Most Valuable Corporations: We’re Number 1
The United States is the home ten out of the thirteen largest corporations in the world. Further, most of these American companies have been created during the digital age, no more than twenty to thirty years ago. The top ten corporations according to market capitalization are
Apple (US, broad range of computer products, founded 1976);
Microsoft (US, computer software, 1975);
Saudi Arabian Oil (Saudi Arabia, petroleum products, 1933);
Alphabet (US, Google, digital search services, 1998);
Amazon (US, online consumer products, web services, video, 1994);
NVIDIA (US, computer technology, artificial intelligence, 1993);
Meta (US, Facebook online services, 2004);
Tesla (US, electric vehicles, batteries, 2003);
LVMH Moet, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton (France, luxury goods); and
VISA (US, credit card services))
Source: “The 100 Largest Companies in the World by Market Capitalization in 2023, Statista, n.d., https://www.statista.com/statistics/263264/top-companies-in-the-world-by-market-capitalization/.
The United States is the home ten out of the thirteen largest corporations in the world. Further, most of these American companies have been created during the digital age, no more than twenty to thirty years ago. The top ten corporations according to market capitalization are
Apple (US, broad range of computer products, founded 1976);
Microsoft (US, computer software, 1975);
Saudi Arabian Oil (Saudi Arabia, petroleum products, 1933);
Alphabet (US, Google, digital search services, 1998);
Amazon (US, online consumer products, web services, video, 1994);
NVIDIA (US, computer technology, artificial intelligence, 1993);
Meta (US, Facebook online services, 2004);
Tesla (US, electric vehicles, batteries, 2003);
LVMH Moet, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton (France, luxury goods); and
VISA (US, credit card services))
Source: “The 100 Largest Companies in the World by Market Capitalization in 2023, Statista, n.d., https://www.statista.com/statistics/263264/top-companies-in-the-world-by-market-capitalization/.
Size of the Economy: We’re Number 1
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States ranks as number one in the world economy, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $20.49 trillion. This is nothing new. The United States has had the largest economy in the world since 1871. In second place, and growing rapidly during the twenty-first century, is China with a GDP of $13.4 trillion. The third largest economy is Japan ($4.97 trillion) and the fourth largest is Germany ($4.25 trillion)
California, the economic powerhouse in the United States, has an estimated GDP of $3.63 trillion (2022) and is about to overtake Germany as the fourth largest economy in the world. On a per capita basis, the Golden State is the second largest economy in the world. California surpassed Brazil and France in 2015 and supplanted the United Kingdom in 2017.
Source: Matthew A. Winkler, “California Poised to Overtake Germany as World’s No. 4 Economy,” Bloomberg News, October 24, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-24/california-poised-to-overtake-germany-as-world-s-no-4-economy
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States ranks as number one in the world economy, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $20.49 trillion. This is nothing new. The United States has had the largest economy in the world since 1871. In second place, and growing rapidly during the twenty-first century, is China with a GDP of $13.4 trillion. The third largest economy is Japan ($4.97 trillion) and the fourth largest is Germany ($4.25 trillion)
California, the economic powerhouse in the United States, has an estimated GDP of $3.63 trillion (2022) and is about to overtake Germany as the fourth largest economy in the world. On a per capita basis, the Golden State is the second largest economy in the world. California surpassed Brazil and France in 2015 and supplanted the United Kingdom in 2017.
Source: Matthew A. Winkler, “California Poised to Overtake Germany as World’s No. 4 Economy,” Bloomberg News, October 24, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-24/california-poised-to-overtake-germany-as-world-s-no-4-economy
Global Waste: We’re Number 25
With its abundance and riches, the United States produces more waste per capital than any other country, with an estimated 811 kilograms (1,788 pounds) per person each year. No other country comes close. Sensoneo, a waste management consulting firm based in Slovakia, ranked South Korea as having the best global waste score (100); far behind was the United States with a score of 60.
Source: “Global Waste Index, 2022,” https://sensoneo.com/global-waste-index/
With its abundance and riches, the United States produces more waste per capital than any other country, with an estimated 811 kilograms (1,788 pounds) per person each year. No other country comes close. Sensoneo, a waste management consulting firm based in Slovakia, ranked South Korea as having the best global waste score (100); far behind was the United States with a score of 60.
Source: “Global Waste Index, 2022,” https://sensoneo.com/global-waste-index/
Natural Resources: We’re Number 2
The United States is fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources and on a worldwide scale is second after the Russian Federation. The US has the world’s largest proven coal reserves, and has abundant supplies of copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber, and arable land. Yet the United States imports 100 percent of it needs for arsenic, cesium, fluorspar, gallium, graphite, Indium, manganese, niobium, rare earths, rubidium, scandium, tantalum, and yttrium.
The most resource-rich country is Russia, with large deposits of coal, timber, and rare earth metals. It contains the world’s largest proven natural gas reserves, accounting for approximately 20 percent of 2020 global totals. Further, Russia has the second largest gold reserves, about 12 percent of the world’s total. It has 12 percent of the world’s crude oil supply, and its oil reserves were the sixth largest in the world.
Saudi Arabia’s most important natural resource is oil and it has been the leading exporter of oil since the 1930s. Canada has the third largest oil deposits, after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia; it is also a leading producer of natural gas. For China, coal and rare minerals make up 90 percent of its natural resources.
