 thousand metric tons attributable to battery storage, while non-clean energy applications accounted for 3,287 thousand metric tons. Clean energy’s share of total graphite demand stood at 43 percent in 2025 and is projected to reach 53 percent by 2040, per the clean energy transition outlook. Political Risk Makes Diversification Urgent The geographic concentration of graphite mining creates significant supply-chain exposure. In 2024, the overwhelming share of output came from politically unstable producer countries: approximately 1,632 thousand metric tons were mined in politically unstable jurisdictions, against just 18.8 thousand metric tons in fairly stable ones. Refined battery-grade graphite supply data shows China producing 2,139 kilotons in 2025, against just 68 kilotons for Japan — a processing gap raw output figures alone do not capture. In November 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce imposed new export controls on artificial graphite anode materials, requiring special licenses for processed graphite exports. Africa will likely play a more important role in future graphite supply. The natural graphite supply of Mozambique could grow from 67 thousand metric tons in 2025 to 368 thousand metric tons by 2040, and Tanzania’s from 62 thousand to 283 thousand metric tons.

The United Kingdom boasts the most developed e-commerce market in Europe. The e-commerce penetration rate has surpassed 86 percent in 2025 and is forecast to reach over 96 percent by the end of the decade. For context, the European average stands at roughly 64 percent, meaning that while more than half of Europeans now shop online, the UK is already nearing saturation. E-commerce revenue in the country is projected to surpass 130 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. Further e-commerce growth in the United Kingdom is dependent on how merchants, retailers, and logistics companies listen to consumer preferences, from product discovery to payment and delivery. Clothing dominates carts and returns alike When asked what types of products consumers in the UK had bought online in the past year, clothing was the most common answer: over half of British digital shoppers had purchased at least one item of clothing in the past 12 months. While clothes and footwear were the most popular categories, shoppers went online for all kinds of products, including electronics, food and drinks, cosmetics, furniture, and more. Before buying anything, however, a majority of UK consumers would do research on the internet first. Many also found reading customer reviews very helpful. Clothing is also the most returned online purchase category, which underscores the importance of hassle-free return policies for retailers. Delivery as a dealmaker, social commerce as a growth frontier Delivery in e-commerce is a top priority for consumers. In fact, delivery offerings rank as the top cart abandonment reason for consumers globally. In the UK specifically, fast or free delivery is the leading reason consumers choose to shop online, cited by over half of all shoppers. Social commerce revenue is also gaining traction, with combined platform revenues surpassing 11 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. British consumers are avid online shoppers, and the well-developed e-commerce market in the United Kingdom has made them increasingly demanding. Shoppers conduct thorough research before deciding on a purchase, and will abandon their shopping carts if delivery falls short of expectations. As social platforms increasingly double as storefronts, the line between browsing and buying continues to blur, making frictionless delivery and returns even more critical for sellers.

Internationally, the United Kingdom might not have the best reputation when it comes to its culinary staples. However, considering it is home to hundreds of Michelin-star restaurants, the UK has a fine-dining scene that belies this reputation. When it comes to low-cost dining options, the UK also has a wide range of branded and independent establishments, such as Pizza Express, Toby Carvery, and Nando’s, which consistently rank among the UK’s most popular dining brands. With Nando’s alone having over 450 restaurant locations across the UK, it is safe to say that affordable, recognized brands form the backbone of the UK’s restaurant industry. How big is the restaurant industry in the UK? In 2025, the market size of the UK's restaurant industry declined by two percent over the previous year, dipping to around 18.5 billion British pounds. This bucked the trend of steady growth recorded between 2022 and 2024. Concurrently, the number of licensed food and drink premises in Great Britain sank nearly continuously from 2017 to 2023, before rising marginally in 2024 and 2025 to around 90,000. Meanwhile, the restaurant and mobile food service workforce remained fairly stable, totaling over 1.2 million employees in 2025. In short, the slight rebound in restaurant numbers and a steady workforce suggest the sector is stabilizing even as its overall market value dips. Regarding consumer spending on UK restaurants and cafés, expenditure hit record highs in 2024, reaching over 138 billion British pounds. However, this is likely more down to restaurants becoming more expensive rather than consumers dining out more, as seen with the consumer price index (CPI) of restaurants and cafés in the UK increasing sharply from 2021 to 2024. Takeaways vs. dining out: what do UK consumers prefer? Despite the increased costs of dining out, consumers continue to spend more on restaurants than any other catering service, with the average household spending nearly 16 British pounds a week on restaurant and café meals in 2024. In comparison, spending on alcoholic drinks consumed out of home and takeaways totaled around six British pounds and less than five British pounds, respectively. In the context of the expenditure of the UK’s different income groups on restaurant and café meals that year, this worked out at 2.1 percent of the weekly household spend of those in the lowest ten percent decile group and nearly three percent of those in the highest ten percent. With the ongoing cost of living crisis in the UK, there has also been an increased tendency among UK consumers to avoid eating out, with around a third of the participants in a recent survey saying they intended to spend less on food consumed outside of the home in the next twelve months. In comparison, 27 percent said they expected to spend more on grocery shopping. Where this leaves UK restaurants in the long-term is unclear; however, it does not appear likely that consumers will completely lose their appetite for dining out any time soon.

India's healthcare market has expanded substantially, reaching approximately 372 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and forecast to surpass 638 billion by 2025. Within this ecosystem, hospitals are the sector's structural anchor, accounting for over half of the Indian healthcare industry in FY 2024, reflecting the degree to which hospital-based delivery has become the default infrastructure for care across the country. The number of hospitals is projected to continue rising through 2029, though headline facility counts are difficult to interpret: India does not apply a standardized definition of what constitutes a hospital, meaning sub-health centers and large corporate facilities can appear within the same dataset, and commercial momentum is better read through revenue and utilization trends. Private sector leads, public sector underinvests The weight of healthcare delivery rests predominantly on private providers in value terms, with private hospitals accounting for roughly two-thirds of treatment value in FY 2024, a figure that reflects the higher per-treatment charges of private facilities rather than patient volumes as such. Overcrowding and limited capacity in public facilities nonetheless push a growing share of patients toward private alternatives. Government healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP is forecast to decline to below 2 percent in FY 2026, limiting the public sector's capacity to meaningfully expand. This fiscal constraint reinforces private sector primacy while doing little to close the system's deepest structural gap: with nearly 80 percent of nurses concentrated in urban areas in FY 2024, geographic inequality in access remains severe, and national averages on staffing tend to mask the scale of inter-state disparity. Capital floods in, consolidation lags Investor appetite has intensified sharply, with M&A and private equity investments in Indian hospitals reaching 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Among publicly listed chains, which represent only a fraction of a largely fragmented, unlisted private market, revenue growth has been consistent and broad-based. Apollo Hospitals, the largest listed provider by revenue, generated over 250 billion Indian rupees in FY 2025 (fiscal year ending March 31). Medical tourism adds a further demand layer: over 700,000 foreign patients visited India for treatment in 2024, drawn by cost-competitive, specialized care. Yet the market remains structurally fragmented: medium and small private facilities account for 70 percent of all private hospitals, suggesting consolidation is still at an early stage. The declining share of out-of-pocket expenditure since 2000 points to an expanding role of insurance and government reimbursement schemes, gradually increasing the commercial relevance of scheme-linked patient volumes. Analyst perspective The Indian hospital sector is entering a phase where structural demand, driven by a rapidly growing elderly population, a rising chronic disease burden, and expanding insurance coverage, is becoming a sustained commercial force. The value-based dominance of private providers likely overstates their share of actual patient contacts, as public hospitals are widely understood to still absorb the majority of visits, particularly in rural settings. Private revenue growth is therefore best read as a higher-acuity, higher-value phenomenon rather than a wholesale shift in patient volumes, a distinction that shapes how sustainably current growth trajectories can continue as reimbursement schemes extend coverage deeper into lower-income populations. At the same time, the gap between capital deployment and systemic delivery capacity remains a meaningful constraint. Clinical workforce shortages outside major metropolitan areas continue to lag behind infrastructure investment, suggesting that rural access improvements may remain limited even as sector-wide investment accelerates. Whether private capital will address these geographic gaps or concentrate further around commercially attractive urban markets remains an open and consequential question.

From increased attendances to more TV viewers and bigger contracts, women’s sport is experiencing massive growth. One of the trailblazers of this growth is the United States, where some of the most popular professional women’s sports leagues have been well established for decades. While the rest of the world is catching up, the United States is home to many of the most recognizable and marketable female athletes in the world, like Simone Biles or Caitlin Clark.  From college to the WNBA - female stars of the court College sports, while not strictly professional, are also particularly popular in the United States. Women's college basketball, the pinnacle of which is the March Madness tournament, has led to the rise to prominence of international stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The average TV audience of the NCCA Women’s Basketball Championship exceeded two million viewers in 2024, more than doubling the figure from a year before. The fall to 1.2 and 1.3 million average viewers in 2025 and 2026 could probably be explained by the fact that the superstars such as Clark and Reese had made the move to the WNBA ahead of the most recent season. Indeed, the revenue of the Women's National Basketball Association increased by over 200 percent in 2024 from two years prior. In a 2025 survey in the United States gauging the level of interest in the WNBA, around 30 percent of respondents stated that they were interested in the league, a figure that was as low as 11 percent in 2020. The USWNT is a global leader on the soccer field Women's soccer has a storied history in the United States. The United States Women's National Team, often referred to as the USWNT, has dominated the game for decades, until the recent rise of some European national teams, winning twice as many FIFA Women's World Cup titles as any other nation. On a domestic level, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States, has also seen an increase in popularity lately. Average attendance in the NWSL exceeded 10,000 in 2025, up almost 1,000 on average from the season before. With both the next FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027 and the next FIFA Men's World Cup in 2026 being held in the Americas, interest in women's soccer in the United States is on track to continue its upward trend. Women are increasingly being seen on the sidelines as well as on the field While female representation on the sports field is important, so is having women in positions of power and responsibility in the sporting world in general. In the WNBA, the share of team CEOs or presidents who are female has increased significantly from barely 15 percent in 2012 to 75 percent in 2023. A similar trend can be seen on the side of the court, where the share of female head coaches in the WNBA reached a record high of 75 percent in the 2023 season. In 2025, the WNBA championships were won by the Las Vegas Aces, whose head coach Becky Hammon was herself an WNBA player and has been the coach of the Aces for all their three championships in the last four seasons.Strides have also been made in classically male-dominated sports such as the NFL, where almost 30 percent of team vice presidents in 2023 were female. While no female has yet secured a head coach position of an NFL franchise, female coaches such as Jennifer King and Angela Baker have blazed the trail within the league as full-time coaches. With so many female role models both on and off the field, women's sport in the United States and further afield is on course to grow.

Sewing, woodworking, weaving, or pottery are just a few of the many activities commonly associated with arts and crafts, a hobby that enjoys great popularity in the United States. According to Statista’s Consumer Insights Global survey, roughly a quarter of U.S. respondents mentioned DIY and arts & crafts when asked about their personal hobbies and activities in 2025, compared to less than 20 percent who said photography, writing, or making music. Breaking down Americans’ interest in DIY and arts & crafts by age group also suggests that such activities have a similar appeal across generations, as no considerable differences emerged within the sample. Meanwhile, in a recent analysis on the main products sold by influencers in the United States, the arts and crafts category placed higher than gaming and food, with five percent of surveyed content creators reporting selling such types of products. What are the leading arts and crafts retailers in the U.S.? Both ranking among the largest private retail companies in the United States, Hobby Lobby and Michaels are the arts and crafts retailers in the U.S. generating the highest revenue. Overall, based on retail figures of toys and games in the United States, sales of arts and crafts products exceeded 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. This was approximately 2.5 billion U.S. dollars less than outdoor and sports toys, the most profitable products in that market. That said, data on retail sales growth of toys and games in the U.S. show that while sales of explorative and other toys increased by 20 percent in 2025.  What are popular arts and crafts platforms in the U.S.? One of the main platforms for crafters to sell the items they create is Etsy, founded in New York in 2005. Articles listed on Etsy, one of the leading online marketplaces in the U.S. based on gross merchandise value, include a wide range of handmade or vintage goods, from art, home decoration, and craft supplies to clothing and handmade jewelry. Raverly, a platform started in Boston in 2007 and dedicated to fiber artists, can also count on a close-knit community, being one of the most visited crafts websites worldwide along with Hobby Lobby’s web page. When looking at the geographical distribution of raverly.com’s online traffic in 2025, the key role played by the U.S. market is clear, as the country accounted for nearly half of Ravelry’s website visits via desktop that year.

The U.S. hospital sector is navigating a structural paradox: the number of hospitals has steadily declined — from 7,156 in 1975 to 6,100 in 2024 — while total hospital care expenditure has surged to $1.5 trillion in 2023. This divergence between a contracting physical infrastructure and rising system-wide costs points to a fundamental tension: the sector is generating more revenue per facility, but the distribution of that financial capacity is increasingly uneven. For-profit hospitals represent the only ownership segment that has grown in number over recent decades, reflecting a gradual compositional shift away from non-profit and government-run facilities toward commercially oriented providers. This consolidation dynamic is also visible in M&A activity, which continues to reshape the competitive landscape through system-level integration — pointing to a sector where scale is increasingly a prerequisite for financial viability. The Rural–Urban Divide Deepens Within the overall contraction, rural hospitals bear a disproportionate share of the pressure. Over half of the net decline in community hospitals to date has been accounted for by rural facilities, and 196 rural hospitals have completely closed or been converted since 2005. The financial gap between facility types is stark: in 2023, urban community hospitals posted an operating margin of 5.4 percent, compared to just 3.1 percent for rural counterparts — with many facilities in non-micropolitan areas operating at a loss. This margin deficit reflects structurally higher dependency on Medicaid and Medicare, which reimburse at lower rates than private insurers, leaving rural hospitals with limited financial buffer. Looking ahead, 446 hospitals are identified as at risk of closing or reducing services due to Medicaid funding cuts as of 2026, threatening access for an estimated 6.6 million patients and underscoring how geographically concentrated the sector's vulnerability has become. A Care Model in Transition, With Rising Cost Burdens Beyond structural consolidation, a fundamental shift in how care is delivered is reshaping hospital economics. Outpatient revenue surpassed inpatient revenue in general hospitals for the first time in 2023, reaching an estimated $678 billion — consistent with outpatient visit rates rising steadily from 1.8 to 2.5 visits per person per year between 1999 and 2024. This shift is broadly efficiency-driven, but it also compresses the inpatient revenue base that traditionally cross-subsidizes higher-cost services and workforce. On the cost side, average hospital operating expenses reached $251.5 million per facility in 2023, up from $183.9 million in 2018 — with labor accounting for 60 percent of all hospital expenses, equivalent to over $1 trillion in 2025. Persistent workforce turnover, which stood at 18.3 percent in 2024, sustains recruitment and agency staffing costs that weigh directly on this dominant expense category. This combination of a declining inpatient revenue share and escalating labor costs increases the sector's sensitivity to any further disruption in payer reimbursement structures. Sector Outlook The U.S. hospital sector is entering a period where structural stressors are converging simultaneously, making the near-term outlook materially more complex than the revenue growth trajectory alone would suggest. The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July 2025 — estimated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over the 2025–2034 period and increase the number of uninsured Americans by 10 million by 2034 — represents the most significant policy shift affecting hospital financing in recent memory. For rural hospitals already operating on thin margins and heavily reliant on Medicaid, this funding contraction — compounded by new caps on state-directed supplemental payments that limit states' ability to offset lower federal reimbursement rates — could accelerate closures beyond what historical trends would predict. Evidence suggests that rural hospitals in Medicaid expansion states have fared measurably better financially, indicating that the policy reversal may disproportionately affect already vulnerable non-expansion markets. At the same time, workforce instability remains an unresolved structural cost, and the continued migration to outpatient care — while operationally efficient — narrows the cross-subsidization capacity that has historically buffered lower-margin service lines. Whether the sector can preserve adequate access while absorbing these compounding pressures on both the revenue and cost sides remains uncertain.

When it comes to critical raw materials, the European Union has a two-fold dependency on imports. Not only are most of its critical raw materials imported from outside the EU, but single nations also often supply the majority of each individual material. The concentration of EU supply by mineral and main supplier nation illustrates the structural nature of this dependence, with China alone dominating the supply of heavy rare earth elements, gallium, magnesium, and tungsten. Meanwhile, over 70 percent of platinum came from South Africa in 2023. In response to this long-term strategic vulnerability, the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) came into force in the EU in 2024. With raw material demand in Europe projected to rise sharply by 2050 across nearly all green transition scenarios, and with the number of strategic critical mineral policies multiplying across competing nations, the EU faces growing pressure to act. The CRMA includes a 2030 target set after which the EU will cover 10 percent of its commodity demand from mining inside the EU, a further 40 percent of commodity products from the EU, 25 percent of critical minerals from EU recycling formats, and that no single supplier nation should cover more than 65 percent of any critical mineral import to the EU. A handful of countries control what Europe needs The EU's dependency on single countries for individual materials is not limited to the Union, but a global status quo. China mines the majority of the world's gallium, magnesium, graphite, tungsten, and rare earth elements, while the Democratic Republic of Congo accounts for around three quarters of global cobalt mine output and Indonesia has become the dominant nickel producer. The production share of critical minerals by majority producing country makes this concentration visible across the full mineral spectrum. Downstream, the picture is even starker: China controls over 90 percent of lithium refining and negative electrode production in the global lithium-ion battery supply chain, far exceeding its share at the mining stage. Against this backdrop, global reserves of battery minerals are themselves unevenly distributed, with cobalt and lithium among the most geographically constrained. What the EU imports and from where The EU's trade data reveals both the scale and the fragility of its mineral supply chains. The value of nickel imported into the EU has shifted markedly since 2022, reflecting a decline of imports from Russia following their invasion of Ukraine. For magnesium, the situation remains acute: China accounts for 96 percent of import volume, leaving virtually no alternative supplier base. Rare earth imports tell a similar story, with EU rare earth element imports dominated by Chinese supply. Across cobalt, lithium carbonates, ferro-tungsten, antimony, and gallium, the origin share of cobalt imports is among the more diversified — yet still reliant on a small set of partners outside the EU. Demand growth, price risk, and the recycling imperative The urgency behind EU critical mineral policy is anchored in demand forecasts. Clean energy applications — electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and grid storage — are expected to drive a dramatic increase in mineral requirements through 2040, with lithium's clean energy demand share forecast to reach 86 percent by 2040 under stated policy scenarios. Price volatility in nickel, cobalt, and lithium has already demonstrated how supply shocks translate rapidly into cost pressures across the battery and automotive industries. Recycling offers a partial but growing supply response: the EU Battery Regulation sets binding recycled content targets for cobalt, lithium, and nickel in new batteries from 2031 onwards, complemented by mandatory mineral recovery rate targets for 2027 and 2031 that will shape the economics of European battery recycling for the decade ahead.

Are we in the golden age of tabletop games? With beautiful artwork, staggering stories, and any theme you can think of, board games and card games have evolved far beyond well-known classics like Monopoly and Scrabble. This renewed interest in tabletop gaming has been largely driven by the growth of the online community. Growth can also be seen in the global revenue of both the board games market and the card games market. What are the most popular tabletop games? These days, a key aspect of the tabletop gaming community is platforms like online forums and game databases, BoardGameGeek, where hobbyists discuss, rate, and review games. Some of the highest-rated board games on BoardGameGeek included Brass: Birmingham, Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, and Gloomhaven, each boasting a rating of over 8.3 out of ten. Meanwhile, Solitaire, Spades, and Blackjack dominated as the most popular card games in the United States. Of course, when talking about popular board games, it would be remiss not to mention chess, a game that has not only stood the test of time but is also played professionally across the world. How has crowdfunding influenced the tabletop game industry? Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter have allowed creators to bypass traditional publishing methods, directly engaging with their target audience to fund, design, and develop games. As of 2025, some of the most funded tabletop games on Kickstarter worldwide included Frosthaven and Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5, each raising over 10 million U.S. dollars, but author and Kickstarter master Brandon Sanderson took the throne with his Cosmere RPG with more than 15 million U.S. dollars. The ability to secure funding in advance has encouraged a wave of creative experimentation, resulting in new and unique game concepts that might not have otherwise been produced. Among these, several Kickstarter projects have attracted thousands of backers worldwide, including notable campaigns like Exploding Kittens and Bears vs Babies. Who plays board games and card games? The diversity of games available these days, ranging from quick party games to complex strategy games, has made the hobby interesting to many audiences. When surveyed in 2023, the gender of board game enthusiasts worldwide was split almost equally between males and females. Meanwhile, the most common age range of global board game players was between 18 and 34.The tabletop game industry has come a long way. Fueled by community support, creators now have the freedom to develop more diverse games that cater to wider audiences. This has not only resulted in more interest in the hobby but also a growth in revenue, a trend that is forecast to continue in the coming years.

