Statista

10/08/2025

Around six in ten workers worldwide operate in the informal economy, according to modeled estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Informality has persisted and even increased in many countries over the years, driven by a combination of factors such as limited formal sector job creation and inequality. Today, half of the global workforce is not adequately covered by social security arrangements and the legal protection of workplace safety measures.

Click here for more information: https://www.statista.com/chart/30349/map-of-informal-employment/

10/07/2025

Australia passed a social media ban for teenagers and children under the age of 16 in December, which applies to companies including Instagram, X and TikTok. The measure is intended to reduce the “social harm” done to young Australians and is set to come into force on December 10, 2025. Tech giants will be up against fines of up to A$49.5 million ($31 million) if they do not adhere to the rules.

Click here for more information:

This chart shows the share of respondents who agree that children under 14 y/o should be banned from using social media (in percent).

10/06/2025

Statista and TIME have published their third edition of the World’s Best Companies! 1,000 awardees were recognized in a ranking after an in-depth analysis across the three dimensions “Revenue Growth”, “Employee Satisfaction” and “Sustainability Transparency”. The ranking gives guidance to employees, customers and business partners all over the world and celebrates the companies that are awarded in 19 diverse industries.

10/06/2025

In case you missed it 💡

🌩️ Close to Chaos? Where People Worry About Unrest

👚 Africa Receives the Bulk of Europe’s Used Clothing

💰 More Than a Quarter of Europeans Can’t Afford a Week-Long Holiday

🗑️ The World's Biggest Trash Heaps

👨‍🎓 Americans Owe $1.81 Trillion in Student Debt

10/04/2025

Africa Receives the Bulk of Europe’s Used Clothing
Textiles
by
Anna Fleck,

Oct 2, 2025
The European Parliament has officially passed a new law aimed at reducing food and textile waste within the European Union. The ambitious legislation introduces new rules that place the responsibility for the collection, sorting and recycling of used clothing and household textiles on the companies that produce them.

Currently, several hundred thousand tons of used textiles are exported annually from EU countries to third-party nations. In the past two decades, these exports have tripled, from just over 550,000 tons in 2000 to nearly 1.7 million tons in 2019. The fate of these textiles is often uncertain: while some are reused, between 10 percent and 40 percent typically end up in landfills.

Data from Vie publique reveals that nearly half of the textiles exported by Europe each year are sent to Africa. While there is demand for affordable secondhand clothing on the continent, the notion that these textile donations are charitable gifts to those in need does not reflect reality.

The growing trend of fast fashion and the export of low-quality waste are threatening local textile industries, as well as having a devastating impact on ecosystems and public health. Many African countries receive massive quantities of used clothing, much of which is unusable, leading to large-scale landfills. The majority of these imports are made from synthetic fibers, which contribute to microplastic pollution in soil, water and air.

10/03/2025

For centuries, gold has been regarded as an anchor of stability and a hedge in times of crisis. Gold reserves are not only of economic significance but also a sign of geopolitical power. For many countries today, they reflect their financial independence and strategic preparedness.

The United States traditionally tops the list, holding by far the largest official gold reserves. However, European countries such as Germany, Italy and France also play an important role when it comes to government reserves. These countries rely on gold to supplement their foreign exchange reserves and as a guarantee of confidence in their economies.

In recent years, countries such as China and Russia have also continuously expanded their holdings. Analysts regard this as an attempt to reduce dependence on the US dollar and gain more economic independence. The international distribution of gold is therefore not only an issue for financial markets, but also for global power strategies.

10/02/2025

Large-scale, youth-led protests have rocked countries in different parts of the world recently, often leading to violence, destruction and even the unseating of governments. This was the case Monday when President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar dissolved his government after 22 people died and more than 100 were injured ...

For more information, click here: www.statista.com/topics/13775/protests-worldwide/

10/02/2025

☕ Global coffee production reached a new record high in 2024, with over 10 million tonnes harvested. South America remains at the heart of coffee cultivation, while the United States is the largest consumer market.

