Nationality of Nobel Peace Prize laureates 1901-2025

The United States holds the highest number of winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, with 23 winners. The most recent U.S. citizen to win the prize was former President Barack Obama in 2009. The United Kingdom holds the second-highest number of winners with eleven, whereas both Switzerland and UN organizations had received ten each. In 2025, the prize was awarded to the Venezuelan politician and activist Maria Corina Machado for her work promoting democratization in Venezuela. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually to people or organizations who make a substantial commitment to promote peace around the world.

World population by age and region 2024

Globally, about 25 percent of the population is under 15 years of age and 10 percent is over 65 years of age. Africa has the youngest population worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 40 percent of the population is below 15 years, and only three percent are above 65, indicating the low life expectancy in several of the countries. In Europe, on the other hand, a higher share of the population is above 65 years than the population under 15 years.

The high share of children and youth in Africa is connected to the high fertility rates on the continent. For instance, South Sudan and Niger have the highest population growth rates globally. However, about 50 percent of the world’s population live in countries with low fertility, where women have less than 2.1 children. Some countries in Europe, like Latvia and Lithuania, have experienced a population decline of one percent, and in the Cook Islands, it is even above two percent. In Europe, the majority of the population was previously working-aged adults with few dependents, but this trend is expected to reverse soon, and it is predicted that by 2050, the older population will outnumber the young in many developed countries.

As of 2025, there are 8.1 billion people living on the planet, and this is expected to reach more than nine billion before 2040. Moreover, the global population is expected to reach 10 billions around 2060, before slowing and then even falling slightly by 2100. As the population growth rates indicate, a significant share of the population increase will happen in Africa.

Highest earnings among hotel CEOs worldwide 2024

Christopher Nassetta, CEO of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc, was the highest-earning hotel company CEO worldwide in 2024, with pay reaching a total of almost 28 million U.S. dollars. In contrast, the CEO of Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V., Bruce Wardinski, earned around 6.8 million U.S. dollars in that year.

Gasoline retail prices in the U.S. 2025, by state

On October 9, 2025, the price of regular gasoline was highest in California, at around 4.66 U.S. dollars per gallon. This was some 1.4 dollars above the national average of 3.18 U.S. dollars. California's high motor fuel prices are largely determined by it being the U.S. state with the highest gasoline tax.

As of January 2024, California's gasoline tax reached 68.1 U.S. cents per gallon, far exceeding rates in other states. This tax burden plays a crucial role in shaping retail prices, with federal and state taxes being one of the strongest determinants of what consumers pay at the pump. The revenue generated from these taxes is typically reinvested in road infrastructure, demonstrating the direct link between fuel costs and transportation development.

While taxes significantly influence gasoline prices, crude oil costs remain the primary factor, accounting for 58 percent of the retail price in February 2025. The volatility of crude oil prices directly impacts pump prices, as seen in the fluctuations over recent years. Conventional motor fuel prices, including gasoline and diesel, are generally lowest in the winter months. This is due to generally lower demand during those months, as well as the winter fuel blend being less expensive to produce than the summer alternative.

GBP/USD FX rate, up to Oct 9, 2025

During 2022, the GBP/USD exchange rate reached its lowest value ever recorded after the UK government announced its initial plans to combat inflation. Prices did increase again after these plans were turned back shortly after. As of October 9, 2025, one pound was valued at roughly 1.34 U.S. dollars.

What affects an exchange rate?There are several factors that can impact an exchange rate. In terms of the current situation, the political and economic standings surrounding Brexit are probably the largest driver in the current form of the British pound. Other factors include inflation and interest rates, public debts, and deficits, as well as the country's export prices to import prices ratio.

British pound to EuroSince the United Kingdom (UK) held a referendum on its European Union membership in June 2016, the British pound's (GBP) standing against the Euro has also been impacted. During the first half of 2020, the British pound against the Euro weakened overall.

Number of high-net-worth individuals' APAC 2015-2024

The number of high-net-worth individuals' (HNWI) in the Asia-Pacific region was 7.59 million in 2024. According to Capgemini, in 2023, the HNWIs in the region reached 7.4 million.

Number of World Heritage Sites in Japan 2025, by type

As of October 2024, the number of UNESCO-certified World Heritage Sites in Japan amounted to 26, 21 of which belonged to the cultural category. The latest addition to the list was the Sado Island Gold Mines in Niigata Prefecture, added in July 2024. 

Merchandise trade value of Russia with China 2007-2024, by flow

The exports of goods from Russia to China stood at around 129 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, marking an increase compared to the previous year. Russian merchandise imports from China have increased significantly in value since 2022, reaching nearly 116 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The trade balance of Russia with China already became positive in 2018 for the first time since 2006. 

China was the leading export destination of Russian commodities as well as the major import partner of the country as of 2023. Turkey listed in the third place by export value and ranked as the second largest origen of imports to the country over the same period. Russia is one of the leading exporters of goods worldwide. Fuels, minerals, and energy products are its major export commodity groups.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected all segments of the Russian economy, including international trade. Nonetheless, in February 2020, certain agricultural product exports from Russia to China experienced a positive growth. The especially significant increase was recorded for fish products at over 50 percent year-on-year. Further up-to-date statistics and facts about trade in Russia can be found in a dedicated topic page.

United Kingdom: retail footfall change in high streets 2019-2025

Retail footfall in British highstreets bounced back from the pandemic-driven sluggish shopper numbers around January 2023. But despite the recovering numbers, high streets still struggled with diminishing visits and frequent fluctuations. In the most recently reported period (September 2025), there was a decrease of 2.5 percent of visitors to UK high streets after a year-on-year increase the previous month. Similar fluctuations in footfall trends appeared in shopping centers, as well. 

With more and more shoppers turning to the convenience of online shopping, the landscape of high street retailing is transforming as store closures are dealing many retail and leisure store categories hard blows. This was exacerberated by the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In 2024, there were over 13,000 store closures in the United Kingdom.

Even before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, UK retail sector had been going through what many have dubbed as "the retail apocalypse". Many retailers saw store closures and ensuing job losses a year before the pandemic. Among these, Poundland had the highest number of staff lay-offs resulting from store closures.

Prices of electricity in Nigeria 2025, by user group

As of March 2025, the price of electricity used in households in Nigeria amounted to nearly 51 Nigerian naira per kilowatt hour, some 0.03 U.S. dollars. On the other hand, industrial electrical energy was priced at approximately 66 NGN per kilowatt hour, roughly 0.04 U.S. dollars.