The English Premier League (EPL) goes far beyond soccer. It is a major contributor to the United Kingdom’s economy, a facilitator of social cohesion, and a means of soft power. Financially, the EPL is comfortably the biggest of Europe’s Big Five leagues, generating over seven billion euros in revenue in 2024/25. A sizable share of this sum was derived from televised matches, with broadcasters from all over the world willing to pay eye-watering amounts for TV rights: as of 2026, the annual value of Premier League broadcasting rights deals exceeded four billion euros. This financial strength and global appeal allow English clubs to attract some of the best talent from around the world; in recent data, the combined value of all Premier League players was more than twice that of La Liga. The current league champions are Liverpool, with Arne Slot guiding the Reds to success in his first season at the club. Which club has won the most league titles? Manchester United have won more titles in the Premier League era than any other club, winning the top-flight on 13 occasions under Alex Ferguson. In recent years, the Red Devils’ local rivals Manchester City have had more joy, winning the league six times in seven seasons under Pep Guardiola. However, English soccer did not begin with the Premier League, and United share the record for the most English football titles with Liverpool, both teams having been champions on 20 occasions. During the 2025/26 season and after three seasons ending in 2nd place, Arsenal won their 14th league title, consolidating themselves as the third club with most titles, four ahead of Manchester City.  What does the future hold for the Premier League? Based on revenue forecasts alone, the future of the EPL certainly looks bright. However, the reality is less straightforward: clubs cannot operate in the same way businesses in other industries can, and fans do not represent a mere customer base. Recent seasons have seen protests against rising ticket prices, with the most expensive match tickets in the Premier League costing upwards of 100 British pounds. Keeping fans’ interests at heart is not just about sentimentality—EPL clubs would not exist as they are without generations of fans dedicating time and money to support their team. Alienating or pricing out committed supporters would not just be felt at the ticket office or club shop – the unique atmospheres they create also help the league to sell its product to broadcasters. Ultimately, Premier League clubs need to find a way to pair continued revenue growth without killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

Poland is an attractive market for the development of e-commerce. With its growing popularity and rising revenue, Poland is one of the fastest-developing e-commerce markets in Europe. The number of registered e-commerce stores in the country has been rising every year. Polish online customers love to buy online and do it more often. Cross-border shopping has gained traction, with more than 40 percent of Polish internet users buying from international shops. Customers mostly look for products that can be purchased at better prices or are unavailable on the Polish market. Smartphones leading the way to checkout With 30 million internet users in Poland, the e-commerce market is thriving and accessible. Smartphones are the go-to device for online shopping, making it easier for many to participate in e-commerce. The estimated number of internet users engaging in online shopping has significantly increased, with nearly 19 million shopping online in 2026. This number is projected to rise to over 21 million by 2030, indicating a promising future for the Polish e-commerce market. A nation of online shoppers Significant investments are being made in digital infrastructure. Household internet penetration in Poland has grown to more than 96 percent. Easy and affordable access to the internet through multiple devices, comfortable online payment methods, and delivery all drive e-commerce growth and purchases. Nearly 70 percent of the Polish population bought goods and services online in 2025. Within 10 years, the rate of online shoppers rose by over 30 percentage points. From fashion carts to BLIK checkouts When it comes to online shopping, Poles have a strong preference for local shops. The key motivators for purchasing online are affordable delivery costs and the availability of cheaper products. The most popular products bought online include clothing and accessories, footwear, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, and books. The most popular online store in Poland is Allegro, a local e-commerce platform similar to Amazon, offering a wide range of goods. BLIK is the most popular online payment method, followed by quick electronic payment services and payment cards.The outlook for the Polish e-commerce market is very optimistic, with revenues projected to exceed 29 billion U.S. dollars by 2030. As businesses increasingly adopt omnichannel strategies that blend online, mobile, and physical store experiences, the market is well positioned for sustained growth.

Strategic minerals generally refer to mineral commodities that are important for economic, military, or technological development, but whose reserves are concentrated in a handful of countries. Although often used interchangeably with the term “critical minerals”, the definitions of each depend on the country listing them. In Germany, the Deutsche Rohstoffagentur (DERA, or the German Raw Materials Agency in English) has defined the minerals cobalt, lithium, tantalum, and tungsten as strategic raw materials because of their use in key sectors such as the automotive and consumer electronics industries. The U.S. Geological Survey classifies about 60 minerals as "critical minerals", including aluminum, copper, and nickel. What are strategic minerals used for? Advancing digitization has fueled the global demand for key technological products such as smartphones and laptops. Lithium and cobalt are among the most important raw materials for rechargeable energy storage. In fact, batteries were by far the leading end-use of lithium consumed worldwide, with a share of 87 percent in 2024. The lithium-ion battery has so far been irreplaceable in innovative electronic end products such as power tools, smartphones, laptops, and even electric cars. Tantalum is also a crucial material for electronic devices, mainly used in the production of electrolytic capacitors. In addition, both tantalum and tungsten can be combined with other metals to form superalloys and carbides, extremely resistant materials used in aircraft engines, turbine blades, and space vehicles, to name a few. Even more common minerals, such as copper, have been more in demand due to the global energy transition. Copper prices have skyrocketed in 2021 and remain high in 2024. Copper is used for electricity lines, wind turbines, solar farms, and charging stations. The growing demand has led to production shortages. Where are strategic minerals mined? One of the main factors associated with strategic minerals is their scarce availability, with reserves and production concentrated in a few countries. For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo was both the leading producer of cobalt and tantalum worldwide, with shares of 75.9 and 42 percent in 2024, respectively. Meanwhile, that same year, China held a whopping 83 percent of global tungsten production. This level of concentration puts these commodities’ supply chains constantly at risk of disruption from geopolitical conflicts. As such, many countries and regions like the United States, China, Australia, and the European Union have recently put policies in place intending to secure a reliable supply in the years to come, either by developing their domestic production or investing in projects overseas. Which regions are most important for strategic mineral trade? Global exports of raw and semi-processed critical minerals amounted to about 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. This includes the 60 most commonly designated strategic minerals by countries worldwide. Asia dominates global exports of these minerals with an export value of about 825 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, followed by Europe with 719 billion U.S. dollars. Africa and Oceania are the world regions with the lowest export value. Some of the most important trade corridors for critical minerals are in Asia and America. The by far largest bilateral trade corridor for critical minerals is between Australia and China. Australian exports of strategic minerals to China amounted to 95.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Hong Kong to China and Canada to the United States are the next largest bilateral trade corridors in 2023. With trade numbers growing recently, the number of export restrictions also rose since 2019. The largest restrictions in place are with regards to copper from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or iron and steel from India.

In 2025, Tesla ranked as the most valuable brand in the automotive industry worldwide. This came despite the company navigating some serious financial and reputational challenges. On the financial side, Tesla's total revenue  in 2025 dropped for the first time since Elon Musk became the company's CEO in 2008, declining to below 95 billion U.S. dollars. Underpinning this was a decrease of over six billion U.S. dollars in automotive sales – the main revenue stream - which was not offset by the slight rise in revenue from energy generation, storage, services, and others. Furthermore, the net income that had risen so dramatically between 2020 and 2023 decreased for the second year in a row, totaling around a quarter of the 2023 figure. How has Tesla's reputation been affected by Musk's politics? The criticism of Musk's involvement in the Trump administration has undoubtedly affected the wider reputation of Tesla. This is exemplified by the "I bought this before Elon went crazy" bumper sticker that is now often seen on Tesla vehicles. However, perhaps more interestingly, the shift in public perception of Tesla as a progressive force has also been extended to environmental issues. Despite being a company renowned as a pioneer for electric vehicles (EVs), Tesla's sustainability perception value was estimated to have dropped from roughly 18 billion to about 10 billion U.S. dollars between 2023 and 2025. One major issue underpinning this was the amount of freshwater withdrawn for Tesla's manufacturing more than tripling between 2020 and 2024. How have Tesla's competitors caught up? Alongside reputational struggles, a major challenge for Tesla has been the growth of the EV industry in China. After years of topping the global best-selling EV brand ranking, Tesla was overtaken by BYD in 2022. Since then, the Asian automaker has widened this gap, having sold over double the EV units recorded by Tesla in 2025. When looking at the best-selling plug-in vehicle model list from 2025, the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 continued to sell well, claiming the first and third spots, respectively. However, BYD claiming eight of the top 15 places displayed the brand's strength in diversity and affordability. How has Tesla fared under the Trump administration? Even before the start of President Trump's second term in office, Tesla has consistently generated around half of its revenue from the U.S. market. Ostensibly, the tariffs imposed on imported automobiles would appear to have strengthened Tesla's position in the domestic market, however, the sourcing of foreign-made parts has thrown a spanner in the works. Furthermore, the reduction in incentive policies, which includes the removal of a multi-thousand U.S. dollar tax break for new EV purchases, has made the switch away from gasoline-propelled vehicles for many more expensive. This has been reflected in the noticeable decline in the monthly market share of battery-electric vehicles in the United States. While new models have been announced for release in 2026, such as the Tesla Cybercab, navigating volatile policy shifts, declining profitability, and growing competition will be no easy task.

Ceramic material refers to inorganic, non-metallic mineral materials that are brittle, hard, and formed using heat. Ceramics can withstand very high heat and chemical erosion, among other characteristics. There is a wide range of ceramic materials that are processed to have different properties that are suited to various applications, from everyday products to highly technical material solutions. China was by far the largest exporter of ceramic building materials in 2024. The exports of ceramic flags and paving, hearth or wall tiles, and ceramic mosaic cubes from China amounted to six billion U.S. dollars. Both the consumption and production of ceramic tiles have been declining since 2023, a development largely influenced by a declining Chinese market. Ceramic tiles: production and consumption Ceramic tiles are one of the largest end-use categories of ceramics, with different forms suited to different applications such as flooring, roofing tiles, wall tiles, and mosaics. In 2024, the global market revenue of ceramic tiles was some 213.5 billion U.S. dollars. The total global ceramic tile production amounted to over 14.95 billion square meters in 2024. Asia is by far the world's largest ceramic tile producing region, with China alone accounting for nearly 39.5 percent of global production in 2024. On the consumption side, China (and Asia in a macro-regional comparison) was also the leading ceramic tile consuming nation in the world as of 2024. In comparison to 2023, global consumption fell by about 6.8 percent, while production declined by about 6.2 percent, continuing the negative trend from the previous year. Only the EU saw modest recovery, while China, and to a lesser extent, India, witnessed a strong decline in both consumption and production of ceramic tiles. Ceramics engineering and other uses of ceramics Aside from ceramic tiles, the range of products and applications using ceramics is vast. Zirconium dioxide ceramic knives stay sharp much longer than metal knives, and ceramic dishes and pottery are durable and attractive, while porcelain is delicate and fine. Ceramic engineering and technical ceramics are where the ceramics industry goes from mundane to modern and high-tech. For instance, thermal ceramics are durable at temperatures of more than 2,000 degrees Celsius and are used by the transportation, petrochemical, and chemical industries, among others. The global market of thermal ceramics is expected to reach seven billion U.S. dollars by 2030.The ceramic industry has a significant role in the global economy, and its diverse applications across various industries make it a critical component of our everyday lives. It is anticipated that the industry will continue to expand, driven by technological advancements and a growing demand in various sectors.

Silver is one of the world’s most versatile industrial and precious metals, mined on every inhabited continent. Global silver mine production climbed from 20,800 metric tons in 2005 to 26,000 metric tons in 2025. Mexico led all producers at 6,300 metric tons, followed by Peru at 3,600 metric tons and China at 3,400 metric tons, per data on leading silver-producing countries. Production is concentrated in Latin America and Asia. Where the silver sits: reserves skewed toward South America Global silver reserves reached 610,000 metric tons in 2025, broadly trending upward over the past decade as exploration has outpaced depletion. Peru holds the world’s largest national stockpile at 110,000 metric tons, ahead of Russia at 92,000 metric tons and Australia at 91,000 metric tons, per data on silver reserves by country. Peru dominates reserves. Mexico leads production. That gap reflects the difference between what is technically recoverable and what is economically and logistically viable to extract. Mexico-based Fresnillo leads a globally dispersed industry Mexico-based Fresnillo plc ranked as the world’s largest silver mining company in 2025, with an output of 47.6 million ounces. Second place went to Polish state-owned KGHM Polska Miedz at 43.3 million ounces, a company that extracts silver as a byproduct of copper operations. That structure is widespread: only 26.1 percent of global output originates from primary silver mines, with lead, zinc, copper, and gold mining accounting for the rest, per silver production by source. The geographic and corporate composition of the top producers follows directly from that arrangement. Electronics and investment drive a record-high silver price The supply gap is the headline number. Global silver supply reached 1,090.4 million ounces in 2025, falling short of total demand by over 40 million ounces. Electrical and electronics applications consumed 449.5 million ounces, nearly 40 percent of the 1,130.6 million ounce total, per silver demand by application. The average Comex silver spot price reached 40.44 U.S. dollars per ounce in 2025, more than five times the 7.36 U.S. dollars per ounce recorded in 2005.  Financial centers dominate global silver export value The United Kingdom topped the ranking of leading silver-exporting countries in 2025 with 8.2 billion U.S. dollars in exports, narrowly ahead of the United States at 8.1 billion U.S. dollars. Neither country is a top-10 silver producer. Their dominance in export value reflects a market where bullion transactions and financial instruments move far more dollar volume than physical industrial supply chains, a reminder that Mexico and Peru dig the silver up while London and New York set the price. 

Gold has always been one of the world's most precious and coveted metals, and the primary reason for its value is its rarity. Estimates on the global mine reserves of gold fluctuated slightly from year to year during the past decade, and in 2025 stood at 66,000 metric tons. Roughly 3,300 metric tons of gold were produced from mines worldwide in 2025. China remains the world's leading gold mining country, followed by Russia and Australia. Newmont's lead among major gold miners Among gold mining companies, Newmont from the U.S. remains the global leader, with attributable production of 5.9 million ounces in 2025. Newmont's revenue amounted to nearly 22.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, its highest recorded figure. Agnico Eagle and Barrick Gold, both from Canada, were the world's next largest gold producers, respectively, in 2025. As of mid-2025, Newmont also led the sector in market capitalization, valued at roughly 69.9 billion U.S. dollars, well ahead of its nearest competitor. Nevada's outsized role in American gold mining As the fifth-largest global gold-producing country, the United States produced an estimated 160 metric tons in 2025. Nevada is by far the U.S. state with the highest gold production volume, with most of the top ten U.S. gold mines located in the state. The country also has the largest gold holdings of any country worldwide by far: as of 2025, approximately 8,133 metric tons of gold were held by the United States. Rising demand and record-breaking prices Over the last decade, global demand for gold has fluctuated, climbing to over 5,000 metric tons in 2025. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, gold demand dropped significantly in 2020, but has since recovered strongly. The average price of gold reached roughly 3,440 U.S. dollars per troy ounce in 2025, a sharp increase over recent years, similar to silver. This makes it clear that gold is still one of the world's most coveted commodities and one of the most rewarding investments, with a return of over 67 percent in 2025 alone.

The precious metals gold, silver, and platinum are among the most valuable commodities worldwide, with their value largely determined by their relative scarcity, and their definition as being precious relating to both their rarity and price. Aside from their beauty, precious metals all boast unique physical properties that make them invaluable for a variety of applications. Of the precious metals, silver is the most voluminously produced, while precious metal reserves follow a similar pattern, with silver reserves far outweighing those of gold and platinum group metals. From mine shafts to market shifts The major producing countries for precious metals include Russia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, and China. With a production volume of roughly 5.9 million ounces in 2025, Colorado-based Newmont Corporation remained the leading gold mining company worldwide. Mexico's Fresnillo topped the list of silver producers that same year, while Valterra Platinum (formerly Anglo American Platinum) ranked as one of the world's leading platinum producers. Global gold demand shifted notably in 2025, with the investment sector overtaking jewelry as the top driver, accounting for over 2,200 metric tons. In 2020, the investment sector had similarly led gold demand, in part because investors considered gold to be a reliable investment during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Due to having the highest electrical conductivity of all metals, silver's leading end use remains electrical and electronics applications, while the automotive sector continued to be the primary driver of global platinum demand, thanks to platinum's role in autocatalysts. Gold's record run and diverging metal fortunes Precious metal prices are dynamic, determined by many factors such as worldwide economic conditions, supply and demand, investors, and geopolitical factors. In 2024, the annual average gold price set a new record at nearly 2,390 U.S. dollars per troy ounce, a growth of over 20 percent from the previous year's record, and gold continued its surge into 2025. Average global palladium prices declined considerably from a peak of 2,388 U.S. dollars per troy ounce in 2021 but recovered to roughly 1,050 U.S. dollars per troy ounce by 2025. Meanwhile, average platinum prices rose to around 1,286 U.S. dollars per troy ounce in 2025, signaling that the rally in precious metals extended well beyond gold alone.

By some definitions, base metals comprise the most common metals which are not precious metals nor ferrous metals, and are widely used in commercial and industrial applications, such as construction and manufacturing. Narrower definitions of base metals, however, encompass aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc. As of 2025, base metals had a total global market value amounting to roughly 905 billion U.S. dollars. Abundant supply, far lower price tags Base metals are more abundant than precious metals, and sometimes easier to extract as well. Base metal production volumes ranged from 74 million metric tons to 3.9 million metric tons in 2025, with aluminum taking the lead, and nickel having the smallest production volume. Copper, zinc, and lead were in the middle, with production amounting to 23 million metric tons, 13 million metric tons, and 4.5 million metric tons, respectively, in that year. The prices of base metals are also much lower than precious metals, with nickel commanding the highest annual average price in 2025 among the five core base metals. For perspective, the LBMA gold price in Q2 2025 amounted to 3,286 U.S. dollars per metric ounce (one metric ton equates to 35,274 metric ounces), multiple times that of base metals. A critical mineral hiding in plain sight Copper, despite being more readily available and having a considerably lower price than precious metals, is often considered invaluable to the worldwide economy because of its usefulness and ubiquity in modern life. Due to its role in various clean energy transition-related technologies, copper is also generally considered a critical mineral. Additionally, changes in copper prices often serve as an indication of the overall health of the global economy because of its prominent use in the construction industry, an important aspect of economies. Nickel is another mineral that is considered a strategic or critical mineral for various countries. China's commanding role in the aluminum market Aluminum is the most abundant metal found in the Earth's crust. The metal is largely used in the transportation and construction industry, as well as within the engineering and packaging industries. China was the leading producer and exporter of aluminum and aluminum products, recording nearly 40 billion U.S. dollars in exports in 2025. This is in part due to the country's excess capacity and over-production of the metal. Chinalco, a Chinese company, was ranked as the world's largest aluminum producing company in 2025, having produced about 8.1 million metric tons that year. It was followed by another China-based company, Hongqiao Group, at 6.6 million metric tons. Both companies dwarfed all other producers. By contrast, the United States and Germany were the world's leading importers of the metal, buying some 26 and 22 billion U.S. dollars' worth of aluminum products, respectively, in 2025.

