SOCIETYHIGHEST SPENDING
ON DEFENCE AS A
PERCENTAGE OF GDP
Both Afghanistan (above)
and Oman spent 16.4% of
their GDP on defence in
2015, according to The
Economist. Saudi Arabia
was ranked in third place,
with 13%.
In terms of the overall
highest defence budget,
the USA spent $596 bn
(£401 bn) in 2015,
according to data from the
Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI). This was up from
$587 bn (£377 bn) in 2014.
LARGEST BANK
ȍOrERALLȎ
The Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China
(ICBC) is a government-
owned bank, founded
as a limited company
in 1984. According to
Forbes, the bank had an
asset value of $3.616 trn
(£2.521 trn) in 2016.
This figure reflects the
market value of its assets.
ICBC has 490 million
retail customers
and 5,320 corporate
customers, with branches
in Asia, Europe, America
and Oceania.LARGEST COMPANY BY PROFIT
US tech giant Apple is the largest company in the world, with
$53.7 bn (£37.4 bn) of annual profits as of 22 Apr 2016. For the
second year in a row, Apple also led the Fortune 500 list of the
10 most profitable companies.LOWEST GDP
PER CAPITA
The poorest people
are those of Burundi,
according to the most
recent available World Bank
figures, with a GDP per
capita of $277.10 (£186.90).
Excluding the tiny
principalities of Monaco
and Liechtenstein, the
richest people live in
Luxembourg, according to
the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), which had a
GDP of $105,829 (£86,777)
per capita as of Oct 2016.LOWEST
COST OF LIrING
Numbeo.com, a user-
generated global database,
gave Egypt a rating of
22.36 on its Cost of Living
Index as of Dec 2016, lower
than any other country.
Nations are ranked by the
relative cost of maintaining
a typical international
lifestyle. The prices in
New York City are used as a
base, with the USA having
a score of 100. Every other
country is then rated in
comparison to this figure.LARGEST ECONOMY
According to the International Monetary Fund World
Economic Outlook, the USA has the world’s greatest GDP,
with an estimated $18.561 trn (£15.219 trn) as of Oct 2016.
That figure represents 24.7% of global GDP. China was in
second place with an estimated $11.391 trn (£9.340 trn),
and Japan placed third with a GDP of $4.730 trn
(£3.878 trn). Between them, these three countries are
responsible for around 46% of the world’s GDP.
HIGHEST COST OF LIrING
According to a survey conducted by Numbeo.com in
2017, Bermuda has the highest cost of living, with a score
of 146.19. Relative to New York City, USA, groceries are
an estimated 39.55% more expensive in Bermuda and
restaurants are a hefty 51.39% pricier, while rents are
4.76% greater. In terms of the average salary, however,
Bermudians’ purchasing power was put at 8.35% less
than that of New York’s citizens.LARGEST GENDER GAP
ȍCOUNTRYȎ
Yemen has the greatest
gender inequality of any
country, according to the
World Economic Forum’s
2015 Global Gender Gap
Index, with a rating of
0.484. Out of 145 nations,
it is ranked 145th for
economic participation
and opportunity; 142nd for
educational attainment;
123rd for health and
survival; and 140th for
political empowerment.
GREATEST ECONOMIC FREEDOM
As of 2016, Hong Kong retains the world’s most liberated
economy – rated by the Heritage Foundation at 88.6.
This represents a one-point drop since 2015. The ranking
reflects factors such as efficient regulation, anti-corruption
measures, transparency of government and encouragement
of entrepreneurship. Singapore is close behind, with 87.8.Had it not
been for a $150-m
cash injection from
Microsoft in 1997, Apple
might have folded. Under
CEO Steve Jobs, however,
it became profitable
again. By 2011, Apple
had more cash than
the US Treasury.