In terms of brands, private labels and smaller companies dominate, though well-known names such as Lavazza, Starbucks, Barista Prime, Jacobs, Dunkin’, Blue Bottle Coffee and Nescafé continue to influence the global coffee industry.

Which coffee brand is your favourite?

10/01/2025

India has the highest share of vegetarians in the country compared to other select countries in 2024, according to the Statista Consumer Insight survey. Over a third of Indian respondents reported following a vegetarian diet, compared to only eight percent in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom and Germany hold second and third place respectively for the highest share of vegetarians in the country. Both countries have also increased their production of vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes in recent years. Germany’s meat substitute production increased by over 60 percent between 2019 and 2021 and amounted to 104,300 metric tons. Consumption in the UK is forecast to exceed 130,000 metric tons by 2028.

10/01/2025

U.S. bicycle sales have recovered from the boom and subsequent decline during the pandemic, with the market now generating billions of dollars in revenue. Although traditional bikes still dominate, e-bikes are steadily gaining ground. In the U.S., cycling is about both leisure and transport: nearly half of riders cycle mainly for recreation, while just over half use their bikes for commuting or running errands.

Let's take a closer look at the people behind this trend: the American cycling community!

09/30/2025

Marking a major milestone in Apple’s manufacturing activities in India, Indian factories operated by Foxconn and Tata Group were involved in the production of all four iPhone 17 models ahead of their launch in September. This was the first time that all new variations of the latest iPhone model were made in and shipped from India right at launch, which is another step forward for India’s manufacturing sector. In late 2024, Apple had begun assembling the iPhone 16 Pro models in India, marking the first time that the premium models were being made outside of China.

Supported by India’s “Make in India” push and the government’s Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, Apple has gradually expanded its operations in the country, from assembling the budget iPhone SE in India for the local market in 2017 to making it a second manufacturing hub for the global iPhone rollout in 2025. Experts estimate that Apple now assembles around 20 percent of all iPhones in India, having successfully reduced its reliance on China in that respect. Earlier this year, India's IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that Apple had exported iPhones worth 1.5 trillion rupees (around $17 billion) from India in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, which would amount to roughly 70 percent of the country’s total smartphone exports that year.

As our chart shows, India’s smartphone exports have increased rapidly over the past three years, with much of that growth likely attributable to Apple’s activity in the country. It’s not only Apple, though. Other major smartphone makers - including Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and even Google with its Pixel line - now manufacture devices in India. Together, these investments have helped drive India’s smartphone export boom, turning the country from an interesting growth market for smartphones into a production and export hub for the global smartphone industry.

09/30/2025

The 2018/19 shutdown was the longest in recent U.S. history at 35 days. A timeline shows that government shutdowns have been getting longer in the last three decades, with the second-longest and the fourth-longest shutdown taking place in 1995 and 2013, respectively. Throughout the 1980s, shutdowns were numerous, but shorter, while in the 1970s, they also ran somewhat longer, but only surpassed two weeks once, in 1978. Government shutdowns aren't all that rare: Since 1976, there have been 20 shutdowns that lasted an average of 8 days.

Currently, the threat of yet another government shutdown in looming large in the United States, with federal funding potentially cut off at 12.01 a.m. Wednesday as no federal budget has been finalized. Republicans' efforts to buy time with a bill that would fund the government through October 31 are being rejected by Democrats who want assurances that federal healthcare subsidies for low-income people will be extended and potentially, to win back some of the Medicaid funding in the upcoming budget that the Trump Administration cut previously.

Republicans are short of the 60 Senate votes they need to pass the stopgap bill (or final budget bill) on their own due to their rather slim majority in the chamber. Democrats meanwhile, seem to have shrugged off fears that a shutdown will make it easier for Republicans to fire even more federal workers. Conversely, the party believes that the issue of healthcare will bring Americans onto their side as Republicans' cuts to the sector are seen as unpopular.