Iron is the most widely utilized metal globally, serving as a foundational component in critical industries such as construction, engineering, automotive, and machinery, primarily in the form of steel. Consequently, the availability of iron ore is a crucial element for the global economy. Based on the production of usable iron ore, the two leading iron ore producers in the world were Australia and Brazil in 2025. Australia produced an estimated 980 million metric tons of iron ore, while Brazil's production came to an estimated 420 million metric tons that year. From Vale to BHP: the dominant miners Accordingly, the world's largest companies involved in iron ore mining are from these two leading producer countries. Brazilian mining company Vale S.A.'s iron ore production amounted to roughly 336 million metric tons in 2025. Anglo-Australian mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP complete the world's leading three iron ore producers. Rio Tinto's iron ore production came to roughly 290 million metric tons in 2025, while BHP's iron ore production reached about 263 million metric tons. China's the leading importer of iron ore While Australia and Brazil are the top exporters of iron ore, China is by far the world's largest iron ore importing country. As is the case for many other commodities as well, Chinese demand significantly defines the global iron ore market. China accounted for roughly three-quarters of global iron ore imports by value in 2025, underscoring just how central the country's steel industry is to global iron ore trade. A cooling trajectory for iron ore prices Prices of iron ore showed an average increase between 2005 and 2011, before decreasing considerably in 2015. The price of iron ore reached a record high in 2011, when the average price was 168 U.S. dollars. In 2025, the average iron ore price stood at about 100 U.S. dollars per dry metric ton unit. As of June 2026, the monthly iron ore price sat at about 101 U.S. dollars per dry metric ton. It reached a peak of 214.43 U.S. dollars per dry metric ton in June 2021. Iron ore prices are forecast to continue declining, with projections pointing to roughly 95 U.S. dollars per dry metric ton by 2027.

Aluminum is one of the world’s most widely used industrial metals, valued for its light weight, corrosion resistance, and versatility across construction, transportation, and packaging. Global primary aluminum production reached 73,009 thousand metric tons in 2024, more than triple the output recorded at the start of the century. Global aluminum demand stood at 71.4 million metric tons that same year, a 2.1 percent gain year-over-year. China alone accounted for 59 percent of primary aluminum demand worldwide, a share large enough to mean that decisions made in Beijing ripple through global production capacity and pricing alike. China and a Handful of Global Players Dominate Production The largest aluminum producing companies in 2025 were led by Chinalco at 8.1 million metric tons, followed by China’s Hongqiao Group at 6.6 million metric tons. Russia’s Rusal ranked fourth at 3.9 million metric tons; Rio Tinto of the United Kingdom and Australia produced 3.4 million metric tons. The corporate concentration mirrors the geographic one: China’s smelter aluminum output by country surpassed all other nations in 2025, with India and Russia ranking second and third. Three countries accounting for the bulk of output is a narrow base for a metal this essential. Tariffs, Geopolitics, and a Surging Price Environment China’s manufacturing scale translates directly into export dominance. The country led all aluminum exporting nations in 2025 at 40 billion U.S. dollars, more than double Germany’s 20 billion U.S. dollars in second place. The United States, which led global aluminum importing nations at 26 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, imposed 25 percent tariffs on all aluminum imports in March 2025, a measure subsequently escalated and reinforced in 2026. Global aluminum prices by quarter climbed to 3,562 U.S. dollars per metric ton in the second quarter of 2026, up from 2,446 U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2025. The Iran war that began in February 2026 introduced additional supply-side uncertainty into a market already reshaped by escalating U.S. trade policy. Recycling Scales, But Electrolysis Emissions Remain the Industry’s Central Challenge Electrolysis generated 788 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent in 2024, making it by far the largest emissions source across all aluminum sector production processes. Recycling produced just 25 million metric tons, a fraction of that total. On recycled aluminum ingot production, China led in 2024 at 16,611 metric kilotons, with North America at 5,716 metric kilotons and Europe at 5,635 metric kilotons. The gap between what recycling achieves and what electrolysis still emits is not a transition in progress. Regulatory and investor pressure is building, and producers that fail to expand secondary aluminum capacity will find themselves on the wrong side of decarbonization demands that are already tightening.

Global fertilizer consumption climbed from 46.3 million metric tons in 1965 to 206 million metric tons in 2024. A near-fivefold increase in six decades reflects something simple: the world cannot feed itself without synthetic nutrients. Global fertilizer production reached approximately 215.6 million metric tons in 2024, with nitrogen fertilizers contributing the largest nutrient share at 124.3 million metric tons. East Asia commanded the largest regional fertilizer production capacity worldwide that year, at 35.75 percent of the global total, with Eastern Europe and Central Asia a distant second at 13.64 percent. A geopolitical chokepoint puts supply chains under pressure From 157.18 index points in January 2025 to 230.08 in May 2026, the global fertilizer price index traced the arc of a supply crisis with a precise trigger: Strait of Hormuz transit trade collapsed from around 3 million metric tons per day in early 2026 to near closure by mid-March, cutting off the Gulf region's nitrogen and phosphate exports simultaneously. Among leading fertilizer exporting countries in 2024, Morocco ranked first at 12.64 billion U.S. dollars, followed by China at 8.5 billion and Canada at 6.44 billion. Three countries on three continents, none of them the world's largest consumer. Global supply control is fragmented across resource-rich nations, and that fragmentation is not a transitional condition. It is a structural feature, one that keeps price volatility and food security risk permanently in play. A small group of companies commands the market Five companies spanning Australia, Canada, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Norway account for a disproportionate share of the industry's financial weight. Leading fertilizer companies by market capitalization as of July 2026 were led by Wesfarmers at 73.58 billion U.S. dollars, ahead of Nutrien at 32.29 billion, CF Industries at 18.65 billion, Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Company at 15.71 billion, and Yara International at 11.92 billion. Nutrien's revenue reached 26.89 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, while Yara's revenue came in at 15.72 billion that same year. When any one of these producers faces operational or regulatory disruption, the market feels it. Africa's access gap widens as prices climb In 2024, Africa consumed approximately 8.14 million metric tons of fertilizer nutrients in total — against regional fertilizer consumption figures showing East Asia at 72.97 million metric tons and South Asia at 40.74 million metric tons that same year. This underuse is not by choice: most African nations remain structurally dependent on imported inputs, and higher global prices make already-thin margins thinner. The medium-term fertilizer demand forecast projects total nutrient use reaching 214.3 million metric tons by 2030, with nitrogen alone accounting for 123.6 million metric tons. For that demand to translate into food security rather than widening inequality, the geographic concentration of both supply and financial scale must be addressed. The current period of elevated prices and geopolitical disruption is making that harder, not easier.

Lithium is a silver-white colored soft metal that belongs to the alkali metal group. It is the lightest metal and the least dense solid (at room temperature) element. Highly flammable and reactive, it is usually stored in mineral oil to preserve it from corrosion and tarnish. Due to its high reactivity, lithium does not occur in its elemental form; rather, it occurs naturally as part of chemical compounds. Commercial lithium production consists of isolating lithium through electrolysis from a mixture of potassium chloride and lithium chloride. Global mine output has grown substantially, reflecting rising demand across industries. A scramble for reserves as demand surges The total global reserves of lithium have increased in recent years, along with an increase in lithium exploration activity. Although Chile has the world's largest lithium reserves, at an estimated 9.2 million metric tons in 2025, Australia is actually the largest producer of lithium. China is the second-largest lithium producer, and Chile ranks third. Batteries first: lithium's role in the energy transition Lithium has several uses, including perhaps its most famous use, in lithium-ion batteries. In fact, lithium-ion batteries accounted for 88 percent of global lithium consumption in 2025, and its use for this application continues to grow as the race to power electric vehicles accelerates. To meet clean energy needs, global lithium supply as raw material is forecast to nearly double by 2030 compared to 2025 levels. Other uses for lithium include lubricating greases, glass and ceramics, metallurgy, nuclear fusion applications, among others. Additionally, lithium has medical applications in the form of lithium carbonate, which is used in medication for bipolar disorder as a mood stabilizer. A shifting landscape among top producers There are a handful of dominant lithium producing companies in the world. The Chilean company Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) and the United States-based Albemarle are the two leading lithium chemical producers: SQM's lithium production accounted for roughly 14 percent of the global lithium produced in 2025, while Albemarle accounted for about 12 percent. Rio Tinto, meanwhile, ranks as the leading lithium mining company by market capitalization. As global lithium demand is forecast to exceed 1.5 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2026, more producers are entering the market.

The U.S. health system stands apart from any comparable economy in both absolute and relative terms. U.S. national health expenditure as a share of GDP reached 18 percent in 2024, a ratio no OECD peer approaches, with Germany, the closest comparator, standing at 12.3 percent in the same year. On a per capita basis, national health spending amounted to $15,474 per person in 2024, more than 1.5 times the level recorded in Switzerland, the second-highest OECD spender. Within that aggregate, the spending structure is notably concentrated: hospital care alone accounted for 31 percent of total health expenditure, followed by physician and clinical services at 21 percent, together representing over half of all U.S. health spending in 2024. This means cost pressures in inpatient and clinical settings carry a systemic weight that few other categories can match, and that improvements or disruptions in these two segments reverberate across the entire system. How demographics are reshaping who pays The U.S. funds its health system through a distinctive multi-payer architecture, and the balance is shifting. Private health insurance remained the single largest contributor, but the directional pressure is clearly toward public financing. Medicare outlays reached $910 billion in 2024 and are projected to exceed $1.7 trillion by 2035, driven by the continued aging of the population into Medicare eligibility. On the Medicaid side, state-level spending accelerated by 19.2 percent in 2024 alone, the sharpest single-year increase among all payer categories. Both trends are shaped primarily by structural demographic shifts: as the baby-boom cohort reaches ages of higher health care consumption, public programs absorb an expanding share of total spending.This deepening reliance on public financing increases the system's sensitivity to fiscal constraints, legislative changes, and budgetary cycles at both the federal and state level. A shrinking share that still adds up to more A structural tension defines the out-of-pocket dimension of U.S. health spending. Out-of-pocket payments as a share of total personal health care expenditure declined from roughly 13.9 percent in 2010 to 12.3 percent in 2024, suggesting that expanded insurance coverage, both public and private, has absorbed a growing proportion of total costs over time. Yet in absolute terms, out-of-pocket payments reached $556.6 billion in 2024, with per capita costs standing at $1,514 in 2023. This divergence reveals a structural dynamic: even as cost-sharing ratios decline, the sheer magnitude of overall health expenditure growth means individuals continue to face a rising dollar burden in absolute terms. The pattern is particularly visible in prescription drugs, where out-of-pocket exposure intersects with private insurance coverage gaps. This points to a system in which coverage expansion alone does not automatically translate into reduced financial pressure at the individual level. Strategic outlook The U.S. health system is entering a period in which established structural pressures, including demographic aging, category concentration, and the deepening role of public payers, are expected to compound one another. Enrollment in Medicare is projected to represent 22 percent of the total U.S. population by 2034, and Medicare is forecast to grow faster than any other major funding source over the coming decade. The aging of the oldest baby boomers into the phase of life associated with the highest per-person health care consumption is a well-documented driver that tends to be underestimated in the short term but proves durable over time. At the same time, the near-term spending trajectory is being shaped by additional forces that introduce meaningful uncertainty. The expanded use of high-cost therapies, including GLP-1 drugs and novel oncology treatments, is driving prescription drug spending growth that has consistently outpaced headline NHE growth. Legislative developments, including significant projected reductions in Medicaid and marketplace enrollment stemming from recent budget legislation, could materially alter the payer mix and the insured share of the population. These shifts would not reduce total health expenditure per se, but could reallocate financial burdens across payers and individuals in ways that are difficult to model precisely. Whether the system's current structural trajectory toward greater public-payer dependence and persistently elevated absolute costs proves sustainable under this combination of demographic and legislative pressures remains an open question.

Since its release in 2005, YouTube's global online presence has reshaped the digital landscape. Acquired by Google in 2006 for less than two billion U.S. dollars, YouTube has not only become a financial powerhouse, generating roughly 40 billion U.S. dollars in advertising revenues in 2025, but also a cultural phenomenon, particularly in the music industry. YouTube's name carries a brand value exceeding 38 billion U.S. dollars. Ads and premium content: YouTube's business pillars When sizing up YouTube's business, direct sales are only a part of its financial success: the ads business accounts for approximately 14 percent of the company's revenue, making it one of the flagship brands operated by the internet giant. Meanwhile, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscribers keep growing, reaching 125 million paying users in 2025. The United States represented the largest market for the platform in terms of in-app purchase revenues in 2025. A massive audience with a young male core Between various professional and user-generated content, YouTube users can access videos that range from music and gaming to DIYs and educational clips. As of October 2025, YouTube counted over 2.5 billion global users. The platform's user base skewed slightly male, with men aged 25 to 34 making up the largest demographic segment. As of April 2026, India counted the largest YouTube audience by far at 518 million users, followed by the United States with 259 million users on the popular video platform. Short-form muscle in a long-form stronghold With TikTok's ascending popularity, competition in the digital video environment has risen. Despite the pressure, YouTube has maintained strong revenue momentum, while subscriptions and user engagement continue to climb. With the adoption of the short video format, YouTube has shown its readiness to cater to users' changing tastes. YouTube.com remains the second most visited website worldwide, underscoring how a platform that started as a simple acquisition not only transformed Google's advertising business but also shifted how online video and musical content is produced.

The internet continues to transform how we connect with others, organize the flow of information, and share opinions. With its growing influence on individual consumers and large economies alike, the internet has become a vital part of our day-to-day lives. As of April 2026, the number of internet users worldwide stood at 6.12 billion, which means that nearly three-quarters of the global population is currently connected to the world wide web. Where the world's online populations cluster As of April 2026, China remained the leading market by the number of internet users in the world, followed by India and the United States. Northern Europe had the highest internet penetration rate. Despite having the most extensive online population, China's online penetration rate stood at around 92 percent, compared with countries like Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland, whose internet penetration rates reached 99 percent. This gap can be explained by the slow progress of digital infrastructures in remote regions - an obstacle still visible in many parts of the world. Broadband divides and offline populations While the digital population is visibly growing in many parts of the world, internet access and availability can differ significantly depending on the region. There are still countries and regions where internet access remains notably lower than the global average. As of 2025, Africa had the lowest fixed broadband subscriptions among other regions, with Asia and the Pacific representing the highest number. As of April 2026, the North Korean population remained almost entirely offline, as internet access for the general public is heavily restricted by the government and only permitted with special authorization. Mobile devices' growing share of web traffic Mobile internet has become increasingly widespread and popular over the past few years, as smartphones are more readily available and affordable than ever. As internet users gradually switch to mobile devices to browse the web on the go, mobile internet now accounts for just over 50 percent of total web traffic worldwide. Persistent gender and generational gaps online As of the second quarter of 2025, around 75.7 percent of the male population in the world was using the internet, compared to 70.7 percent of women. This disparity is particularly pronounced in least developed and developing countries. Across all regions, internet adoption tends to be higher among younger age groups than older generations. The expanded usage of the internet comes with advantages, as well as downsides. Among these are cybersecurity threats and online privacy concerns. An increasingly connected world will need to develop sufficient levels of online literacy to ensure that users can navigate the web safely.

The year 2007 witnessed a revolution in the mobile phone market, when Apple released the first iPhone, a smartphone with innovative features such as touchscreen interfaces and virtual keyboards. The iPhone radically changed the perception and usage of mobile devices and became a lifestyle product that is difficult to give up, with more than 50 released models and nearly 1.6 billion active units worldwide as of 2025. Furthermore, the iPhone is the center of the American tech giant's best product, its ecosystem, where it can seamlessly connect to Apple's PCs, speakers, and TVs. iPhone is Apple's most successful product Much of the iPhone's success can be attributed to Apple's ability to keep the product competitive throughout the years with new releases and updates. Apple shipped close to 248 million iPhones globally in 2025, up from around 47 million in 2010. In Apple's 2025 financial year, iPhone sales brought in revenue of over 209 billion U.S. dollars. As sales increased, the iPhone's importance to the company's success increased as well - the iPhone has become Apple's most successful product and shapes Apple's business in fundamental ways. However, as other segments and services gained popularity, namely the Apple Watch and the Apple App Store, the iPhone's share of the company's total revenue slightly declined compared to a decade earlier, reaching around half of the overall revenue in the company's 2025 fiscal year. Clash among consumer electronics titans: Apple vs. Samsung Back in 2007, Apple's iPhone was the primary driver of growth in the smartphone market, pushing competitors to develop new products and operating systems to respond to market demands. Today, the smartphone market includes numerous players from around the globe, with the leading position mainly disputed between Apple and Samsung. In 2025, for a third consecutive year, Apple led Samsung in terms of smartphone shipments, occupying close to 20 percent of the global smartphone market share. Similar dynamics shape the global smartphone operating system market. Particularly, iOS by Apple and Android by Google are the most popular operating systems. However, while only iPhones can run on iOS, Android is compatible with many other smartphone brands, such as Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi - a feature that makes Android the clear leader in the smartphone OS market. As technology progresses, smartphone manufacturers need to keep up with shifting consumer demands and strive for innovation. With global smartphone shipments reaching over 1.26 billion units in 2025, Apple and iPhone will also need to continue doing so to retain their reputation and position in the global consumer electronics and smartphone industries.

The loyalty marketing landscape in the United Kingdom has evolved into a mature and dynamic sector: British consumers demonstrate high engagement with loyalty programs, while marketers reap substantial returns on their investments. A 2025 survey found that nearly two-thirds of consumers in the UK and the U.S. prioritize shopping with brands that have loyalty programs during times of economic uncertainty. Due to the UK cost-of-living crisis, discounts and rewards hit the spot for consumers. For brands, well-designed loyalty programs are key to winning buying decisions. Money-saving perks and the trust equation Savviness leads the way when consumers decide to join a loyalty program. A global survey found that money-saving benefits attracted over seven out of 10 consumers to loyalty schemes, while free products and services motivated close to half. As for building lasting relationships, brands should not overlook trust: data privacy and security risks rank as the leading concern consumers have about sharing personal information with brands. Protecting user data isn't just a compliance requirement; it's a competitive advantage for any loyalty scheme. From rewards to revenue Loyalty programs impact consumer behavior in multiple ways. Roughly 93 percent of online shoppers in the UK, Australia, and the U.S. said they'd keep buying from a brand that provides personalized experiences, proving that tailored rewards can strengthen retention. Beyond spending and word-of-mouth (WOM), loyalty programs also strengthen emotional connections and increase the likelihood that customers will choose a familiar brand over competitors. When these benefits come together, loyalty schemes become a must-have marketing strategy: in a 2026 survey, over nine out of 10 UK-based marketers expressed confidence that loyalty programs delivered extra value. Where UK brand loyalty is heading With points-based reward programs leading in popularity among UK consumers and supermarket schemes like Tesco Clubcard counting 23 million active households, the market's foundation is firmly established. The next frontier lies in personalization and data-driven engagement: brands that can turn transactional rewards into genuinely tailored experiences will likely capture a growing share of consumer spend and long-term loyalty.

The electric vehicle (EV) market in the United States currently finds itself at a crossroads. The last decade has seen the segment go from being a niche part of the automotive industry to a considerable force, with the annual sales of plug-in electric light vehicles in the U.S. going from around 18,000 units sold to over 1.56 million. However, the momentum driving this growth - improved battery technology, larger model lineups, and incentive policies - hit a roadblock. In 2025, sales declined by nearly four percent from 2024, and, most tellingly, the monthly market share of battery-electric vehicles' (BEV) went from 12 percent in September 2025 to around six percent in June 2026. What has caused the demand for EVs in the U.S. to drop? One likely reason the demand for EVs in the U.S. decreased at such a rapid rate after September 2025 was the reduction of government-backed incentives during the first two years President Trump’s second term. The scrapping of the tax credits included in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), effective from September 30, 2025 onwards, for instance saw prospective EV buyers lose out on a reported 7,500 U.S. dollar tax break. This is especially significant when considering the relative lack of EVs priced under 40,000 U.S. dollars in comparison to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV). Cost, however, is not the only concern among consumers — driving range and the time required to charge remain persistent barriers to adoption. With 45 percent of the U.S. population living within one kilometer of an electric vehicle charger in 2024, compared to 81 percent in Germany and 78 percent in the United Kingdom, these concerns are certainly not unfounded. California and Tesla define a highly concentrated market Another challenge that the EV market in the U.S. has faced is diversification, both geographically and company-wise. When it comes to the U.S. states with the most battery electric vehicle registrations, California had over a third of the national total in 2024. This dominance was also reflected in the number of private and public EV charging stations in California as of November 2025 – the Golden State was home to 18,644 charging locations, which was more than triple the figure for the state of New York, which had the second-highest number of locations. Meanwhile, on the company front, Tesla towers over every other car brand when it comes to EV sales in the United States. In 2025, Tesla sold an estimated 589,160 units, which was around double the aggregate amount sold by its four biggest competitors – Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, and Cadillac. Making up the largest share of Tesla sales that year was the Model Y, which sold over 350,000 units. What does the future hold for the U.S. EV market? While the recent stagnation of the EV market in the U.S. has shown its susceptibilities, projections in January 2026 still forecast a steady growth in sales between 2026 and 2031. One factor that could contribute to this expected growth is the changing preferences among younger generations when it comes to alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles. When surveyed in 2025, Gen Z and Millenial respondents both showed a higher likelihood of considering electric or hybrid car models than older age groups. Whether that generational momentum can overcome the challenges of diminishing financial incentives and a relative lack of charging spots, however, remains to be seen.

