Money & Economics
SOCIETY
HIGHEST
HEALTH-CARE
ExPENDITURE
According to
the World Health
Organization, the
USA’s health-care
spending represents
17.1% of its gross
domestic product
(GDP, or the goods and
services produced
by a country). This
comes from private
and public sectors.
Timor-Leste was
the country with the
lowest health-care
expenditure relative
to GDP, standing at
only 1.5%, according
to the same source.According to Oxfam, the wealth of the richest 1% of the world’s
population is now equal to the wealth of the remaining 99% combined. $178.119 bn
In the first three months of
their 2017 fiscal year, Apple
sold 78.29 million iPhones$133.252 bn
There are an average
of 60,000 Google searches
per second$73.102 bn
Nearly 22,000 Coca-Cola-
owned beverages are drunk
each second$72.795 bn
If you had bought $1,000
worth of shares in Microsoft
in 1986, they would be worth
around $740,000 today$53.58 bn
Japanese car giant Toyota
spends more than $1 million
on research and development
every hour$52.5 bn
Also known as “Big Blue”,
IBM is one of the largest
global employers, with
around 380,000 workers$51.808 bn
In 2016, Samsung was granted
more US patents (8,551) than
any other company, according
to data journalism service Sqoop$50.338 bn
On 12 Jul 2016 - “Amazon
Prime Day” – the company
shipped an estimated
636 items every second$43.49 bn
The luxury car manufacturer
saw sales of 2.23 million
units in 2016 – the first time
they had topped 2 million$ 4 3 .1 3 bn
General Electric technology
generates around one-third
of the world’s electricity
148Fastest-rising brand
According to Interbrand, Facebook (USA)
experienced an increase of 48% in revenue
growth in 2016. It has grown more than any
company, from a revenue of $5.09 bn (£3.14 bn)
for the fiscal (financial) year ending 12 Dec 2012
to $17.93 bn (£12.09 bn) for the fiscal year 2015.Most innovative economy
The 2016 Global Innovation Index gives
Switzerland a score of 66.28. The index is
compiled by the World Intellectual Property
Organization, Cornell University (USA) and the
graduate business school Institut Européen
d’Administration des Affaires. Nations are rated
via 82 indicators to assess how creative and
progressive their economic policies are.Most equal society
Although Scandinavian societies such as
Denmark, Norway and Sweden are commonly
cited as the most equal societies in the world,
on the most recent comparable figures from
the World Bank (for 2015), Ukraine emerged as
the country where the gap between rich and
poor is at its smallest. Ukraine scores 0.25 when
measured via the Gini coefficient – the most
commonly used means of evaluating income
inequality. A score of “1” registers maximum
inequality (where one individual takes all the
income); a score of “0” shows perfect equality
(where all citizens have the same income).
According to the same source, as of 2015
South Africa had a Gini coefficient of 0.65,
making it the most unequal society.Smallest gender gap
The World Economic Forum’s 2015 Global Gender
Gap Index rates gender inequality from “0” (no
inequality) to “1” (absolute equality). Based on
this index, Iceland has less gender inequality
than any nation, with a rating of 0.881. This
figure is based on four indicators relating to the
treatment of women: economic participation
and opportunity; educational attainment; health
and survival; and political empowerment. For
the largest gender gap, see opposite.Largest company by assets
According to Forbes, in 2016 the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) had book
assets worth $3.42 trn (£2.38 trn). This figure
reflects how the bank’s assets are valued in
its own books, or financial statements.
In 2015, Walmart Stores (USA) remained
the largest company by sales for the third
year running, with $482.1 bn (£325.1 bn) of
net revenue generated that year.Largest advertising agency by revenue
The Ad Age Agency Report of 2016 ranks British
firm WPP as the biggest advertising agency, with
earnings of $18.693 bn (£12.608 bn) in 2015.
WPP has 179,000 staff in 111 countries.HIGHEST...
AÄÄual earÄiĤs £or a CEO ȅcurreÄtȆ
According to Forbes, from 1 Jun 2015 to 1 Jun
2016 John Hammergren (USA) was the highest-
paid Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with $131.19 m
(£89.79 m) in compensation. He is chairman,
president and CEO of health-care specialists
McKesson Corporation (USA).Expenditure
The US government spends more than any other
country, according to the CIA World Factbook –
an estimated $3.893 trn (£3.163 trn) in 2016, or
17% of all expenditure worldwide.
The USA also has the highest revenue –
approximately $3.363 trn (£2.733 trn) in 2016,
according to the same source. This is mostly
generated from taxes and duties.Economic growth
Based on World Bank data, Ireland enjoyed a
growth rate of 26% in 2015, partly owing to a
substantial increase in foreign investment.
Yemen had the lowest economic growth
during 2015. Its GDP shrank by 28.1% that year,
according to the same report.Education expenditure
The latest available figures from The Economist
indicate that Lithuania spends around 18% of
its GDP on education. Cuba is in second place,
with just over 12%. The same source ranks
South Sudan as the country with the lowest
education expenditure: around 0.8% of GDP.RICHEST PERSON
According to Forbes, US software billionaire Bill Gates was the richest
man in the world as of Apr 2017, with an estimated fortune of $86.9 bn
(£69.1 bn). He was the wealthiest man alive from 1995 to 2007, again
in 2 009, and has retained the title since 2 014.
As of 1 Jun 2016, Forbes ranked Liliane Bettencourt (FRA, inset), one
of L’Oréal’s main shareholders, as the richest woman, with a $36.1-bn
(£24.7-bn) fortune. Bettencourt holds the record despite losing $4 bn
(£2.7 bn) in the previous year, when shares of L’Oréal fell.Q: In which country do
46% of all millionaires live?
A: The USA, according to Credit
Suisse’s 2015 Global Wealth Report
In^ 2010,
billionaires Warren
Buffett and Bill and
Melinda Gates created
the Giving Pledge. It
encourages the world’s
richest people to promise
to donate more than
half of their wealth
to charity.The Top 10 companies
according to Interbrand’s 2016
Best Global Brands report**Interbrand’s brand valuation report assesses companies according
to specific criteria. These include financial performance, brand growth
and the influence that the brand name itself has on a purchase.