The U.S. Owes UNESCO Half A Billion Dollars

This week, the U.S. and Israel announced that they would be withdrawing from UNESCO, citing "continuing anti-Israel bias".

As Statista"s Niall McCarthy notes, the move comes as a major blow to the organization which is known for designating cultural sites around the world such as the Grand Canyon or ancient Palmyra in Syria.

The U.S. has been expected to pay the bulk of UNESCO"s budget for years and it cancelled its financial contributions back in 2011 in protest of Palestine"s admission as a full member.

In the years since, it has amassed significant arrears of over $500 million...

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This year, the UK, Japan and Brazil have all failed to pay their contributions so far, accrueing nearly $70 million of arrears between them.

This isn"t the first time the U.S. has turned its back on UNESCO.

The country also left the organization under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s before rejoining under George W. Bush in 2003.

The latest withdrawal will come into effect at the very end of 2018.

China Is Threatening America's Unicorn Dominance

The United States is the undisputed capital of the unicorn - private companies worth more than $1 billion. This title though, is becoming more and more under threat, primarily from China.

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As Statista"s Martin Armstrong notes, according to CB Insights, there are currently 215 unicorns in the world, of which 108 are from the U.S.

When it comes to the "birth" of new unicorns however, America"s strength is clearly being diluted.

In 2013, 75 percent of new unicorns were born in the United States, fast forward to 2017 though, and this share has fallen to just 41 percent.

The number of new unicorns from around the world has remained reasonably stable over this time, but it is the rapid increase in activity in China - from 0 percent in 2013 to 36 percent this year - that is putting the most pressure on U.S. dominance.

Germany's East Is Shrinking

According to forecasts from the "Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln", Germany"s population is going to increase to 83.1 million by 2035.

As Statista"s Martin Armstrong notes, the main reason for this is the record number of immigrants and asylum seekers which arrived in the country in 2015.

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While the overall trend is upward, seven of the country"s sixteen federal states will see net decreases - primarily in the former German Democratic Republic (aka East Germany).

The largest decrease is expected in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a 10.6 percent fall is forecast.

Google Reports Record Level Of Government Data Requests

Google has just released its biannual transparency report disclosing the number of requests governments send for users" private data.

As Statista"s Niall McCarthy details, in the first six months of this year, the search engine giant received 48,941 requests for data while 83,345 accounts were specified in those requests.

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That has broken the record for the most Google user data requests in a six month period.

The company complied with 65 percent of the requests, meaning over 54,000 accounts were impacted.

Over 1.1 Million Refugees Remain In Limbo Across Europe

The majority - 52 percent - of asylum applications received by EU countries, Norway and Switzerland in 2015 and 2016 are still awaiting a decision.

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As Statista"s Martin Armstrong notes, due to the historic influx of people over this period, that share accounts for roughly 1.1 million people, according to new analysis of Eurostat data by Pew Research Center.

Aside from those still in limbo over their future, 880,000 have had their applications accepted - the majority of such applicants came from Syria (about 520,000).

Who Leads The Autonomous Driving Patent Race? (Spoiler Alert: Not Who You Think)

These days the broad consensus on the future of driving seems to be that the car of tomorrow will be (at least partly) autonomous. Many companies, including traditional car makers, suppliers and leading tech companies are currently working on self-driving technology, all eager to save themselves a piece of what they reckon will be an enormous pie.

Many of these companies are already testing their tech on designated proving grounds for self-driving vehicles, but, as Statista"s Felix Richter notes, for people outside the industry it’s hard to judge who is leading the autonomy race.

One possible indicator for a company’s efforts in the self-driving vehicle segment is the number of patent filings in the field.

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The Cologne Institute for Economic Research identified and analyzed 5,839 patents related to autonomous driving to find out which companies are most active on that front.

As the chart above illustrates, Germany’s traditionally strong car industry is keen to maintain its strong position in the future: 6 of the top 10 patent holders are German companies with Bosch, a key supplier of car manufacturers, leading the field.

Google, widely considered to be a leader in autonomous driving research just makes the top 10 with 338 patents filed in its name between 2010 and July 2017.