China is one of the world’s largest and most populous countries and is considered a global superpower by many. Officially titled the People’s Republic of China, it has been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949 and has emerged as an economic powerhouse since the early-2000s. Building on its role as the “world’s factory”, China has used this platform to expand its global influence, and it is now seen as the main geopolitical rival of the United States. China is expected to have the world’s largest economy before 2030, but the future will not be without challenges - among many others, China is the world’s largest emitter of CO2 and will be instrumental in combatting climate change; accelerated demographic change has led to what some view as a looming crisis; and international rivalries or oncoming economic difficulties may hinder China’s geopolitical goals. Geography and climate Depending on criteria, China is the world’s third or fourth largest country by area. It occupies most of East Asia, borders 14 other countries, and has a long eastern coastline. China is split into 33 administrative regions of varying autonomy, including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau since the late-1990s. It's capital city is Beijing, while the metro areas of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou all have over 20 million inhabitants. Topographically, China is often viewed in three sections: the western Tibetan Plateau is an incredibly mountainous and sparsely populated region that extends into the Himalayas; the northern Xinjiang-Mongolia region includes the Taklimakan and Gobi desert, is also mountainous in parts, and sparsely populated; while Eastern China is much greener, at lower elevation, includes most major river basins, sees more precipitation, and has fertile soil. Eastern China is also very urbanized; it is split from the rest of the country by the imaginary Heihe-Tengchong Line”, which runs from China’s southern to northeastern border – up to 94 percent of the population lives east of the line in roughly 43 percent of China’s territory. The east is also very susceptible to tropical storms and severe flooding, and the concentration of population, manufacturing, and food production here means that natural disasters can potentially affect hundreds of millions of people with long-term economic and agricultural consequences. China is the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, and its industrialization has been primarily fueled by coal (the dirtiest fossil fuel). The impact of rising temperatures, pollution, and erosion in China have far-reaching implications for millions of people in condensed areas, however, China has adopted some of the most ambitious climate change policies of any major power – it remains to be seen whether it can achieve these goals without sacrificing economic growth. History As one of the six “cradles of civilization” and birthplace of countless inventions and philosophies, China is steeped in history and has shaped global development. Traditional Chinese history begins over 4,000 years ago, while the various cities and states that emerged in ancient times first united as Imperial China in 221 BCE, with dynastic rule lasting until 1912. Borders and monarchies changed regularly, and the transfer of power between dynasties often followed large-scale civil wars, but China is still considered the second-oldest state in continuous existence (after Japan). Long periods of relative unity meant that languages, writing, technology, belief systems, and trade networks flourished across large areas. In the Middle Ages, these spread further via the Silk Road and sea trade, reaching as far as Europe – many inventions that revolutionized Western development originated in China, including paper, gunpowder, and the nautical compass. However, Imperial China's population development was also plagued by some of the largest wars, famines, and pandemics in history (often concurrently), and it became the target of foreign attempts to invade or exploit its resources, most notably the Mongols in the 13th century and Europeans from the 16th century on. The 1911 Xinhai Revolution ended imperial rule, leaving a power vacuum - the nationalist Kuomintang then established the Republic of China (ROC) but faced challenges from communist forces and regional warlord cliques that emerged from the dissolved Imperial Army. This developed into a full-scale civil war from 1927-1949: the Kuomintang controlled most of China by 1937 before hostilities were paused until 1945 for a united resistance against Japan during WWII, thereafter communist forces established a foothold in the north and then pushed southward, taking the mainland by 1949. As population figures are unknown, estimates of fatalities for the civil war and WWII remain unclear, but may be somewhere in the region of 10 and 20 million deaths respectively. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) then established the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland, while the Kuomintang were driven to Taiwan. With Chairman Mao Zedong as its leader, the PRC’s first decades were tumultuous – the Great Leap Forward sought to rapidly industrialize China but mismanagement resulted in famine and the deaths of tens of millions; while the Sino-Soviet split saw China lose its largest ally and grow internationally isolated; before a series of anti-opposition campaigns, most infamously the Cultural Revolution, saw large-scale oppression and the persecution of perceived opponents, with a death toll of several million. Following Mao’s death in 1976 and the ascent of Deng Xiaoping, a series of reforms brought stability to the PRC, in a system now known as “socialism with Chinese characteristics”. The Deng administration dismantled Cultural Revolution policies and loosened controls over citizens; it began China’s transition from a command economy to a “socialist market economy”; and it opened China up to foreign investment by re-establishing international relations. While these reforms were overwhelmingly progressive compared to the Mao era, student protests in Beijing in 1989 called for further expansions of democracy and human rights, which then culminated in the Tiananmen Square massacre where the state quelled the protests and killed hundreds or thousands of protesters in the process. This event is heavily censored in China but was significant as it helped maintain Chinese communism as European communism collapsed, and the CCP consolidated its power by re-introducing limits on political expression. The Chinese economy then continued to grow rapidly over the next three decades as foreign investment poured into China, and civilian life was transformed, with over 750 million people lifted out of poverty between 1990 and 2020. Demographics With a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, China was the world’s most populous country until it was overtaken by India in 2023. The reason for China’s slowdown was because its demographic transition was greatly accelerated by restrictive family planning policies, which is now having negative consequences. The most famous was the “one-child policy” introduced in 1979 to combat overpopulation through methods such as raising the marriage age, enforcing penalties for having multiple children, or even forced birth control. The policy was very effective in stemming population growth, but negative side effects include a wide gender ratio among young adults due to a strong son-preference, and the policy eventually led to population decline in 2022. The CCP lifted all restrictions by 2021 and began incentivizing childbearing, but reversing this decline may be difficult as it will require a cultural shift for young people. Additionally, China’s aging population means caregiving responsibilities for the elderly often falls on the shoulders of their children, meaning many couples may have to care for four parents, further restricting time and financial resources. Economy China has the world’s largest economy by GDP (PPP), and second largest by nominal GDP. China has a unique economy combining free market policies and large scale foreign direct investment with heavy state control. The PRC was founded with a command economy, but economic reforms after 1978 and accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001 saw explosive growth that has transformed Chinese society. A combination of low labor costs, laxed regulations, and low taxes (among others), saw Western businesses relocate manufacturing to China from the 1980s on, while Chinese enterprise emerged to meet the global demand. China became the world’s largest exporter of goods in 2009 and growing prosperity also saw the emergence of a lucrative domestic market, and it is now the world's second largest importer. Additionally, while China was the manufacturing center of the world for basic items, it has recently begun diversifying and producing more high-tech goods (electronics, machinery, pharmaceuticals). Yet, 2023 has been challenging for the Chinese economy as it has struggled with post-pandemic recovery, experiencing high youth unemployment, a bursting property bubble, and deflation – economic struggles that will be compounded by the slowdown of globalization and increased protectionism in the West. Politics China is one of just five communist countries globally and has been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party as a one-party state since 1949. The highest position of power in China is the General Secretary of the CCP, followed by the President, however these positions have been held by the same person since 1993. Xi Jinping has been president in 2013 and was unanimously elected to an unprecedented third term in 2023 after removing pervious term limits. There are no general elections in China; the President is chosen by the legislative body, The National People’s Congress (NPC), and the members of the NPC are also chosen by regional governing bodies – direct elections occur only at a local level or in special administrative regions (SARs). Internationally, as China develops more into a global superpower it faces increasing challenges from the United States. Since 2018, the U.S. has introduced numerous tariffs and sanctions against China for what it deems to be unfair trading practices, as well as purported offenses such as the CCP’s alleged mistreatment of ethnic minorities or the extension of natural security powers in Hong Kong. Internationally, China is building on its economic ties with developing countries through infrastructure and development projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the BRICS alliance, and loans, often capitalizing on anti-Western sentiments by providing an alternative source of capital. Some commentators point to Taiwan as having the greatest potential to see this rivalry develop into a global conflict, as China has claimed it is willing to use force in the pursuit of unification, while the U.S. has intermittently vowed to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion. However, both China and the U.S. are eachother’s largest trading partners, and the economic stability of both countries is dependent on future cooperation.

The European Union is the world's leading consumer of biodiesel and also among the largest consumers of biofuels in general. Although biodiesel and fuel ethanol account for the vast majority of biofuel consumption on European roads, in recent years, the market for renewable diesel has also grown notably. Following concerns over food security, unsustainable feedstock sourcing, and reports over unexpectedly high emissions, biofuels production and consumption has grown only modestly across the EU, with the exception of newly introduced products such as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. Germany and its closest rivals at the production helm The idea of using vegetable and cooking oils in engines predates the 21st century, however, marketable production only began taking off after the 2000s. With governments and leaders in the transportation industry looking to reduce reliance on petroleum-based fuels, biofuels production in the EU has surpassed 325,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, a record high. Germany, the largest car market on the continent, is also the leading biofuels producer in Europe, though the Netherlands has closed the gap and now produces nearly the same volume. Common feedstocks for ethanol production include crops such as corn and sugar beet, while used cooking oils and animal fats are increasingly important for biodiesel. Use of the latter is especially prevalent in the United Kingdom, but relies heavily on imports. Import dependence amid shifting supply lines Roughly 17.5 million metric tons of oil equivalent biofuels are consumed for transportation in the EU every year. In order to meet consumer demand, many European countries are reliant on imports. The import value of biodiesel in Europe rose particularly sharply in 2022, when the Russia-Ukraine war affected purchases of feedstocks. Since then, biodiesel import values have declined but remain well above pre-war levels. Meanwhile, EU fuel ethanol imports have continued to climb, reaching new highs in each of the past three years. In 2024, Germany approved the sale of 100 percent renewable diesel from fuel stations, a move that, combined with the growing share of waste-based feedstocks across EU biodiesel production, signals a broader shift away from traditional crop-based biofuels.

What are the main trends shaping the travel and tourism market? The sector is undergoing a profound transformation, with 2026 expected to be a pivotal year for the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, AI agents, and the advancement of solutions like biometric technologies that aim to make each journey more seamless. Meanwhile, interest in experiential travel, driven by major live events and recent developments among leading companies focusing on tours, activities, and attractions, shows no signs of slowing down. The ABC of travel tech trends for 2026: Agents, Biometrics, and Chatbots Everyone in travel and tourism is talking about AI agents, and with good reason. Three years after artificial intelligence surged in popularity, the implementation of AI systems that can autonomously perform tasks, such as booking a hotel room or a flight, would be a game changer. While there is little doubt that AI agents will be one of the most talked-about trends in 2026, the travel and tourism sector is still in its early stages of experimenting with these tools. In a 2025 survey, less than 10 percent of travel and logistics companies said that AI agent use for functions like marketing and sales or product development had reached the scaling phase. Although only around one out of 10 surveyed hotel chains reported using AI agents that year, 40 percent already planned to implement them, suggesting that adoption of this technology could increase quickly. Other tech solutions expected to drive impact in 2026 include biometrics and chatbots. In a 2025 global survey, over two-thirds of travelers said they would consider using biometric gateways, though interest varied significantly across regions. Meanwhile, chatbots and virtual assistants ranked as the main business areas where hotel chains were currently using AI. Experiential travel trends for 2026: from stadiums to spas The era of experiential travel has just begun, as travelers are increasingly prioritizing unique experiences over consumer goods. In 2026, sporting events will be at the forefront of the global experience market, with the FIFA World Cup projected to contribute significantly to tourism in North America. Tourists who will attend the soccer tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico are anticipated to spend nearly 7.5 billion U.S. dollars, generating over half of the total forecast expenditure linked to the event. Aside from the influence of sports events on travel, wellness is also set to play a key role, as spa services topped a ranking of the leading travel experiences among global consumers in a 2025 study. Companies to watch in 2026 With interest in travel experiences at its highest, it is no wonder that many of the companies that have recently made headlines operate in this market. In late 2025, one of the leading online travel agencies focusing on experiences, Klook, filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States. While Expedia plans to expand its offering of travel experiences through the acquisition of Tiqets, Tripadvisor has confirmed its intention to merge its core brand with Viator, the company’s platform focusing on tours and attractions. Beyond experiential travel, business travel giant American Express Global Business Travel and corporate travel management firm Navan are companies worth keeping an eye on, with the former reportedly considering a sale and the latter having recently completed its IPO. Overall, despite all the trends that are transforming the way both companies and consumers think about and experience travel, there is one important aspect that will likely stay the same: people’s interest in traveling remains as high as ever, with global travel and tourism revenue forecast to grow steadily in the years ahead. 

Uniqlo has become one of the most valuable Japanese brands, ranking along with major domestic automobile and technology companies. The brand started as a collection of clothing stores in suburban areas and has consolidated its parent company, Fast Retailing’s position in Japan’s fashion industry within 40 years. The business revolves around the casual apparel segment, with functional technology driving product development. While the parent company has diversified its brand portfolio through mergers and acquisitions as well as in-house development, the Uniqlo brand continues to contribute the majority of Fast Retailing's revenue. Uniqlo propelling Fast Retailing’s success story Uniqlo expanded its global reach through directly operated stores while keeping full control of product development processes and sales as a specialty store retailer of private label apparel (SPA). Research and development, the integration of new retail technologies, as well as steady investment in advertising and promotion, were the keys to Fast Retailing’s brand creation strategy. Starting with a replication of fleece at a lower price point in 1998, the early integration of online sales and checkout systems using RFID tags has since contributed to Uniqlo's consumer-friendly shopping experience. Functional technology combined with casual wear has steered its brand strategy for decades, with Heattech and ultra-light down jackets having become signature products. Meanwhile, collaborations with popular culture and fashion designers boost its branding on social media. What is coming next for Uniqlo? The opening of flagship stores overseas kicked off Uniqlo’s global expansion in the early 2000s, and since 2018, Uniqlo International’s revenue has surpassed domestic sales. While Uniqlo remains the undisputed leader in Japan’s fashion industry, demand is declining in the aging society. China has become the pillar of its overseas activities, but continuous store openings worldwide have shown Fast Retailing’s ambition to solidify its global position against brands like Zara and H&M. Amid changing market conditions, Uniqlo is facing the challenge of positioning itself between sustainable brands with high transparency and cost-effective fast fashion brands that boast high design variations. The fashion innovator has affirmed its commitment to society and the environment with a sustainability-driven “LifeWear” concept, but it will also need to convince consumers of its basic and simple product designs in a mature and heavily trend-driven global market.

Since its launch in September 2022, Temu has taken the e-commerce world by storm, becoming one of the most popular marketplaces globally in a relatively short period of time. Known for extremely discounted prices, the marketplace platform whose name means "team up, price down" is a subsidiary company of the Chinese Pinduoduo Holdings and sells a wide range of products that spans from women and men's fashion to kitchen tools and appliances. A fad, or here to stay? Temu claims it has three unique strengths that allow it to serve its shoppers, those being the ability to source the best available products, being able to manage complex logistical supply chains, and making use of consumer-to-manufacturing (C2M). These strengths seem to be serving the company well, as Temu was the most downloaded shopping app worldwide in 2025. Its gross merchandise volume surpassed 92 billion U.S. dollars that year, and a 2025 survey found that Temu tied with Amazon as the leading platform for cross-border purchases among global online shoppers. Temu is not the first e-commerce marketplace with low prices to gain popularity. AliExpress, the B2C subsidiary of Alibaba, is regularly used among shoppers globally and functions similarly to Temu, offering a range of low-priced products available in an online marketplace setting. The fast fashion marketplace Shein also has made significant waves in the e-commerce industry, having a similar, quick rise to popularity as an online marketplace with incredibly low prices. Trouble in paradise According to the 'about' page on Temu's website, the company's values include empowerment, integrity, diversity, and social responsibility. Overall, Temu presents its own image quite positively, even claiming to take appropriate steps to ensure ethical and environmental standards through its Third Party Code of Conduct and carbon emission offsetting, respectively. However, ethical concerns related to over-consumption, labor practices, and even data privacy have not been dismissed. Because there has been no information made publicly available to support Temu's claims of offsetting carbon emissions, and the company is believed to source many of its products from regions that have known problems with forced labor, using the word ethical to describe Temu becomes much more difficult when looking beyond the surface. Multiple U.S. state attorneys general have filed lawsuits alleging Temu's app harvests user data without consent and violates consumer privacy laws. Shein and Temu have also exchanged copyright and trademark infringement suits, with the cases consolidated in a Washington, D.C., federal court. Facing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods, Temu shifted to local warehouse fulfillment in the United States after the de minimis exemption ended in May 2025. Whether this pivot can preserve Temu's status as a leading global marketplace while navigating ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny remains to be seen.

Poverty is reducing around the world. This is especially down to the reduction of poverty in East Asia, where the economic growth of China has contributed to lifting millions out of poverty. Despite these positive developments, as of 2024, the global poverty rate stood at roughly 10 percent. Moreover, the rate increased slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and high inflation in subsequent years reduced the purchasing power of many around the world. Countries with the highest poverty rate are all located in Sub-Saharan Africa, where millions do not have enough income to feed their families. The limitations of the global poverty line Poverty refers to the lack of money or material possessions needed to meet basic needs and/or an adequate living standard. The definition of poverty varies over time; as of June 2025, the World Bank's international poverty line is set at 3.00 U.S. dollars a day in terms of 2021 Purchasing Power Parities, up from a previous threshold of 2.15 dollars. Moreover, national poverty levels vary greatly. For instance, while the poverty rate in the United States shows that about 11 percent of the population lived in poverty in 2024, this is not necessarily comparable to the poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 46 percent of the population lived on less than 3.00 dollars a day, as a person residing in the United States will need a far higher level of income to afford a basic standard of living. Furthermore, measuring the share of people living below the poverty line has some limitations as it does not take the depth of poverty into account. Hence, if the 85 percent of the population in the Democratic Republic of Congo living on less than 3.00 U.S. dollars a day becomes even poorer, the share will remain the same. Therefore, using the worldwide poverty gap to measure the severity of poverty, i.e. how far below the poverty line the average poor person falls, the data shows that the poverty gap has decreased from about 27 percent in 1990 to under seven percent in 2024. Beyond income: the many faces of deprivation Poverty is usually divided into absolute and relative poverty. Absolute poverty concerns basic human needs such as food, water, sanitation, and shelter. Relative poverty, on the other hand, relates to whether a person can afford a certain standard of living and participate in social life. The many different dimensions of poverty are interrelated. For instance, the share of undernourished people worldwide has been gradually declining but still stood at an estimated eight percent in 2024. The Multidimensional Poverty Index shows that Sub-Saharan Africa bears the highest burden across health, education, and living-standard deprivations, while lack of access to clean cooking fuel and adequate housing affects the most people among the multidimensionally poor. Researchers have found that to fight global poverty effectively, the many dimensions of the phenomenon must be addressed simultaneously. Wealth gaps that deepen the divide Finally, poverty is interrelated with wealth inequalities. In 2024, roughly 36 percent of the world's collected net personal wealth belonged to the richest one percent. Moreover, many countries with the greatest inequality in income distribution worldwide also rank among the poorest. This points to a pattern where relative poverty deepens in middle- and high-income countries, while absolute poverty remains most dominant in low-income nations.

Statista's GLP-1 Pulse Survey has tracked attitudes and behavior across the U.S., the UK, and Germany since early 2026. This summer edition turns to a different kind of evidence: what happens at the BBQ, the party, the dinner table, the everyday social situations where medication meets real life. Summer matters here for a reason. It is the season when eating happens in larger groups and outdoors, and when alcohol is more ambient than deliberate. The findings concern not only those taking the medication. The majority who are not are part of this story too. At the table: confident, but not everywhere Among GLP-1 users, food-centered social events look broadly positive in two of the t hree markets. In the U.S. and UK, confidence in eating choices and a sense of appetite control dominate: 47% of U.S. users and 45% of UK users say they feel confident about their eating choices. Difficulty managing eating is the exception. Consistently across all three countries, roughly one in five GLP-1 users worries about how others perceive their eating, a concern that sits quietly beneath the more confident headline numbers. Germany diverges clearly on the broader picture: German GLP-1 users report lower food confidence (29%) and appetite control (29%), and a higher share struggles to manage eating in social settings. The behavioral shift is real across all three markets. How settled it feels is not. The alcohol paradox The general population's relationship with alcohol in social settings is already shifting. Across all three markets, a clear majority say they can control how much they drink and enjoy social events just as much without alcohol. GLP-1 users broadly match or exceed that picture on both counts. In the U.S. and UK, a larger share of GLP-1 users say they enjoy social events just as much without alcohol compared with the general population (US: 75% vs 68%; UK: 81% vs 65%). Where they diverge sharply is elsewhere: roughly half of GLP-1 users in the U.S. and UK feel pressure from others to drink, nearly double the general population rate (US: 47% vs 22%; UK: 47% vs 22%). Germany is close behind (GLP-1 users 40% vs total 18%). The pattern holds across all three countries, which makes it the most consistent GLP-1-specific signal in this survey. What GLP-1 changes in the body does not automatically translate into social ease at the dinner table. Uncomfortable in plain sight The sharpest illustration comes from a single question: whether respondents feel uncomfortable not drinking when others are. In the general population, most don't. Germany least of all, where not drinking carries almost no social weight and 45% of respondents strongly disagree that abstaining feels uncomfortable. Among German GLP-1 users, that cultural buffer largely breaks down: 49% agree or strongly agree that they feel uncomfortable abstaining. A norm that works for almost everyone else is considerably weakened for users. This is not a German anomaly. It is a GLP-1 dynamic that Germany makes impossible to ignore. And it plays out against a broader backdrop: alcohol is already in social retreat among younger generations across all three markets. GLP-1 users are navigating that same friction, with behavioral change layered on top. Summary & outlook The data draws a clear line between what GLP-1 is achieving and what remains unresolved. Users are eating differently, consuming less alcohol, and reporting greater control over their choices. Yet they arrive at social situations where those changes create friction rather than ease. The gap between behavioral change and social comfort is widening. For pharma, the findings point to an adherence question that clinical protocols have been slow to address: social discomfort may be as likely to interrupt treatment as side effects. For food and beverage companies, they signal a change already in motion: GLP-1 users are quietly but visibly shifting their relationship with food and drink, not only in the supermarket aisle but now at the dinner table too, in plain sight of the majority who are not on medication. The next chapter of the GLP-1 story may be less about the body and more about belonging.

From post-pandemic recovery to a cashless payments boom, European retail is shifting fast. In 2025, retail trade sales volumes grew in most European countries, a sign of recovery after the inflation-driven slump of recent years, with Turkey and Luxembourg leading the pack with double-digit gains. Germany ranked first in EU retail sales turnover in 2024, followed by France, Italy, and Spain. The retail food market alone was projected to surpass two trillion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025, underscoring the sector's massive scale. E-commerce and marketplace dominance E-commerce has become a massive part of retail. Although the majority of retail transactions still take place offline, many companies in European countries now make a considerable share of their revenue online, with Ireland leading at 38 percent in 2025. Overall e-commerce revenue in Europe was projected to reach roughly 674 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, with the number of online shoppers approaching half a billion. Among leading online marketplaces, Amazon dominated the region by gross merchandise volume, far ahead of its closest rivals. Cashless payments and flexible checkout The shift toward digital is also reshaping how consumers pay. Cashless transactions in Europe exceeded 400 billion in 2024 and are projected to keep climbing. Buy now, pay later is gaining traction as well, with BNPL transaction values led by Germany and the United Kingdom in 2025. Meanwhile, account-to-account payments already represent about 14 percent of e-commerce transaction value across Europe, with far higher shares in Poland and the Netherlands. Deal-seekers and sustainability-minded shoppers Consumer behavior is evolving alongside the market. A majority of European shoppers are now actively seeking deals across categories like apparel and groceries. At the same time, over 80 percent of shoppers in several European countries research products online before buying in-store. Sustainability is on shoppers' radar too: in Germany, roughly 60 percent of consumers purchased a sustainable product in 2025. These trends suggest that retailers who combine competitive pricing with digital convenience and sustainable offerings are best positioned for growth.

A wide variety of consumer goods is enriched with flavors and scents that make the difference. These components are part of the flavor and fragrance (F&F) market, and they can be natural or artificial. Consumers can find them in both food and non-food products, like beverages or personal care items. The value of the global flavor and fragrance market amounted to some 35 billion euros in 2019 and increased to over 56.6 billion euros as of 2025. In the same year, the flavor segment of the industry generated about 20.5 billion euros, making it the division with the highest market value. Fragrance came in second, while pet food ingredients made up the smallest division. Leading vendors in Europe Several big names can be found within the global flavors and fragrances industry. As of 2025, Givaudan, IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances), Symrise, and dsm-firmenich were the “four giants” that accounted for more than half of the global F&F market. Givaudan, a Swiss-based F&F manufacturer, has experienced steady growth in its total group sales over the past few years, generating almost 7.5 billion Swiss francs in 2025, of which about an equal amount came from the sale of flavors and the sale of fragrences. In the same period, the German company Symrise AG reached nearly five billion euros in global sales. Its most successful segment proved to be Taste, Nutrition, and Health. United States: International Flavor & Fragrances Inc. With a global market size of about nine percent, International Flavor & Fragrances Inc., a.k.a. IFF, can be considered one of the leading players of the flavor and fragrance market. The American company, founded in 1958 and currently headquartered in New York, recently saw a remarkable spike in its global net sales, which reached over 10.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. Most of these sales came from the EMEA region and North America. Another impressive increase could be observed in the company’s total R&D spending, which reached a peak of roughly 694 million U.S. dollars as of 2025. Flavors and fragrances can be a deal-breaker when it comes to purchasing a product. As consumers' wishes change, and for example, many of them opt for more and more natural and organic products, this market might soon evolve, and its leading players will have to quickly cater to these needs.

Over the years, it has become impossible to imagine a world in which one cannot make purchases online. In the United States, e-commerce has become so common that roughly 87 percent of the country's consumers shop on the web. And these numbers are set to increase even further in the future: retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. are forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of about six percent through 2030. From domestic giants to cross-border carts Consumers in the United States buy all kinds of products from a variety of retail platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. Aside from these American e-commerce giants, foreign online stores are gaining relevance in the online shopping landscape in the country. In 2025, 43 percent of the latest online purchases from abroad among U.S. buyers were made in China, with platforms like Temu and Shein now ranking among the most popular online shops nationwide. What Americans buy and how they find it Among the most popular categories for U.S. online shoppers were clothing, shoes, and food and beverages. Online food delivery keeps booming too, with DoorDash leading the pack over Uber Eats and Grubhub. Meanwhile, Amazon and Walmart serve as the top platforms for shopping inspiration and product research, outpacing traditional search engines and social media. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rise of Prime Day When it comes to the busyness of the holiday season, many shoppers opt to buy their gifts online. In 2025, about 41 percent of holiday buyers intended to do most of their holiday shopping online, with Gen Z leading the way. Cyber Monday and Black Friday remain the biggest online shopping days, with Cyber Monday expected to reach 14.2 billion U.S. dollars in e-commerce revenue in 2025. Although it is not directly holiday-related, Prime Day has also grown into one of the main online shopping events in the U.S., reaching estimated sales of over 24 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. Generative AI enters the shopping aisle Generative AI is quietly reshaping how Americans shop online. For many consumers, the main appeal is practical: saving time and finding better deals. As these tools become more capable, they could play a bigger role in the future of U.S. e-commerce.

With one of the longest coastlines in the world, India sits at the intersection of some of the busiest ocean shipping routes, yet has yet to fully capitalize on this advantage. However, over the last decade, through continuous investments from both public and private sectors, Indian ports have seen steady growth in the volume of freight, despite the decrease in freight volume in financial year 2021 caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Where most of India's trade reaches shore There are 12 major ports and over 200 non-major ports in the country, now governed by Boards of Major Port Authority under India's central government. They undertake the majority of India's maritime trade. Among these ports, Paradip Port and Deendayal Port, located in Odisha and Gujarat respectively, hold the largest shares of cargo handled. Among the privately operated ports, Adani Ports and SEZ Limited's Mundra Port, also in Gujarat, handles the highest cargo volume. Gujarat's non-major ports processed the highest freight traffic among all states. A sea change in policy ambitions In 2015, the Indian government launched the Sagarmala Program, meaning "the garland of the sea." It is an ambitious initiative for port-led development as well as growth of related logistic hubs. Private operators have become central to this expansion. Adani Ports and SEZ Limited, the country's largest private port operator, saw its revenue more than double between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. The ports and shipping sector is also allowed for 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) under both government and automatic routes. The Great Nicobar project The Andaman and Nicobar Islands sit closer to the Strait of Malacca than to mainland India, giving them a natural advantage as a potential transshipment hub. Yet their non-major ports handled just about two million metric tons of cargo in fiscal year 2025, a volume that has remained nearly flat since the previous year. The government has identified the islands as a strategic maritime node under both the Sagarmala Program and the broader Maritime India Vision 2030, with plans for a transshipment port at Great Nicobar. India's major ports handled around 13.6 million TEUs of container traffic in fiscal year 2025, yet a significant share of Indian container cargo is still routed through Colombo and Singapore for transshipment. Proponents argue the Great Nicobar port could help recapture that freight, turning a remote archipelago into a competitive link in global shipping lanes. The project however has drawn criticism over the viability of the transshipment hub, environmental impact on one of India's most biodiverse regions, and the consequences for indigenous communities.

Customers may be buying less but they're willing to spend more when they choose to treat themselves to frozen desserts. Consumption is in decline, but revenue in the U.S. ice cream segment continues to grow. Despite the growing trend of shoppers considering health a priority in their purchasing decisions, they haven't abandoned their appreciation for an occasional frozen treat. Leading frozen dessert brands When it comes to brand popularity in ice cream, the perennial frozen dessert favorite, Ben & Jerry's is the clear winner with consumers, with around 52 percent of respondents favoring the brand in a 2025 survey. Ice milk and frozen dairy dessert posted the strongest dollar sales growth in 2025, while frozen yogurt and ice pop novelties both declined. That pattern suggests consumers are less interested in lighter alternatives in this category. In terms of brands in frozen novelties, such as ice cream bars and popsicles, one brand again dominated the category. In this case, it was Nestlé with over 1.29 billion U.S. dollars in sales in 2024, well ahead of its nearest competitors. Less ice cream per person, more dollars per scoop Per capita consumption across frozen dessert segments has been in decline or stagnation for some time. Per capita sherbet consumption has fallen by more than 50 percent since its peak in 2007. Regular ice cream has fared slightly better, yet edged up to 12 pounds per person in 2024 after touching a low the year before. Annual spending on ice cream and related products peaked at nearly 99 U.S. dollars per consumer unit in 2023 before pulling back to around 87 dollars in 2024, suggesting price sensitivity may be catching up with the category. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the health impacts of their food, and this trend may continue to reduce consumption in indulgent categories like frozen desserts. Still, nearly half of surveyed consumers say they eat ice cream to feel happy or as comfort food, showing the category's emotional pull remains strong. Frozen dessert brands are increasingly competing for a smaller pool of shoppers. To stay relevant, they'll need to differentiate themselves on the quality that buyers seek when looking for a dessert.

Global plastic waste generation has grown more than seven-fold in the past four decades to 360 million metric tons per year. Despite the issue of plastic pollution gaining increased attention and outrage in recent years, UN member states failed to reach an agreement in December 2024 on a legally binding global plastic treaty to tackle plastic pollution. Setting a limit on global plastics production and the elimination of certain products were the main points of disagreement. With global plastic pollution forecast to double by 2040, the stakes are as high as ever as discussions continue in 2025. The size of the plastic problem Over the course of the past half a century, plastic products have become ubiquitous in daily life, a result of their versatility and varied applications. In 2023, global plastics production amounted to roughly 415 million metric tons, doubling in comparison to the beginning of the century. While the lifespan of plastic products can vary significantly, the use of short-lived applications such as packaging has grown significantly. By 2040, packaging is forecast to account for roughly 40 percent of plastic waste generation worldwide, the highest share of any application. How is plastic waste managed? Despite a lot of effort put into boosting the collection and circularity of plastic products at the end of their lifecycle, recycling still represents less than 10 percent of plastic waste management worldwide. While a business-as-usual scenario would nearly triple the volume of plastic waste recycled by 2040, that would only translate to a share of 14 percent of plastic waste generated that year. Meanwhile, landfilling is expected to continue being by far the leading plastic waste management method globally, with over 300 metric tons disposed every year. In addition, over 100 million metric tons of plastic waste would still be mismanaged annually. The impacts of plastic waste pollution Plastic waste can be found polluting the tallest mountains to the deepest ocean trenches and has even been found in drinking water and human blood. It is estimated that some 20 million metric tons of plastic waste leaked into the environment in 2020, with this figure expected to grow by 2040 without ambitious waste reduction policies. As a result, over 300 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste could accumulate in the world’s rivers and oceans by that year, destroying ecosystems, and harming wildlife. Enhancing recycling and closing leakage pathways are considered the two main strategies to reduce plastic leakage worldwide. Meanwhile, curbing plastics production and demand, one of the most contentious topics during the global plastic treaty negotiations, could yield a 10 percent reduction in plastic pollution by 2040, in compared to a business-as-usual scenario.

Industries in the United States are divided into three major economic categories based on the resource that the industry creates or provides. In the primary sector, raw materials are extracted or gathered. The secondary, or manufacturing sector, creates finished goods. The third category is the service sector, which is arguably the largest of the three. Also known as the tertiary sector, the service sector stands apart from the other economic tiers due to its production of intangible goods. The service sector does not extract or grow any materials. Instead, the service sector is broad in nature, and comprises industries that provide services to customers. These service may include training, consulting, and transportation that supplement the other two sectors, making it an instrumental and often final step to their success. The tertiary sector can also produce services less related to resource extraction and manufacturing, such as construction, medical care, maintenance, repair, administration, and gastronomy. Types of Services In 2021, the services sector contributed around 77.6 percent to the GDP of the United States. Among the service sector, the professional, scientific, and technical services industry has been the most dominant in recent years. The real estate and rental leasing industry has contributed the most to the U.S. economy in recent years, adding more than 3.67 trillion U.S. dollars to the GDP in 2023. That same year, the accommodation and food services industry contributed over 900 billion U.S. dollars to the GDP. However, there is still some dispute as to which industries should be included in this calculation. Some industries seem to switch sector classification from one institution to the next. For example, the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) classifies the construction industry as a production industry. In their reports it can be found with the goods-producing industries and its contribution to the GDP is added to the manufacturing sector's value. Alternatively, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) considers construction to be a part of the service sector. In 2023, the construction industry made up about 4.4 percent of the national GDP. Purchasing Manager’s Index In the United States, the Services Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) can be used for an in-depth breakdown of the service sector. The PMI is based on a survey that is sent to more than 400 companies in 19 primary industries, which are weighted by their overall contribution to the nation's GDP. Each PMI consists of a set of indices from an economic sector that are used to measure the overall health of that sector. For the service sector, these indices are business activity, new orders, employment, and supplier deliveries. Their performance is reflected in the sector's PMI as an overall percentage. An index value above 50 percent indicates economic growth while a value below 50 percent shows a negative situation. For example, the employment PMI of the service sector shows that employment in the sector was declining in May 2024, with a value of 53.8, but ultimately fluctuated throughout the year. Employment and Trade As a whole, the improvement of modern technology has induced the growth of the service sector, making it increasingly valuable. As a biproduct of the sector’s expansion, there has also been a significant increase in the number of employment opportunities across service industries. Within the transportation and warehousing industry alone, it is projected that the number of employees will continue to increase from 5.98 million in 2019 to 6.1 million in 2026. Providing employment opportunities is not the only way through which the service sector bolsters the U.S. economy. Although the service sector produces intangible services, there is still a strong market for importing and exporting services. In the U.S., the value of exported services has continued to increase in recent years. In April 2024, the value stood at 90.94 billion U.S. dollars, which was an increase of nearly six billion U.S. dollars from the previous year. Almost 16 billion U.S. dollars of the exported services that month were financial services. That same month, the value of imported services in the United States was around 66.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Industries within the United States are sorted into three major economic categories, depending on the specific resource each industry creates or provides. Industries responsible for extracting raw materials fall under the primary sector, and include oil and gas extraction, agriculture, mining, or fishing industries, to name a few. The service, or tertiary sector is responsible for the distribution of goods and services to customers. However, prior to their distribution, raw or extracted materials must first be manufactured. This process is done so through industries belonging to the secondary sector. Often referred to as the manufacturing sector, this sector is responsible for the final production of goods such as chemical products, computer and electrical products, and machinery. Industry Breakdown Following their extraction through the primary sector, raw materials are passed down to the secondary sector, where they are fashioned into final products through processing and manufacturing. Overall, the manufacturing sector added 2.9 trillion U.S. dollars to the GDP of the U.S in 2024. Given how this sector encompasses all produced goods, it is comprised of many industries including food processing, automotive, consumer goods, and energy. In 2024, chemical production was the most valuable output of the secondary sector, having contributed 575 billion U.S. dollars to the national GDP. Depending on the means through which products are manufactured, they are categorized into either discrete or process manufacturing. Process manufacturing involves adding or mixing raw materials to one another in order to create formulas as the finished product. This type of manufacturing mixes or blends ingredients together that, when finished, are essentially irreversible. Food and beverage products are an example goods produced through process manufacturing, and is the nation’s second largest manufacturing industry. Discrete manufacturing is the process of producing goods through the assembly of individual parts. Once assembled, it should still be possible to return the final product back to its original components. Computer and electronic products are produced through discrete manufacturing, as well as machinery, cars, appliances, including all of their components. Indices While measuring an industry’s contribution to the GDP is an important indicator of a sector’s economic status, there are additional, more in-depth assessments available such as the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PM) of the United States. There is a PMI for each economic sector in order to gauge the sector’s overall well-being. In the case of the manufacturing sector, the index is made up using five major indicators: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries and the employment environment. The monthly index values reflect the economic status of the manufacturing sector, with any value under 50 percent indicating loss, and any value over 50 percent indicating growth. The value came to of 50.9 percent in January 2025, the first time it rose above 50 since March 2024. There are additional indices used to assess a sector’s performance, such as the Industrial Production Index (IPI), which is a monthly measure of industrial production performance in the United States. A value of over 100 reflects positive performance, whereas a value below 100 shows that production was below standard relative to the base year. Into 2025, the IPI in the U.S. has remained consistently above 100 percent. In order to determine an industry’s growth potential, the Industrial Capacity Index (ICI) estimates the extent to which industries can increase production in a sustainable manner. Similarly to the IPI, an ICI value of over 100 indicates a strong potential for sustainable production. Employment Employment is highly intertwined with an industry’s production efficiency and growth potential, thus it is also important to evaluate the employment situation amidst the varying industries. The Manufacturing Employment Index is used to quantify the status of employment within the sector, in a similar way as with the other indices. Employment within the manufacturing sector has fluctuated throughout the last months, but has stayed above the 12-month low of 43.4 in July. As of April 2025, manufacturing employment in the U.S. was down by 1,000 from the previous month.The secondary sector's position between the primary and service sectors puts additional weight behind its performance. Therefore, using these indices can create a broader understanding not just of the manufacturing sector, but of the greater U.S. economy.