Visualizing The Countries Most And Least Accepting Of Migrants

According to new research from Gallup, many countries on the frontlines of Europe"s migration crisis are among the least-accepting countries worldwide for migrants.

Statista"s Nial McCarthy notes that the research found that Macedonia, Montenegro, Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia and Croatia which are all along the Balkan route for asylum seekers recorded the lowest scores for accepting migrants.

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Iceland was at the opposite end of the scale, scoring 8.26 out of 9.0. It was followed by New Zealand and Rwanda.

Germany which has taken in huge numbers of refugees in recent years came 23rd overall with 7.09. The United States came 18th with 7.27. The United Kingdom came a distant 38th for migrant acceptance, scoring only 6.61 out of 9.0.

Google Is The Biggest Lobbying Spender In Tech

The fact that many major tech companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley doesn’t mean they don’t have a voice in Washington as well. As Statista"s Feliz Richer notes, according to documents filed in accordance with the Lobbying Disclosure Act, companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon spend millions every year trying to legally influence D.C. lawmakers.

The following chart shows how the lobbying expenditure of Google,
Apple, Facebook and Amazon has developed over the past few years. For
additional information please refer to the official database.

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Interestingly, the quarterly filings not only reveal how much the companies spend on their lobbying efforts, they also provide us with information on which issues these efforts are related to.

Take Google for example: in the second quarter of 2017, the search giant spent $5.9 million on lobbying with respect to issues ranging from more obvious ones such as regulation of online advertising and immigration of highly skilled individuals to more surprising ones such as wind power and unmanned aerial systems technology.

U.S. Cocaine Seizures Are Going Through The Roof

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has almost doubled the amount of cocaine seized this fiscal year compared to the year before.

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As Statista"s Dyfed Loesche notes, more than two months before this fiscal year ends on September 30 the agency has seized more than 121,000 million pounds of cocaine.

As our infographic shows, this year the greater share was seized by the biggest CBP branch, the Office of Field Operations. This arm of CBP mans all 328 ports of entry (seaports, airports, border crossings etc.) while Border Patrol officer operate out in the open between those ports.

Which European Nation Suffers From The Most Drug-Induced Deaths?

As highlighted by the latest edition of the European Drug Report, Estonia is the country with the most drug-induced deaths per million population in Europe.

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At 103 - 82 above the EU average - only Sweden comes close with 100 deaths. However, at the other end of the scale, as Statista"s Martin Armstrong points out, Portugal, where drugs were decriminalised back in 2001, had only 6 per million people.

Looking outside of Europe, Estonia"s problems are pulled into sharp relief by the rate in the United States. In 2016, there were a staggering 185 deaths per million.

Meet DiDi: China's Answer To Uber

For better or worse, just about everybody has heard of Uber. Over the last few years, the ride-haling company has grown to dominate the market in the U.S. and beyond, currently operating in over 400 cities around the globe - despite significant resistance and outright bans in some places. DiDi, on the other hand, is unlikely to be on your radar. Having bought out Uber"s operations in China last year, the company currently enjoys 95 percent market share in its home country.

As Statista"s Martin Armstrong notes, the infographic below shows if it were to come to a game of Top Trumps, DiDi wouldn"t be such a bad card to hold.

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Founded in 2012, and working on the basis of almost $16 billion worth of funding, it has amassed 38.5 million monthly users (compared to Uber"s 40), is active in around 400 cities and is valued at $50 billion.

As illustrated in the Statista report "The Chinese Passenger Car Market Outlook", revenue from ride sharing in China is projected to see a CAGR of 32 percent from 2016 to 2021. Likewise, the number of users is expected to grow by 15 percent.

As Uber begins to falter and face stiffer competition from alternatives like Lyft, it might not be long before DiDi is the biggest ride hailing company in the world.

Greatest Fools? The Countries That Trust Their Government Most (And Least)

Trust in government serves as a vital driving force for a country"s economic development, increases the effectiveness of governmental decisions, as well as leading to greater compliance with regulations and the tax system. As Statista"s Niall McCarthy notes, the level of confidence in a country"s government is generally determined by whether people think their government is reliable, if it can protect its citizens from risk and whether or not it is capable of effectively delivering public services.