The United States has always been dominated by domestic online retailers, but now, two foreign companies are taking on the U.S. market: Temu and Shein. The growing e-commerce market generated over 1.15 trillion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025 and is forecast to surpass 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030. In terms of product categories, electronics and fashion are the most popular online, as they have the highest share of online users. Amazon reigns, challengers gain ground Amazon is by far the leading e-retailer in the United States. The marketplace holds roughly two-fifths of the online shopping market, whereas most of its competitors hold single-digit shares, with Walmart standing out at about nine percent. Amazon also significantly outperforms its U.S. competitors in terms of e-retail net sales, generating approximately 427 billion U.S. dollars via its online store in 2025, compared to Walmart at roughly 197 billion U.S. dollars. Other successful online stores include eBay, Shein, and Target. When downloads don't equal dollars Shopping on smartphones is the most popular way to purchase items online in the United States, which is why shopping apps remain so important in the retail landscape. In mobile commerce, Amazon faces competition from Chinese shopping apps, which have attracted U.S. online shoppers, especially those looking for affordable options. In 2025, Temu remained the most downloaded shopping app in the country, with roughly 32 million downloads, though this marked a sharp decline from the prior year. Shein was also the most downloaded fashion and beauty app in the country, with over 21 million downloads. However, despite their popularity in terms of app downloads, Temu and Shein did not outperform the top local players in terms of e-commerce revenue that year. This suggests that while Chinese shopping apps may be popular among U.S. consumers for their low prices, they still face challenges in the highly competitive U.S. market.Consumer spending in the U.S. remains resilient, particularly in online shopping, with mobile commerce revenues alone expected to surpass 840 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. While home-grown marketplaces are unlikely to lose their top spots to Chinese competitors, especially in light of new tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, these newcomers are still worth keeping an eye on in the years to come.

Few things are as all-American as a summertime barbecue party, complete with cold beers and hot dogs. Humans have been grilling and barbecuing for millennia and while people from all over the world continue the tradition today, people in the U.S. are particularly fond of it. According to Statista’s worldwide survey, a fifth of Americans regularly barbecued in 2024. The classic American barbecue typically involves the grilling of steaks, burgers, and hot dogs. 2026 survey data shows that burgers were the most popular choice of meat, with almost 40 percent of American consumers citing it as their favorite must-have on the grill.  The BBQ business The barbecue and grill market is not merely a domestic market in the United States. When looking at the U.S. trade balance of domestic cooking devices including barbecues and grills, it is apparent that the import value far exceeds the export. In fact, the United States imported approximately 3.1 billion U.S. dollars of stoves, cookers, grills, and barbecues in 2025, whereas the export value was roughly 228 million U.S. dollars. Besides trade, the United States also dominated the global revenue of the grills and roasters market in 2025. Over 60 percent of the worldwide revenue accounted to the American market, with more than four billion U.S. dollars in revenue. On the grill The essentials of a classic barbecue are different sorts of meats and meat alternatives on the grill, salads on the side, along with various condiments. Fish or shrimp are also popular protein sources to roast, and the average retail price of seafood amounted to over 9.2 U.S. dollars in 2024, well above beef, pork, or chicken. The average price of tomato ketchup reached almost 3.55 U.S. dollar in 2025, and is expected to increase, but stay below four dollars in the next few years. In general, the price of barbecuing on one of the most important American holidays, the 4th of July, has reached the highest this year, almost 74 U.S. dollars for 10 people, which included mains, sides, drinks, and even dessert. As prices increase, the cost of barbecuing is also likely to keep rising in the upcoming years, however, it is unlikely to cause a decline in barbecuing among American consumers.

In June 2026, Elon Musk became the first trillionaire in the world's history, underscoring his staggering accumulation of wealth. Similary, the number of billionaires worldwide reached 2,700 in 2023, up from just 470 in 2000. That near-sixfold rise, tracked by global billionaire population growth, was matched by an equally striking expansion in collective fortune: from 2.4 trillion to more than 12 trillion euros over the same period, a fivefold increase in aggregate billionaire wealth worldwide.  That growth reflects not only individual enterprise but also structural conditions (financial markets, inheritance systems, and policy environments) that disproportionately reward those who already hold capital. Wealth concentrated in a few regions North America led all regions with 1,198 billionaires in 2024, followed by Europe with 1,002 and Asia with 827, per billionaire population by region. Of the 3,508 billionaires counted globally that year, just 26 held fortunes exceeding 50 billion U.S. dollars. The largest single cohort, 1,762 individuals, sat in the one-to-two-billion-dollar range, according to billionaire wealth distribution globally. Even among billionaires, the distance between the top and the rest is vast. The "self-made' billionaire myth The common narrative about “self-made” is that in opposition to billionaires who inherited their fortune, “self-made” billionaires came from nothing and earned their wealth by themselves, working harder than others. However, this narrative fails to consider systemic inequalities. Indeed, most of today's billionaires benefited from their family wealth, privilege, and social connections to start their businesses. And then, their businesses were largely supported by labor exploitation, tax loopholes, and government subsidies. In 2023, 65.3 percent of male billionaires were classified as self-made; for women, that figure was 24.1 percent, with 37.7 percent having inherited their fortunes. In absolute terms, 1,888 male billionaires were self-made versus 104 women, while inherited wealth accounted for 163 women and 151 men, per global billionaire wealth sources. More than 1.2 million individuals with net worths above five million U.S. dollars are projected to transfer their wealth to heirs between 2023 and 2033, with nearly 600,000 located in North America alone. The scale of intergenerational wealth transfer ahead makes clear how much of the next generation’s extreme wealth will be received rather than earned. Wealth distribution While there were 3,323 billionaires worldwide in 2023, most of the world's population owns very little. Indeed, over one-third of the world's wealth is owned by the richest percent, highlighting the issue of global inequality. Furthermore, looking at wealth distribution among the world's billionaires, only 18 persons had fortunes of 50 billion U.S. dollars or more. However, billionaires with fortunes between two and five billion U.S. dollars had the highest combined wealth in 2023. Rising wealth inequality The richest one percent of the global population commanded more than a third of net global personal wealth in 2024, a share that has held broadly stable since 2002. The poorest half wealth share of the world’s population, by comparison, amounted to less than 2.3 percent of the global total in 2024. The billionaire class sits at the extreme end of a distribution that has favored capital over income for decades. The coming wave of inherited wealth transfers will not correct that imbalance. It will deepen it.

The dessert market in Europe is rich in product offerings, from cakes and brownies to frozen novelties and ice cream, Europeans definitely have a sweet tooth. In 2021, retail sales of dessert mixes in Europe exceeded 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, while sales of frozen processed dairy and desserts exceeded 16 billion U.S. dollars across the continent. Major players in the European ice cream industry include Unilever, Nestlé, and Froneri Schöller among others. Ice cream manufacturing in Europe Germany topped the list of leading ice cream producers in Europe, with a production volume of more than 634 million liters of ice cream. Italy followed closely in second place, producing around 553 million liters of ice cream. The number of companies producing ice cream in Germany has remained somewhat stable in the last decade, fluctuating at around 15 ice cream manufacturers. Among the leading players in the ice cream market in Germany is Froneri Schöller, which boasts renowned ice cream brands such as Häagen-Dazs in its brand portfolio. Froneri Schöller generated around 286 million euros in revenues in Germany in 2020. Which brands of ice cream are European consumers’ favorites? Many different brands and types of ice cream exist on the European market, and consumers’ favorites vary considerably between countries. For instance, if we consider ice cream tubs and blocks, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is the uncontested favorite of consumers in the United Kingdom. In comparison, Ben & Jerry’s is far from ranking first according to French consumers who prefer brands such as Magnum, Häagen-Dazs, and Nestlé. Looking at the hyper- and supermarket distribution channel in France, Unilever captured a share of around 31.5 percent of the French ice cream market in 2020. Unilever owns brands such as Magnum and Carte d’Or among others.

Summers are heating up and so is consumer desire for ice cream in the United Kingdom. A minority even go so far as to eat ice cream from a tub on a daily basis. While the volume of ice cream sold was about 320 million kilograms in the United Kingdom, the same as the previous year, it is expected to increase in the coming years. Ice cream industry revenue meanwhile has been steadily increasing year on year. Ice cream consumption Per person ice cream consumption in the UK has stayed above average in recent years. 2018/2019 saw a large jump in consumption to 110 grams per week and while it has dipped since then, it still remains elevated. Previous years of the past decade had consumption under 90 grams. The most commonly consumed brand of ice cream was Ben & Jerry's for tubs and blocks and Magnum for bars, cones, sticks, and individual tubs. Several supermarket's private label brands can be found among the top ten ice cream tubs and blocks. The private label ice cream with the widest reach among consumers was Tesco's. Looking ahead For the future of the ice cream market in the UK two contradictory trends will have the biggest impacts. Continuing climate change will provide the UK with warmer weather, which is usually associated with increased ice cream consumption. On the other hand, a drive for more healthy food habits is steering consumers away from dairy and sugary foods. Additionally, concerns about animal welfare and the environment drive more and more people to become vegan or cut certain animal products out of their diet, although this doesn't preclude eating non-dairy ice cream.

Everyone screams ice cream! While German consumers may not be prone to going that far for one of the most popular desserts on the planet, they certainly show their appreciation. Ice cream can be enjoyed not just in warmer weather, with packaged flavors available in supermarkets all year round. The leading brands among consumers were Magnum, Cremissimo and Ben & Jerry's. Still, spring and summer are special seasons for ice cream consumers. Germany is virtually transformed through ice cream vendors and cafes opening across the country. The population lines up for a scoop or two of the treat, often with children in tow, and enthusiastically compares opinions. This period is a lucrative time for ice cream businesses, which often sublease their location during the colder months, when the German appetite for eating ice cream outside mostly disappears. By the way, Düsseldorf is on the list of cities with the most ice cream shops in Europe. The cost of a small package As in many other countries, Germans also delight in the epitome of ice cream enjoyment in Europe, namely the Italian experience, or gelato. Fluctuating amounts of gelato were imported in recent decades, with a decrease recorded in 2023. Amid the rising energy costs of the last two years, as well as the cost of keeping cows producing milk, agricultural difficulties connected to ongoing climate change issues, one of the leading desserts associated with being happy and carefree may be in for a challenging time on the market. Additionally, while ice cream has been a dairy product for a long time, new consumer preferences are influencing shifts. One of these shifts is due to the growing interest in vegan ice cream. Sales of plant-based ice cream in Germany are predicted to increase noticeably by 2026 compared to 2024. Generally, companies either retain their familiar products and develop vegan options, or new companies are founded which concentrate solely on vegan production. Some companies stick to traditional dairy ice cream, but focus more on marketing their products as organic, fairly produced etc. No meltdowns Despite existing challenges, the ice cream market is anything but frozen. Competition will likely increase as companies vie to adapt their product selection amidst shifts in consumer trends. Smaller businesses serving locally produced ice cream may still account for a lesser sales share compared to their branded counterparts, but they also have the advantage of more independence and therefore quicker accessibility for consumers in terms of trying out new offers, be it vegan ice cream or simply a new twist on traditional flavors. In any case, the treat best served cold continues to warm the imagination of consumers. A survey conducted in 2024 on consumer attitudes towards ice cream showed that 40 percent of respondents got excited about the dessert.

Frozen desserts can take a number of forms, including traditional ice cream, gelato, soft serve, frozen pies or cheesecakes. Such frozen treats are enjoyed by Canadians throughout the country, especially throughout the warmer summer months. Canadians certainly have a sweet tooth, an August 2019 survey found that about a quarter of Canadians eat ice cream between two and three times a month, and nearly two percent eat ice cream on a daily basis. When it comes to where to consume ice cream, the vast majority of Canadians prefer to do so in the comfort of their homes. Unconventional ice cream flavors have been developed in recent years, to adapt to upcoming food trends and the demands of more adventurous consumers. Despite such developments, chocolate remains the favorite flavor for Canadians. The national love of ice cream does however see some signs of diminishing, as the volume of ice cream available for consumption has gradually declined year on year, reaching a low of 3.9 liters per person in 2017. Since 2018, however, this figure has been on the rise again, reaching just over four liters per person. This could further encourage product experimentation, to tempt consumers to try new and exciting types of ice cream. The market for artisanal ice cream in Canada has seen an increase over the years, perhaps pointing to a change in consumer tastes from standard ice cream to more specialty flavors and brands. The same trend can be seen within the frozen desserts category as a whole. Retail sales of frozen pudding desserts are expected to increase to around 35 million Canadian dollars by 2021. Manufacturers, however, continue to produce more and more ice cream each year, with around 155 million liters of hard ice cream produced in 2019. The most ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturing establishments can be found in Ontario and Quebec. Dairy Queen is one of the most popular frozen dessert chains in Canada, offering several frozen dessert products, along with hot and savory options.

Every year, thousands of Americans take out a mortgage loan to buy a house or tap into home equity. This contributed to a mortgage market measuring over 21 trillion U.S. dollars in balances outstanding in 2025. While the mortgage market has grown continuously over the last decade, factors such as the average mortgage rate and the easing or tightening of lending standards play an important role. Lower rates stimulate lending, with borrowers incentivized by favorable conditions. Recent declines in mortgage originations Mortgage originations declined notably in 2022 and 2023 following the spike in interest rates. In just two years, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumped from under three percent to over 6.8 percent. While homebuying activity continued despite the elevated borrowing costs, the value of mortgage refinancing originations plummeted. According to industry experts, mortgage demand has stabilized over the past years, but has remained suppressed. Key challenges such as the high cost of credit and high cost of housing are some of the major reasons for mortgage demand stalling. As of late 2025, homebuyer sentiment remained deeply negative, showing that Americans still did not consider the time right for a home purchase. Delinquencies tick up but remain far from crisis levels The U.S. mortgage market displays no signs of an upcoming crash like the subprime mortgage crisis. In the first quarter of 2026, the mortgage delinquency rate stood at roughly 4.4 percent. While this represents a modest uptick from recent lows, it remains well below the eight percent recorded during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2010, nearly one in 10 mortgages was overdue. A low share of overdue loans also suggests fewer foreclosure filings and a lower risk of repossessions. It also highlights the importance of stricter lending requirements adopted since the mortgage crisis to prevent future waves of repossessions. A cautious path toward recovery in 2026 In early 2026, single-family housing inventory climbed to its highest level for that period in years, giving buyers more options after a prolonged supply crunch. Industry forecasts project total home sales to increase modestly in 2026 and 2027, though transaction volumes are expected to remain below the long-term average. Meanwhile, the projected recession probability has dropped sharply since mid-2025, a shift that could further support borrower confidence and lending activity.

Over the past four decades, China has experienced enormous economic growth to become the world’s second largest economy based on nominal GDP. During this time, China’s economy transformed from a centrally organized system to an increasingly open, market-oriented entity. However, average per capita GDP in China is still lower than in major developed countries, which indicates that China still has potential for future growth.  Economic development in China As one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world, China maintained an average economic growth rate of over nine percent between 1980 and 2020. During this time, the country’s economy benefitted from its cheap and abundant labor force. Further propelled by its integration into global markets, China came to be known as the workbench of the world. As labor costs increased over the years and the population aged quickly, China made strong efforts to climb up the value chain. It invested heavily in new technologies and the IT sector with the dedicated goal to transform China into a high-tech superpower. As a result, the share of the industrial sector in total economic output decreased gradually. In recent years, however, China’s economy has increasingly faced structural difficulties. High indebtedness, limited domestic demand, geopolitical tensions, and strong governmental market interventions put strains on economic development. Annual GDP growth decreased gradually from 10.6 percent in 2010 to 5.0 percent in 2025 and is expected to continue cooling down in the years ahead. Escalating tensions with the U.S. China is the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer. Leading trade partners are East and Southeast Asian countries, the European Union, and the United States. China is running a huge trade surplus, which hit a record high of 1.19 trillion U.S. dollars in 2025. In recent years, China has been involved in a trade war with the U.S., the first Trump administration and the Biden administration launching import tariffs, upon which Beijing responded with retaliatory tariffs. Tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated sharply during the first year of the second Trump administration, when the U.S. government imposed a range of tariffs, bringing the total amount of tariffs on Chinese goods to nearly 130 percent, upon which China responded by raising tariffs on U.S. imports. The amount of tariffs has since been reduced on both sides, but tensions remain between the two rivals. However, economic benefits from cooperation remain strong for both sides, as they have strong trade relations with each other, which may have a considerable balancing effect on the relationship.

Taiwan is one of the Four Asian Tigers that has successfully developed into a high-income economy during the second half of the 20th century. Per capita GDP measured in purchasing power parity was one of the highest worldwide and the third highest in Asia Pacific in 2022. In addition, Taiwan was remarkably effective in containing the coronavirus while maintaining comparatively high GDP growth between 2020 and 2022. Taiwan’s economic development Taiwan’s economic ascendence in the second half of the 20th century was very much based on an export-driven growth model focusing on chemicals, electronic equipment, and international trade. The island successfully developed its electronics sector into an innovative and highly competitive industry, which is firmly integrated in global value chains. Today, Taiwan has become an important player in the production of semiconductors, with its IC foundries holding a global market share of 67 percent in 2023. Although the service sector accounts for around 60 percent of total GDP, manufacturing is still the backbone of the economy. Growth rates in the industrial sector even outpaced those of the service sector over the last decade. At the same time, employment within the secondary sector stood at around 35 percent of the total workforce, while unemployment was low and consistently below four percent. International trade partners As an export nation, Taiwan maintains strong international trade partnerships. The share of merchandise exports of the total GDP reached 60 percent in 2024, while the trade surplus amounted to 80.6 billion U.S. dollars. The island traditionally maintains close economic ties with mainland China. Taiwan has outsourced a considerable part of its production to the mainland due to lower labor costs, making itself an important direct investor and supplier of intermediate products to China. Only recently, amidst growing political tension with the mainland, Taiwan has sought to diversify its trade partners and slightly reduced its reliance on China, with the European countries and the U.S. gaining significance. Backed by a strong demand for electronic products globally, Taiwan’s economic outlook remains largely positive. However, political factors in the relationship with China could be considerable risk factors for its future development.

Manufacturing has been a key driver of the export-oriented economy of Vietnam since the initiation of the Doi Moi economic reforms in 1986. Today, the country is considered an emerging manufacturing hub, thanks to various factors such as its strategic location in the middle of the Southeast Asia region, its stable political system, and the availability and affordability of its labor force. In 2022, the sector employed the second-largest number of people only after the agriculture sector, and remained the leading contributor to Vietnam’s gross domestic product. Vietnam’s emergence as a new manufacturing hub For many companies, solely relying on China for production outsourcing was no longer the best option due to several reasons. This included the U.S.-China trade war, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasing manufacturing costs in the East Asian nation. As a result, Vietnam emerged as a new candidate for manufacturing, thanks to its low labor and overhead costs, as well as its policies for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Additionally, the country boasts access to important trade routes via its transportation network, especially maritime transport. To further support the manufacturing sector, the Vietnamese government has been supporting the establishment of over 400 industrial parks and so-called economic zones with favorable conditions for investments in designated provinces across the country. In 2023, despite the high inflation rate affecting the global economy post-COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam still attracted over 23.5 billion U.S. dollars of FDI to its manufacturing sector, equaling approximately 64 percent of the total investment of this kind. FDI firms contributed significantly to the total exports from Vietnam, especially regarding high-tech products such as smartphones, computers, and machinery. Local producers, on the other hand, were more active in producing agriculture and fishery or textile products. Made-in-Vietnam products The most valuable made-in-Vietnam products in recent years have been mobile phones, electronic appliances, machinery, and apparel and footwear. Vietnamese facilities have been responsible for the production of many globally known brands. For instance, the South Korean global tech giant Samsung has its largest overseas production facility in Vietnam, which manufactures over half of the brand’s mobile phone output. Meanwhile, Samsung’s biggest competitor, Apple, is also among the top-tier companies to enter the country, establishing 11 manufacturing factories across Vietnam in 2023. Planned for operation in 2024, the Danish brand LEGO chose to locate its first-ever carbon-neutral factory in Vietnam; the opening of the manufactory is also the largest FDI project of Denmark in the country. Together with other new projects in the manufacturing sector, LEGO is expected to further diversify the list of Vietnamese export commodities.

Children in the United States are growing up as digital natives, with smartphones, tablets, and a vast app ecosystem shaping how they spend their leisure time. Device ownership among Gen Alpha — those born from the mid-2010s to the mid-2020s — illustrates how rapidly personal technology has entered childhood: tablet ownership holds steady at around 70 percent across the seven-to-14 age range, while smartphone ownership climbs from 46 percent among seven-to-nine-year-olds to 89 percent by age 13 to 14. Against this backdrop of near-universal device access, media platforms used by children in 2026 are overwhelmingly digital: 75 percent report watching YouTube, 66 percent use video-on-demand services, and 62 percent play mobile games, while broadcast TV is cited by fewer than three in ten. YouTube dominates children's video time YouTube and its dedicated kids' platform sit at the center of children's video consumption. Children's daily time on video apps in 2025 averaged 90 minutes on YouTube Kids and 86 minutes on YouTube itself among four-to-18-year-olds, far ahead of the 40 minutes logged on Netflix and 34 minutes on Disney+. Platform preferences shift with age: Gen Alpha's platform usage by age shows YouTube reaching 74 percent of 10-to-12-year-olds, while TikTok — used by 21 percent of seven-to-nine-year-olds — climbs to 46 percent among 13-to-14-year-olds, signaling a growing appetite for short-form content as children enter their teenage. TikTok and Roblox dominate social and gaming time Social media and gaming represent a separate, and sizable, claim on children's attention. Children's daily time on social media in 2025 averaged 152 minutes per day on TikTok establishing TikTok as the dominant social platform among U.S. children and teens. In gaming, Roblox stands in a category of its own: children's daily gaming app usage in 2025 placed Roblox at 81 minutes per day, nearly four times the 22 minutes logged on Clash Royale, underscoring its dual role as a game and a social space for younger audiences. YouTube leads advertising reach for youth audiences The concentration of children's attention on a few platforms has made those channels the primary advertising touchpoints with measurable purchase influence. Advertising's influence on children's requests in 2026 shows YouTube cited by 80 percent of two-to-12-year-olds as a platform where they saw an ad that prompted them to ask a parent to buy something, with broadcast TV at 78 percent and TikTok at 77 percent. Among teens, advertising exposure among U.S. teenagers in 2026 places YouTube first at 52 percent, well ahead of TikTok at 38 percent and Netflix at 36 percent, confirming that video-first platforms define the advertising landscape for youth audiences of all ages.In the digital age, entertainment has found a new frontier: the screens of our children. As young minds navigate the vast landscape of online content, they are encountering a slew of marketing messages, with video-sharing platforms standing out above the rest. YouTube has become the epicenter of media time for America's youth, leaving traditional sources and even other popular social and streaming platforms in its wake.

Needing an easy way to sell her extra clothing during a move to Vilnius, Lithuania, co-founder Milda Mitkutė worked together with Justas Janauskas to bring Vinted to life in 2008. Since then, the recommerce site has arguably become the most notable second-hand fashion marketplace throughout Europe, used by millions of buyers and sellers alike in its operating markets. Lithuania's first tech unicorn Given Vinted's positive reputation and vast user base, it is unsurprising that the company is the first tech unicorn to come out of its headquarters country, Lithuania. Vinted officially reached unicorn status in 2019. Since then, the C2C marketplace has not let its investors down. In 2025, the company's annual revenue surpassed the one billion euro mark for the first time, well over quadruple the revenue generated only four years prior in 2021, and a staggering increase from the ten million euros reported in 2017. Vinted's revenue isn't the only figure that the company can boast. In 2024, Vinted's estimated gross merchandise volume (GMV) also reached new heights, totaling over 12.5 billion U.S. dollars, of which the most was generated in France, followed by the UK, and then Italy. Vinted Group's immense success led the company to launch Vinted Ventures in 2025, a dedicated investment arm intended to support Series A to C recommerce startups throughout Europe. Where and why people shop Vinted While Europe has a wide range of fashion brands to choose from, from fast-fashion brands like Shein and ASOS to curated marketplaces like Zalando, the Vinted shopping app still ranks among the most popular fashion shopping apps in several of its markets. In 2025, most of these downloads came from the UK, with nearly 4.8 million, followed by Germany, France, and Italy, respectively. In a 2025 company survey, over half of Vinted sellers said they list items because they feel it's a shame to throw away things someone else might want. Second-hand as a first choice The massive success achieved by Vinted proves that even while other channels within the online fashion industry continue to grow and attract users, so long as people have reasons to sell and buy second-hand, their platform will always have a market to thrive in. Nearly nine in ten Vinted users now say they look for an item on the platform first before buying something new. With recommerce capturing a growing share of overall e-commerce in the EU, the second-hand shift looks less like a passing trend and more like a structural change in how Europeans shop.

While there is a range of factors determining the demographics of a country, Japan’s most prominent feature is its population development and age structure. Following high growth rates in the late 19th and early 20th century, population growth started slowing down after World War II. The population eventually reached its peak with more than 128 million people between 2007 and 2010. Low birthrate, as well as low levels of immigration, have led to a declining trend since then. Despite the decreasing number of inhabitants, the population density in Japan remains one of the highest in Asia. The population is highly concentrated in metropolitan areas, most notably Tokyo, which is one of the world’s most populated cities, as well as Osaka and Nagoya. While many rural areas face depopulation tendencies, land prices in the three large metropolitan areas have been increasing since the mid-2010s.  Aging population Japan’s population is currently not only shrinking, it is also one of the fastest aging populations in the world. At the same time, it has one of the highest life expectancies. The cohort of people aged 65 years and older consisted of around 36.5 million people in 2025 and was estimated to make up almost 39 percent of the population by 2070. Due to those demographic changes, the Japanese economy today faces severe labor shortages, as is exemplified by a comparably low unemployment rate. Until recently, the workforce in Japan was shrinking rapidly, putting pressure on the social security system. But continued employment of the elderly and the growing integration of women into the labor market have kept the labor force relatively stable and even led to a slight increase in recent years. Immigration as a growing counterweight The population in Japan appears largely homogenous compared to many other countries around the world. Yamato people, a term used since the 19th century for the ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago to distinguish them from minority groups, such as Ainu, Ryukyuans, or Koreans and Taiwanese who had settled in peripheral areas of Japan, make up the overwhelming majority of the population. However, the number of foreign residents living in Japan has grown sharply in recent years,. As this group consists largely of younger people, it is expected to play a growing role in sustaining Japan's workforce at a time when the country's total fertility rate has dropped to a record low.

The beginning of 2020 will be remembered as a period in the global fight against COVID-19, which, due to its virulence and the modern mobility of mankind, has spread on an unprecedented scale. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (originally named 2019-nCoV) was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organisation declared a pandemic situation on March 11, 2020. The first confirmed coronavirus case in Poland was diagnosed on March 4 in Zielona Góra, in the western part of Lubuskie Province. Dynamics and development of the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland In March 2020, Poland had declared a state of epidemic emergency due to the SARS-CoV-2 (COViD-19) outbreak. Many restrictions had been introduced regarding the functioning of institutions, establishments, shopping malls, hotels, catering outlets, and public and private transport. It was also forbidden to organize any gatherings or events. As more people become infected with COVID-19, the government decided to tighten regulations even more. Underage citizens were allowed in public spaces only with an adult. Poland's State Forests agency had banned entry into forestland. Access to outdoor recreation spaces such as parks, beaches, boulevards, promenades was restricted. The lockdown of Polish borders had also been extended. All Polish citizens and foreigners entering Poland who were entitled to do so would also be subject to compulsory 14-day house quarantine. International passenger air and rail connections had been suspended. At the beginning of June 2020, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki summarized the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. In his opinion, Poland has effectively dealt with the epidemiological crisis. Meanwhile, the two summer vacation months brought record increases in COVID-19 infections. From October 1 to 18, the number of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections detected in Poland increased by nearly 82.3 thousand (88 percent) and the number of deaths of COVID-19 patients by 1030. From this month on, the number of cases in Poland breaks new records. A significant increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19 coronavirus and the number of deaths forced Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to introduce new safety rules from November 7, 2020. However, since April 2021, epidemic data has been satisfactory. COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions are declining. In May and June, the government will gradually open the economy, mainly in the catering, tourism, sports, and culture sector. In December 2021, the first case of a new coronavirus variant called Omicron was diagnosed. On May 16, 2022, the Ministry of Health decided to end the epidemic state in Poland and transformed it into an epidemiological emergency. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Polish economy The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the resulting state of epidemic introduced in Poland are not only related to human health. They influence economic processes, ways of organizing work, and education. They also change daily habits and routines in society. The primary emotions that accompany the pandemic are anxiety, mood disorders, and insomnia. It also affects consumer behavior. Nearly every second household bought more food out of fear of a product shortage in shops or an increase in food prices. The most popular products were pasta, flour, toilet paper, and soap or shower gel. The effect of the pandemic is most clearly visible when looking at stock market indices. The WIG20 index on the Warsaw Stock Exchange fell to levels recently observed during the financial crisis of 2008. Polish GDP growth following supply shocks due to trade disruption, and economy lockdown fell by 2.7 percent in 2020. The government has decided on measures to help SMEs, which will inevitably suffer from the coronavirus crisis. A law, also called the Anti-Crisis Shield, includes extended loan guarantees for small and medium-sized enterprises, the self-employed and employees with unsecured employment contracts, as well as the facilitation of social security payments. It also exempts micro-enterprises and self-employed persons from paying social security contributions (ZUS) for three months. The package comprises a total of five pillars, including job protection, health care financing, financial system stability, support for businesses, and public investment. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

Now and then a corporate phenomenon occurs when a brand name becomes synonymous with the wider product. Band-Aid, Velcro, and JCB are some notable instances. Following its meteoric rise in the world of taxi and cab services after its founding in 2009, Uber can now claim to be among this rare breed of brands. Whether or not the phrase “let’s get an Uber” was instrumental in the company’s growth or was its by-product is up for debate. What is certain, however, is that Uber Technologies has evolved greatly since its inception, having risen to the number one spot among the leading mobility services by brand awareness in the United States in 2025. Strength through diversity When assessing Uber’s global revenue by segment since 2017, the company’s steady rise from around eight billion U.S. dollars to 52.02 billion U.S. dollars in 2025 can be in part explained by the growth of Uber Eats during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, Uber Delivery only made up around 10 percent of the brand’s total revenue, however, this jumped to over a third in 2020 and in fact surpassed Uber Mobility in 2021. Following the pandemic, Uber Mobility returned to being the largest income stream for the company, recording over three billion rides per quarter in 2025. Nevertheless, Uber Eats grew proportionally to the brand’s other segments and accounted for over 80 million global users in 2023. From market share to profit Although Uber Technologies broke the 10 billion U.S. dollar revenue mark in 2018, the company operated mostly at a loss until 2023. That year, however, the company saw its net income reach 1.89 billion U.S. dollars and grew to around 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2024 and 2025. While the concurrent growth of the three main segments of Uber Technologies goes some way in explaining this way to profitability, other factors have also been at play. Having already had the largest market share of any ride-hailing and taxi company worldwide in 2022, Uber Technologies has significantly grown its overseas operations, with a large emphasis being on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Perhaps more importantly, the global costs and expenses of Uber have become proportionally smaller, going from around 14.31 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, which was around 125 percent of that year’s revenue, to 41.18 billion U.S. dollars, which was around 80 percent of the revenue in 2024. What does the future hold for Uber? While Uber’s prominent position in the ride-sharing and taxi market is likely to continue, the company’s rise has not been free of controversy. Historically, the taxi market has been highly regulated, however, the introduction of companies like Uber has seen prices be undercut leading to concerns about driver earnings and working conditions. Although a return to a highly regulated market is unlikely, the emergence of rival brands such as Lyft and the room for innovation that the mobility industry offers mean that what rises can also fall. 

BYD Company Ltd. (BYD Group), known by its acronym "Build Your Dreams," was founded by Wang Chuanfu in 1995 in Shenzhen, China as a privately held manufacturing company. Today, BYD is not only a leading producer of rechargeable batteries but also of automobile and cell phone components. As a pioneer in sustainable development, BYD delivers renewable energy solutions worldwide, with over 35,000 cumulative patents granted by the end of 2024. Concurrently, BYD's revenues have been growing significantly, surging to more than 777 billion yuan in 2024. This marks a healthy return on investment from the 54 billion yuan in R&D spending that year. From battery maker to global EV leader The growing global demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) has fueled BYD's thriving vehicle manufacturing business. In 2025, BYD claimed the top spot among global plug-in EV manufacturers with a market share of about 22 percent. As the leading NEV brand in China with approximately 3.5 million vehicles sold domestically that year, BYD's dominance at home remains unmatched. In 2024, the company's new energy vehicle sales revenue exceeded 533 billion yuan. The drivers of such outstanding sales performance include BYD's proprietary technologies, namely the "DM-i Super Hybrid," "Blade Battery," and the "e Platform 3.0". As the BYD Group continues to consolidate its position in the domestic NEV market, its overseas business is also expanding rapidly, with the company launching its passenger NEVs in Norway in 2021 as its first step into Europe. Sedans and SUVs powering BYD's product lineup BYD's NEV sales growth is primarily attributed to its passenger vehicle products. The company's lineup spans two main series: the "Dynasty" series ("Qin," "Han," "Tang," "Song," and "Yuan") and the "Ocean" series ("Dolphin," "Seagull," "Seal," and others). Both series include pure-electric and plug-in hybrid models covering sedans, SUVs, and MPVs. In 2024, sedans accounted for about 2.36 million of BYD's passenger vehicle sales, while SUVs reached roughly 1.79 million units. On the global stage, the BYD Song ranked among the best-selling electric vehicle models worldwide in 2025, with close to 590,000 units delivered. With overseas markets now accounting for nearly 29 percent of total revenue, BYD's international footprint is growing as fast as its product range.

The United States is home to one of the biggest and most dynamic housing markets in the world. In 2025, the market was valued at roughly 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars in residential real estate transactions, a figure only comparable with the Chinese market. House prices in the United States have grown steadily since 2012, with the annual house appreciation hitting nearly 18 percent during the housing boom in 2021. Nevertheless, price growth has since slowed considerably, weighed down by deteriorating housing affordability, insufficient housing supply, and growing housing costs. A cooling market with sharp regional divides Despite a slowdown, house prices continue to grow across most states. North Dakota, Delaware, and Illinois exhibited the steepest annual home appreciation in the fourth quarter of 2025, with prices rising by more than six percent. Florida posted the largest decline, while several other states, including Colorado and Montana, also saw prices fall. Rapid price increases can be attributed to insufficient supply where homes are needed the most. California, the state with the largest population and second-highest house price, is among the states where new construction has not kept pace with demand. Unsurprisingly, eight of the 10 metropolitan areas with the most expensive single-family house prices in the country are located in California. Affordability at near-record lows According to the U.S. Housing Affordability Index, 2023 was the worst year for aspiring homeowners, with 2024 and 2025 seeing only modest improvements. While house prices have continuously grown in recent years, incomes have not followed at the same pace. That means that for aspiring homeowners, purchasing a home has become increasingly unaffordable. Soaring inflation and the increase in borrowing costs over the past several years have also played a significant role in eroding affordability. Since 2021, homebuyer sentiment has plummeted, as a majority of Americans consistently reported that it was not a good time to buy a home. Only about 13 percent of renter households could afford to purchase a median-priced home as of mid-2025, down from 17 percent in 2019, a sign that the path to homeownership keeps narrowing.

The times when entertainment in media was served as a set menu are in the past. The digital age has ushered in a shift in media consumption habits, with younger generations leading the charge. Roughly seven in 10 Gen Z fans report engaging with their fandoms across multiple platforms, while only three in 10 boomers do the same, highlighting a growing generational divide in entertainment preferences. This divide extends beyond fandom habits, influencing everything from streaming subscriptions to device choices. Businesses are facing a challenging time while trying to adapt to the varied methods of media consumption among different generations. Bigger streaming bills, faster cancellations Younger generations are at the forefront of digital entertainment consumption. This higher engagement is reflected in their spending habits, with 18-to-34-year-olds allocating roughly 1,640 U.S. dollars per year to digital media, outpacing the national average of 1,450 U.S. dollars. The preference for digital content is particularly noticeable in video streaming subscriptions. Netflix, for instance, counts over 80 percent of Gen Zers among the leading streaming platform's active subscribers in the Anglosphere, whereas 70 percent of Gen Xers hold a subscription. However, younger audiences are also the quickest to cut services they no longer find valuable: roughly 37 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds canceled at least one streaming subscription in a recent three-month period, a rate nearly four times higher than among those aged 55 and older. Smartphones first for the under-35 crowd While smart and connected televisions remain the primary device for media and entertainment across all age groups on average, a closer examination shows distinct differences among generations. Younger audiences, particularly those aged 18 to 34, are increasingly turning to smartphones as their go-to device for entertainment. This shift aligns with the broader expansion of digital media consumption in the country, with Americans spending over 12 hours per day with major media as of 2026. The generational divide extends to gaming, where an estimated three in four Gen Zers play digital video games, a share that drops to roughly 44 percent among baby boomers. Rather than following fixed schedules, these younger audiences spend more time gaming and watching online videos on YouTube or TikTok. These differences point to the need for content to be more mobile and digestible, explaining the growing popularity of short-form video. These evolving trends are reshaping the entertainment landscape. As personalized content suggestions gain traction, roughly 40 percent of Gen Z and millennial consumers say such recommendations match their interests well, signaling that providers who invest in tailored experiences stand to keep younger audiences engaged.

Precision, quality, luxury, design, perfect workmanship, tradition, coupled with specialist technology: the luxury watch industry combines traditional Swiss values in a traditional Swiss product, and as a highly export-driven sector, it conveys these values to the wider world. Global watch production is dominated by only a handful of players, the clear leaders being Switzerland, Hong Kong, and China. China is the world's biggest watch producer in terms of volume, however, Chinese watches are mainly geared towards the lower end of the price range. In the luxury segment, on the other hand, Switzerland enjoys a position of near-monopoly.  Swiss watch industry Not only is the watch industry a valuable ambassador for Switzerland’s industrial prowess, it also constitutes a major pillar of the country’s economy. The watch industry has proven hugely significant to a number of the country's regions. The profile of the Swiss watch industry is that of a fully developed cluster in which the individual players – from supplier, through brand, to retailer – work together like clockwork. In 2025, Rolex was the leading Swiss watch brand in the world. In the same year, the Rolex brand was valued at over 18 billion U.S. dollars, while the global export value of mechanical Swiss watches amounted to almost 21 billion Swiss francs. Luxury watch shoppers Among consumers with high income and net worth, luxury watches are generally a frequent item to purchase. In North America, over half of luxury consumers stated to have bought luxury watches within the past year according to the results of a survey conducted in the third quarter of 2025. Around a fifth of consumers even made multiple purchases in this category. In Europe, a similar picture was present, with over 40 percent of affluent consumers having purchased more than one single luxury watch within the period. With the luxury watch market valued at tens of billions of euros, the industry's blend of craftsmanship and prestige continues to attract affluent buyers across regions. As revenue in this segment is projected to keep growing through 2031, it's clear that tradition and exclusivity remain a powerful draw, even as digital alternatives compete for wrist space.