The latest edition of the OECD"s Government at a Glance report has found that confidence in government varies widely between countries.

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Unsurprisingly, Greece has the lowest level of confidence in its government, unsurprising given the economic pain it has suffered since the onset of the financial crisis. In recent years, Greece has had to deal with multiple elections, bank shutdowns, defaulting, the introduction of capital controls and being on the frontline of the European migration crisis. That has all led to 13 percent of the Greek public having confidence in their government. South Korea also has a low level of confidence at 24 percent, most likely due to President Park Geun-hye"s impeachment scandal.

In the United States, the White House is struggling to shake off allegations of Russian collusion and only 30 percent of the public have confidence in the government. The United Kingdom is also enduring turbulent times amid its Brexit negotiations and 41 percent of the public have faith in their government.

At the other end of the spectrum, 58 percent of people in Russia and Turkey trust their governments while India (the nation that just surprised the entire nation by making its banknotes illegal) has the highest confidence levels at 73 percent. Greatest Fools?

57% Of Americans Think Government "Works Better" When Women Get Involved

How are women viewed in different countries across the world? Views fluctuate massively depending on where you live with Russians particularly negative about women"s responsibilities in the government or companies...

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The data used in the infographic was compiled by Ipsos MORI.

Only 34 percent of people in Russia say things would work better if women held positions with responsibilities in government or companies while 69 percent say the role of a woman in society is to be a good mother and wide.

In India, views are far more mixed where a woman"s role is in society is seen as a part of government and business as well as a good mother and wife.

In the United States, 57 percent of people think things would improve with more women in government and companies while 41 percent say the role of women is to be good mothers and wives.

Americans Are Taking More Time Off Work

The United States, unlike many other industrialized countries, has no statuary agreement on taking paid vacation. Meaning: There is no law telling employers the minimum number of days they need to give their employees off work - that are also paid for.

However, as Statista"s Dyfed Loesche notes, Project:Time Off, which is sponsored by the U.S. Travel Association, has good news: After two decades of almost steady decline the average days of vacation have risen by 0.6 days year-over-year to 16.8 days in 2016.

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"Despite this encouraging sign, taking time off continues to be a challenge in America’s always-on work culture," the authors of the latest report conclude. Still, in 2016, 662 million vacation days were left unused, four million days more than 2015.

Taking time off doesn"t just profit the individual workers who is said to become more productive after being able to recharge their batteries. According to the project"s estimates, "the jump in vacation usage from 16.2 to 16.8 days delivered a $37 billion impact to the U.S. economy."

Which U.S. Jobs Are Disappearing Fastest?

A long list of U.S. jobs are being rendered obsolete by technological advancements and automation. Which workers are most at risk?

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Statista"s Niall McCarthy notes that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, locomotive firer is the job set to shrink the most over the coming decade. A locomotive firer is responsible for monitoring instruments on trains as well as watching for signals and dragging equipment. The workforce is small, numbering 1,700 in 2014. By 2024, however, that is going to decrease even further to just 500, a decline of 70 percent.

Motor vehicle electionic equipment installers and repairers are also set to see their ranks decimated by 2024. 11,500 of them were employed in the U.S. in 2014 and a decade later, that is expected to fall sharply to 5,800. Telephone operators are the third most endangered profession in America with their numbers expected to drop 42.4 percent by 2024.

Brexodus Builds - More EU Citizens Are Leaving The UK

After the Brexit referendum, more EU citizens are leaving Britain, while less Europeans are coming in. As the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show, 2016 brought 84,000 less migrants, compared to the previous year. Statista"s Fabian Moebus points out that the net migration of 248,000 people is the lowest number of yearly newcomers in over three years. Immigration from EU countries decreased by 43,000 people while emigration increased by 31,000, which makes Europeans the main factor behind the trend with a net change of minus 74,000.