A staycation refers to a vacation in which travelers stay in their home nation instead of traveling abroad. It can also describe a holiday spent at home with day trips to local attractions. Staycations have also been referred to as domestic or local travel. These types of domestic holidays became especially relevant in the United States during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic where travel restrictions and public discomfort in the U.S. with traveling abroad caused a huge decline in international travel. Staycations can include all types of vacations from beach holidays to city trips, and when it came to sources of inspiration for U.S. staycations, the majority of Americans preferred to listen to the opinions of friends or family, with over 65 percent stating this preference when surveyed in 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on staycations in the U.S. Domestic travel was already popular in the U.S. before the pandemic, having seen year-over-year growth in the number of U.S. domestic leisure trips taken over the past decade. While the pandemic caused many who would otherwise travel internationally on vacation to look instead to their home nation, it also caused many who would typically travel domestically not to do so. As a result, there was a decline in the growth of U.S. domestic tourism in 2020. Domestic travel spending in the U.S. also showed a downward trend, with spending forecast to fall by almost 300 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 when compared to pre-coronavirus figures. That being said, due to the perceived lower risk of infection or travel problems, staycations were an appealing option for many during the outbreak. By the end of summer in 2020, the share of U.S. adults that had taken a staycation during the pandemic was over one-quarter of the public. Millennials were especially inclined to take a staycation during this time, with over one-third having taken one, while Baby Boomers took the fewest staycations. Are U.S. staycations here to stay?With or without the coronavirus pandemic, it would appear that staycations are an important part of the U.S. travel industry. During a 2020 survey on the U.S. public’s familiarity with the term “staycation”, the vast majority of respondents, over 75 percent, were either very familiar or somewhat familiar with the term. One appeal of staycations is that taking advantage of tourism opportunities in one’s own country or the local area can be significantly cheaper than vacationing abroad. Cities in the middle and western U.S., such as Omaha and Houston, were named as the cheapest cities for a U.S. staycation in 2020. Ultimately, whether staycations were taken in the Midwest or larger coastal cities, a majority of Americans have taken a staycation before. The share of U.S. adults that had taken a staycation in 2020 reached over 60 percent, with this figure being almost equal across all generations.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic turned travel and tourism upside down in 2020. As most governments worldwide implemented stay-at-home measures to slow down the spread of the virus, normal travel was heavily disrupted. As a result, global leisure tourism spending roughly halved in 2020 over the previous year, while business tourism spending worldwide dropped by over 60 percent. In 2021, with mass vaccination campaigns taking place around the world, several countries started to discuss the introduction of COVID-19 travel passports – also referred to as vaccine passports – to relaunch travel and tourism during the pandemic, while minimizing the risks of new COVID-19 infections. What are COVID-19 travel passports? These travel passes are intended as digital or paper certificates to be issued to travelers who have been either vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from a COVID-19 infection, or recently tested negative. For instance, this is the case with the so-called "Digital Green Certificate", proposed by the European Commission on March 17, 2021. This idea, particularly supported by countries of the European Union whose economies largely depend on tourism, like Greece or Portugal, is to ensure safe travel across EU countries, without having to implement quarantine obligations or travel restrictions. A similar solution, known as the "Travel Pass Initiative", has been promoted since late 2020 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This involves an app that would help passengers find test centers and receive test results and vaccination certificates via mobile, in order to easily show these documents via QR codes to the travel authorities prior to the trip. As both the EU and IATA’s proposals involve a travel app to manage personal data, it will be important to consider how to effectively keep travelers’ privacy safe. In this respect, a February 2021 survey revealed that the main concerns of travelers related to the use of digital health passports were linked to data and privacy worries. What do travelers think about COVID-19 travel passes? A March 2021 poll found that nearly nine in ten respondents worldwide would support the introduction of COVID-19 passports for international trips, and most interviewees would also back this solution for domestic travel. In the same month, a similar study conducted in four European countries revealed that roughly seven in ten interviewed Britons approved the idea of restricting travel abroad only to those vaccinated against COVID-19, while only around 40 percent of German, French, and Italian respondents believed the same. In terms of business tourism, according to a survey published in February 2021, the idea of vaccination passports was particularly popular among U.S. business travelers aged between 35 and 44 years, meanwhile the lowest approval was among younger respondents.

With an operating revenue of 1.7 billion U.S. dollars and more than 140 aircraft in service in 2020, Avianca is one of the largest airlines in Latin America. On a global scale, it also ranks as the second-oldest air carrier still in operation, only after KLM based in the Netherlands. The history of the company dates to 1919 when Colombian and German investors founded the Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aéreos (SCADTA). The newly founded airline initially covered the route Barranquilla-Puerto Berrío: a flight from Colombia’s Caribbean coast to the center of the country. After merging with another regional airline in 1940, the company took its current name, an acronym of Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia. Avianca’s performance on its major market Avianca Holdings S.A. is currently based in Panama with subsidiaries in several Latin American countries. Colombia, however, remains its largest market. In 2020, more than one-third of the company’s revenue and over 70 percent of its employees were in the country alone. That same year, Avianca accounted for over 45 percent of the domestic passenger traffic in Colombia, which more than doubles the share of its major competitor LATAM Airlines. In the cargo segment, Avianca is one of Colombia’s major players, representing nearly 17 percent of the domestic air freight transported in the South American country in 2020. Avianca carried 535 thousand metric tons of cargo that same year, including both international and domestic cargo. Though this figure shows the smallest amount since at least 2014, the severity of the COVID-19 effects on this segment is way below the impact on its passenger transportation. The expansion of Avianca’s loyalty program Contrary to the cargo and passenger traffic, the number of Avianca frequent travelers continued the steady growth recorded in recent years. The loyalty program by the name LifeMiles was first introduced in 2011 and has become nowadays one of the most popular airline loyalty programs in Latin America. In the period between January 2015 and May 2021, LifeMiles was the third most downloaded app among Latin American frequent flyer program apps. As a Star Alliance member, the largest airline alliance worldwide, LifeMiles members also benefit from partner airlines’ awards and discounts.

Algeria offers a variety of tourist attractions, including heritage sites, the impressive landscapes of the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains, and relaxing beach destinations on the Mediterranean Sea. Visiting Algeria has become increasingly appealing. The country's tourism sector has, however, faced different challenges. As the local economy traditionally relies on the oil and gas industry, the tourism sector has not been sufficiently promoted in the past decades. As a result, Algeria has been the North African country with the lowest number of tourist arrivals in recent years. Moreover, after positive development, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to a global crisis in the travel industry, which also impacted Algeria. Tourism's value added The tourism industry moderately contributes to the Algerian economy. In 2021, the sector accounted for around four percent of the country’s GDP, slowly recovering after the 2020 tourism crisis driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, tourism-related industries, such as accommodation facilities, travel agencies, and tourist attractions, employed around five percent of Algeria’s working population in 2021. In absolute figures, this translated into almost 550,000 jobs. While tourism employment gradually improved after 2020, it had not yet reached the pre-pandemic levels of around 630,000 job positions in 2019. International tourism on the rise Algeria was the destination of almost two million international tourists in 2019, a number that generally increased from 2015 onwards. However, the number declined sharply in 2020. Around 90 percent of the inbound visitors traveled for personal purposes, including leisure, while the remaining 10 percent entered the country for business or professional reasons. Africa and Europe were the leading regions of origin, accounting for 410,000 and 72,000 international travelers in 2020, respectively. More specifically, Tunisian nationals made up almost 50 percent of the inbound tourism in recent years, followed by French, Moroccan, and Chinese citizens. Numerous domestic travelers Domestic tourism is an essential contributor to the Algerian travel industry, as the majority of the tourists visiting the country are domestic travelers. Before the fall recorded in 2020, roughly 3.7 million domestic tourists stayed in hotels and similar accommodation establishments each year. In comparison, the number of international overnight travelers amounted to 850,000 in 2019. The country also profits economically from local vacations. In 2021, the domestic tourist spending amounted to around 5.8 billion U.S. dollars, compared to only 30 million U.S. dollars generated from international tourism.

Beginning in 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic developed into one of the most significant pandemics in recent history, disrupting travel and tourism across the world. Health and hygiene practices were at the forefront of many travelers' minds and the tourism sector had to adapt to accommodate these changing attitudes. Several countries discussed the idea of introducing vaccine passports for international travel, allowing vaccinated people to travel abroad. Although the idea was, in part, intended to relaunch the tourism industry during the pandemic, it also sparked controversy. In 2021, the global share of people supporting vaccine passports for international travel varied by country. Indonesia was the country most in favor of vaccine passports with 86 percent of the survey sample stating so. Businesses in the tourism sector also had to account for the health and hygiene concerns of travelers. This meant introducing stricter practices on things such as cleaning, social distancing, hand sanitization, and more. What are the main concerns of travelers during COVID-19? The main concerns of travelers related to the use of digital health passports during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide had to do with security risks and privacy concerns as of February 2021. Meanwhile, 30 percent of respondents were worried about the lack of transparency and control over the shared data. In conjunction with the concerns over vaccine passports, travelers were also worried about their own health while traveling. As of April 2020, a public poll on the safest type of travel in North America revealed that certain forms of trips were deemed safer than others. Respondents ranked camping as the safest type of trip, while international air travel ranked last. Meanwhile, the share of travelers in 2020 that believed accommodations will need to use the latest technologies to make travelers feel safe during the COVID-19 pandemic was 63 percent. What are tourism businesses doing to make travelers feel safe during COVID-19? Hospitality operators around the world have increased heir focus on health and hygiene to make sure travelers feel safe. As of June 2020, the share of hospitality operators who wanted to invest in hygiene classifications as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic reached 86 percent. Only 14 percent of hospitality operators stated that they did not want to do this. Additionally, hospitality operators implemented other measures to promote traveler safety. In the same period, the share of hospitality operators who spaced tables and chairs in dining venues at least 1.5 meters apart and frequently disinfected public areas was 93 percent. Furthermore, the share of hospitality operators who set up hand sanitizer stations around their hotels worldwide reached 97 percent as of June 2020.

Organizing travel can be a stressful matter. Decisions need to be made, from the choice regarding the modes of transport to accommodation to the itinerary during the trip. Package tours provide the solution to some or all problems that need to be dealt with during a trip, allowing for carefree travel. In essence, package travel is a whole service that features product bundling. In Japan, group travel and package tours are an integral part of the services offered by the travel and tourism industry. The market size of travel agency-organized tours surpassed one trillion Japanese yen in the years prior to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic but declined thereafter tremendously. Since inbound and outbound travel was minimal during the pandemic until recently, industry revenue from package tours came almost exclusively from domestic travel. Industry characteristics While privately organized travel is undeniably more prevalent and also comprises the lion’s share of the revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry in Japan, group travel and package tours contribute their fair share to the industry’s market size. Package tour travel shows several distinctive features, one of which is the higher unit price per trip when compared to private trips. Most package tours are overnight trips for touristic purposes, but service providers cater to a broad range of needs, including short same-day travel tours, and business travel. Package tour travel (for groups) comprises a substantial part of outbound travel, while there is a lower share of domestic trips that employ the services of package tours. Towards more flexibility The package tour industry in Japan was dealt a heavy blow by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the industry was already contracting even before the pandemic. As shown by the utilization of package tours by age group, hitherto business models and services seem to be successful with older generations but unsuccessful with younger generations. To provide services that find more broad appeal, the industry started offering dynamic packaging which enables travelers to custom-build aspects of their trip. Currently, such individualized travel package offers are more commonly solicited than group travel package tours when it comes to domestic tourism. The travel and tourism industry in Japan is striving to provide people with more options and maximum flexibility. The diversification of the industry can also be seen in trends such as glamping and workation, which add new facets to tourism. To what extent the package tour industry will be able to recover from the consequences of the pandemic remains to be seen.

When it comes to the merits of the British Royal Family, one of the leading arguments in its favor is the monarchy’s contribution to tourism in the United Kingdom. However, in recent years, the Royal Family’s positive impact on tourism in the UK has been by no means as assured as it was a decade earlier. This is evident in the estimated economic benefit of tourism related to the Royals in the UK tumbling from 680 million British pounds in 2012 to less than 60 million in 2022. While recent celebratory events have seen a boost in additional tourist spending, such as the 323 million British pounds spent during King Charles III’s Coronation in 2023, visitation rates to tourist sites owned by the Royals have also seen a drop off. The number of admissions to the Royal Estate in the UK fell from over three million in 2019/20 to less than two million in 2022/23. What are the UK’s most visited tourist sites? Despite the decline in visitation rates to Royal-owned tourist attractions, in the list of the most visited paid tourist sites in England, the top three points of interest in 2022 were either owned by the British monarchy or run by Royal-affiliated charities. While it is difficult to quantify what effect the Royal Family’s continued links to these sites have on their visitation rates, it is clear that a general sense of tradition in Great Britain looms large in the minds of international visitors. This can be seen in the fact that history and heritage were cited as the most common impressions among inbound tourists. Furthermore, locations with close associations with the British monarchy, such as the town that provided the family with its current surname, Windsor, continue to attract levels of tourist spending that exceed bigger towns and cities such as Leeds, Cardiff, and Nottingham. What is the British public’s opinion on the Royal Family? Since the ascension of King Charles III to the British throne in September 2022, the monarch’s favorability among the public has rarely exceeded 65 percent. In comparison, the final two years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign saw as much as 85 percent of the public look upon the Queen in a favorable light. Nevertheless, when asked if the monarchy should be replaced by an elected head of state following the crowning of King Charles, the majority of the British public continued to support the monarchy. While the economic impact of the Windsor family on UK tourism has lessened in recent years, support for an institution as ancient as the British monarchy is unlikely to change in the near future.

Air transport complements the other means of transportation of goods and passengers while contributing to job creation and economic activity. The Italian air transport market is the sixth largest one in Europe based on IATA's connectivity index as of 2018. In 2008, the former Alitalia (Linee Aeree Italiane) went bankrupt and a new Alitalia was founded to revive the aviation market in the country. The new Alitalia emerged as a result of buying the bankrupt Alitalia and merging it with Air One, another bankrupt Italian carrier. Thus, Alitalia was founded in 2008 as the new flag carrier airline of Italy. During 2019, Alitalia’s passenger traffic amounted to roughly 22.7 million people. Despite new efforts, Alitalia experienced declining revenue development until 2017. In 2018, the company exhibited an improving financial position. Throughout that period, the revenue of Alitalia reached 3.65 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, up from 3.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. Similarly, the net loss of Alitalia decreased to 400 million euros loss in 2018 compared to 2017. Contrary to what was envisioned while re-founding Alitalia in 2008, the high competitiveness of the aviation industry creates hurdles for Alitalia to grow. Similar to the overall activities of Alitalia, the Italian air transport market experienced an alike market trend. In the course of the recent decade, aggregate activities of the Italian air transport market fluctuated around ten billion euros in annual turnover. In 2017, the annual turnover of Italian air transport was equivalent to roughly 9.3 billion euros, which declined from 9.5 billion euros in 2008. In that same year, the annual turnover of passenger aviation in Italy was down to 8.9 billion euros, down from its peak level of 12.5 billion in 2014. Thus, between 2010 and 2017, the Italian air passenger transport industry revealed even a sharper weakening trend. In addition to the turnover values of Italian air transportation, the number of local enterprises in the air transport industry demonstrated a severe declining trend between 2008 and 2017. When it comes to the regional position of Alitalia, Alitalia is only the 14th leading European airline based on revenue in 2018. The Italian flag carrier did only slightly better than Finnair in regional comparison. In that same year, Ryanair was the leading airline company by passenger traffic in Italy with over 37.8 million people transported. Besides Alitalia, Air Italy is the second leading Italy-based airline, which transported over 1.9 million people in 2018. Yet despite the growing airline market in Italy, the number of annual passengers carried by Air Italy declined between 2011 and 2018 sharply, down from 4.3 million people in 2011 to 1.9 million people transported in 2018.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic severely impacted the United States' restaurant industry. Due to social distancing measures, many restaurants were forced to close their doors to in-person customers, resulting in a rise in takeout and delivery orders. Many restaurants, which previously did not deliver, were forced to do so during the pandemic. Some chose to provide their own delivery services, while others relied on online food delivery providers. Online ordering platforms, such as DoorDash and Grubhub, benefited from this change in consumers' dining habits. During a 2022 survey asking which U.S. online food delivery providers were used in the last 12 months, DoorDash took the lead with over 50 percent of respondents indicating they used the service. Online restaurant delivery landscape in the U.S. From 2022, the revenue of the online food delivery market in the U.S. was forecast to see a steady increase over the next five years. The number of users forecast for the online food delivery market in the U.S. was also expected to grow year-over-year during this period. Despite the widespread use of third-party apps and websites that are designed to facilitate the restaurant-to-consumer delivery process, there are many U.S consumers who prefer using a restaurant’s app or website for delivery. During a 2021 survey that asked consumers in the U.S. whether they preferred using a restaurant's own app or website for food delivery, the majority of respondents, 67 percent, stated that they preferred using a restaurant's own app or website. Meanwhile, the remaining 33 percent stated that they preferred using another method, such as a third-party app or website. How did quick service restaurants adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic? Although more consumers preferred ordering via a restaurant’s app or website for delivery than a third-party app, a 2021 survey found that the leading food ordering method for U.S. QSRs was via phone call, with 36 percent of respondents stating that this was the case. When looking at the leading reasons for choosing a QSR for delivery in the U.S., the majority of respondents stated that price was the most important factor. Meanwhile, as a result on the coronavirus pandemic, the number of QSR food delivery app users grew considerably. From February 2020 to January 2021, the change in monthly net installations of QSR delivery apps in the U.S. saw fluctuations. This was particularly extreme in March 2020, where app installations experienced a sharp increase due to the onset of the pandemic.

The Czech hotel industry is on a strong upward trajectory, with revenue projected to reach 1,167.52 million U.S. dollars by 2029. Despite being temporarily disrupted by the global pandemic, the industry quickly regained its momentum, showcasing its resilience and robust potential for continued growth. The hotel sector is a major contributor to the Czech economy, providing employment for over 38,000 people and supporting both economic and regional development. The South Bohemian region leads in the number of accommodations In 2024, the country had over 10,000 travel accommodation establishments, including hotels and similar facilities. The South Bohemian region remains the leader in the number of establishments, followed by the Hradec Králové, South Moravian, and Liberec regions. While the Greater Prague region, a must-visit destination for many, proudly boasts with 827 facilities. Hotels and similar accommodations comprise most of these establishments, accounting for about 70 percent of the total in 2023. The rest include holiday and short-stay accommodations, camping grounds, and recreational parks, so travelers can find the perfect place to stay, whether it fits their style, needs, or desired experience. Czechia maintains over half a million bed-places Germany continues to be the largest source of international visitors to Czechia, with 2.28 million German tourists staying overnight in collective accommodation establishments in 2024. Slovakia, Poland, and the United States also contribute notably to the country’s tourism sector. To meet this demand, Czechia maintained nearly 560,000 bed-places in hotels and similar establishments in 2024, despite a slight year-on-year decline. After dropping to 84 billion koruna in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international tourists strongly support the tourism GDP, which rebounded to nearly 180 billion koruna in 2023, highlighting the sector's resilience. Expenditure of domestic and international visitors Domestic tourists spent over 27 billion Czech koruna on accommodation, highlighting the importance of local travelers to Czechia’s tourism sector. International visitors also contribute significantly, with spending reaching approximately 37.5 billion Czech koruna. As tourism continues to grow, hotel prices in popular destinations are changing. In February 2025, the average hotel price in Prague ranged between 1,358 and 3,031 Czech koruna per night, depending on the city district. More affordable options can be found in Prague 10, while the historic Lesser Town is the most expensive area to stay. As Czechia continues to attract visitors, the accommodation industry will remain a key player in supporting the country’s tourism-driven economy. With increasing demand for diverse accommodation options and rising hotel prices, the sector is well-positioned to meet travelers' evolving needs.

The Brussels-Capital Region is one of the three regions in Belgium, with the Flemish Region in the North and the Walloon Region in the South. Among its about twenty municipalities, the Brussels-Capital Region, as its name suggests, includes the Belgian Capital: Brussels. Known for its Grand-Palace, Atomium, and Manneken-Pis, as well as its excellent chocolate and beers, the metropolis attracts tourists from all over the world. In addition to domestic tourism, which is particularly important in the Brussels-Capital Region, the leading source markets for this destination are neighboring European countries. In 2020, tourists who stayed in the Belgian capital and its surroundings were primarily from the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Accommodation in the Brussels-Capital Region The accommodation offer in the Brussels-Capital Region encompasses several options, such as hotels or short-term rentals. In 2020, the region reported nearly 170 hotel establishments among its different types of registered accommodations. Aside from hotels, the Brussels-Capital Region is, like many other cities, home to several online short-term accommodation rental marketplaces. During summer 2020, the average price of Airbnb and HomeAway rentals in the region was between 75 and 80 U.S. dollars. When looking at the average price for hotel rooms in the Brussels-Capital Region, tourists had to pay approximately 111 euros for one night in 2020, around 12 euros less compared to the previous year. This downward trend no doubt resulted from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which hit the global tourism industry hard that year. Tourism in the Brussels-Capital Region during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic The tourism industry was among the most affected industries during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This was no exception in Belgium, with the total number of overnight stays in the Brussels-Capital Region dropping by more than 75 percent between 2019 and 2020. This was especially reflected in the average occupancy rate of Brussels hotels, which was just over 20 percent in 2020. Looking at the attendance at museums and attractions in the Brussels-Capital Region, figures experienced a slight recovery in 2021, but not back to their 2019 pre-pandemic level. During August 2021, museums and attractions in the region reported just over 250,000 attendees, half of the attendance recorded in August 2019.