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In the run-up to the elections, Theresa May declared to bring net migration below 100,000, a promise that dates back to the Conservative 2010 manifesto. The target has widely been criticized as insubstantial because it is highly dependent on the individual behavior of many different groups, like temporary students from abroad or British pensioners retiring elsewhere. Whether the numbers continue to wane hinges mainly on the outcome of the upcoming elections and the future development of Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU.

Smartphone Addiction Tightens Its Global Grip

How long is it since you last used your phone? Chances are, you"re using it right now to view this post. Analysts from Statista"s Digital Market Outlook have revealed that the amount of time we"re spending with our smartphones online has increased substantially over the last few years.

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The term "smartphone addiction" is by now pretty well-established (you can take a test here to see if you might be a sufferer). As our infographic shows, across the world, this addiction seems to be tightening its grip. Of the countries surveyed, smartphone owners in Brazil spend by far the most amount of time online. The average user in 2016 spent close to 5 hours per day surfing - more than twice as long as in 2012.

Perhaps this explains the collapse of global worker productivity, as we detailed previously, adjusting for the WWII anomaly (which tells us that GDP is not a good measure of a country’s prosperity) US productivity growth peaked in 1972 – incidentally the year after Nixon took the US off gold.

The productivity decline witnessed ever since is unprecedented. Despite the short lived boom of the 1990s US productivity growth only average 1.2 per cent from 1975 up to today. If we isolate the last 15 years US productivity growth is on par with what an agrarian slave economy was able to achieve 200 years ago.

The Answer to the economic dilemma of our time is simple then - "Put The Smartphone Down"... but then again, what will happen to Amazon, Google, Netflix, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and all the "real" economy drivers behind the stock market illusion?

The H-1B "Scam" Exposed

Via Defiant Thinking,

The federal H-1B program is intended to allow foreign workers into the US to do high-skill jobs for which employers can’t find qualified domestic workers. In reality, it’s a way for US employers to lower their labor costs, ignoring the large pool of fully qualified (but more expensive) US workers in favor of cheap foreign labor.

This isn’t a small program, either; in 2014 there were 124,326 new applications approved and 191,531 renewed. Since this is a three-year program with one possible renewal, the total number of H-1B foreign workers in the US is triple that, or close to a million lower-wage workers in positions that should otherwise go to US workers at much higher wages.

Where are those workers coming from? According to a recent report to Congress, in 2012 most – 64% – come from India, with no other country sending anywhere close to that many (China came closest at 7.6%).

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And which indurty are they overwhelmingly working in?

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Given that so many come from India, and that they’re coming under the pretense that they are significantly more qualified than their American counterparts, you may be stunned to learn just how poor the Indian training system when it comes to computer programming.

According to a 2017 skills assessment of graduating Indian software engineers conducted by Aspiring Minds, an Indian skills assessment company:

• Out of the 2 problems given per candidate, only 14% engineers are able to write compilable codes for both and only 22% write compilable code for exactly one problem.


• Only 14.67% of engineers are employable for IT Services company, while a worryingly low percentage of 2.47% are observed to be employable in IT Product company.


• Amazingly, just 2.21% of candidates are able to write functionally and logically correct code.

This is the labor pool from which we’re pulling the majority of overseas workers, who our US staff supposedly cannot compete with.

If you want to learn more about how we’re being played by the H1b program, see this recent 60 Minutes story, or spend some time on the Protect US Workers site. It’s an outrage, and it needs to be stopped.

Which Jobs Have The Most Suicides?

According to an ONS analysis commissioned by Public Health England, suicides are less common among women than men with the rate also varying considerably by occupation.

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Between 2011 and 2015, workers employed in skilled construction and building trades were found to have had the most suicides, followed by elementary administation and service occupations.

Money Down The Drain: London Leads The World With The Most Cocaine In Its Wastewater

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction release data every year showing the levels of certain illicit drugs found in the wastewater of select European cities. Looking at cocaine, London is way in front of all other major cities analysed...

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As Statista"s Martin Armstrong points out, on an average day, the UK capital"s drains flow with almost 900mg of the drug per one thousand people.