Source: “United States,” The World Factbook, US Central Intelligence Agency, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/
The United States is fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources and on a worldwide scale is second after the Russian Federation. The US has the world’s largest proven coal reserves, and has abundant supplies of copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber, and arable land. Yet the United States imports 100 percent of it needs for arsenic, cesium, fluorspar, gallium, graphite, Indium, manganese, niobium, rare earths, rubidium, scandium, tantalum, and yttrium.
The most resource-rich country is Russia, with large deposits of coal, timber, and rare earth metals. It contains the world’s largest proven natural gas reserves, accounting for approximately 20 percent of 2020 global totals. Further, Russia has the second largest gold reserves, about 12 percent of the world’s total. It has 12 percent of the world’s crude oil supply, and its oil reserves were the sixth largest in the world.
Saudi Arabia’s most important natural resource is oil and it has been the leading exporter of oil since the 1930s. Canada has the third largest oil deposits, after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia; it is also a leading producer of natural gas. For China, coal and rare minerals make up 90 percent of its natural resources.
Source: “United States,” The World Factbook, US Central Intelligence Agency, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/united-states/
Median Age: We’re Number 38
America is growing older. In 1980, the median age in the United States was 30.0 years; in 2000, it was 35.0 years; in 2022, the figure stood at 38.9 years. This is a significant increase in the median age, and the United States has never been this old.
Japan is the oldest country, with a media age of 48.6 years, followed by Germany (47.8), Italy (46.5), Greece (45.3), and Slovenia (44.9). The United States ranks 38th in median age. By contrast, the youngest countries are in Africa, with 21 countries having a median age below twenty years old.
Source: WorldData.info; https://www.worlddata.info/average-age.php.
America is growing older. In 1980, the median age in the United States was 30.0 years; in 2000, it was 35.0 years; in 2022, the figure stood at 38.9 years. This is a significant increase in the median age, and the United States has never been this old.
Japan is the oldest country, with a media age of 48.6 years, followed by Germany (47.8), Italy (46.5), Greece (45.3), and Slovenia (44.9). The United States ranks 38th in median age. By contrast, the youngest countries are in Africa, with 21 countries having a median age below twenty years old.
Source: WorldData.info; https://www.worlddata.info/average-age.php.
Megacities: New York (Number 11) and Los Angeles (Number 26)
In 1950, there were just two cities in the world—New York and Tokyo—that were considered “megacities,” that is, urban areas with populations of at least 10 million. By 2018, there were thirty-four such cities and the United Nations estimates that by 2035 there will by forty-eight megacities. America has just two megacities, New York-Newark (18.8 million) and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (12.4 million).
Tokyo (37.39 million), Delhi (30.29 million); Shanghai (27.05 million), São Paolo (22.04 million), and Mexico City (21.78 million) top the list of megacities.
Source: “Around 2.5 Billion More People Will Be Living in Cities by 2050, Projects New UN Report,” United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs, n.d., https://www.un.org/en/desa/around-25-billion-more-people-will-be-living-cities-2050-projects-new-un-report
In 1950, there were just two cities in the world—New York and Tokyo—that were considered “megacities,” that is, urban areas with populations of at least 10 million. By 2018, there were thirty-four such cities and the United Nations estimates that by 2035 there will by forty-eight megacities. America has just two megacities, New York-Newark (18.8 million) and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (12.4 million).
Tokyo (37.39 million), Delhi (30.29 million); Shanghai (27.05 million), São Paolo (22.04 million), and Mexico City (21.78 million) top the list of megacities.
Source: “Around 2.5 Billion More People Will Be Living in Cities by 2050, Projects New UN Report,” United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs, n.d., https://www.un.org/en/desa/around-25-billion-more-people-will-be-living-cities-2050-projects-new-un-report
Population Density: We’re Number 147
Indeed, there is room to grow in the United States. Its population density is just 35 persons per square kilometer. Compare that to Bangladesh, with 1,141 persons per square kilometer or Taiwan with 615 persons per square kilometer. The American state of Iowa and Bangladesh are almost equal in land size; but Iowa has 3.1 million persons, while Bangladesh has 168 million persons.
Source: “List of Countries by Population Density,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density
Indeed, there is room to grow in the United States. Its population density is just 35 persons per square kilometer. Compare that to Bangladesh, with 1,141 persons per square kilometer or Taiwan with 615 persons per square kilometer. The American state of Iowa and Bangladesh are almost equal in land size; but Iowa has 3.1 million persons, while Bangladesh has 168 million persons.
Source: “List of Countries by Population Density,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_dependencies_by_population_density
Landmass: We’re Number 3
The United States indeed is an expansive country; it is the world’s third largest country, by landmass. Russia is by far the biggest country, with 17.098 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles) of land and water. Canada (9.984 million square kilometers; 3.855 million square miles), the United States (9.826 million square kilometers; 3.78 million square miles), and China (9.596 million square kilometers; 3.69 million square miles) are close in size as the second, third, and fourth largest countries, respectively.
Source: CIA World Factbook, 2014. Country Comparisons: Area, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html
The United States indeed is an expansive country; it is the world’s third largest country, by landmass. Russia is by far the biggest country, with 17.098 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles) of land and water. Canada (9.984 million square kilometers; 3.855 million square miles), the United States (9.826 million square kilometers; 3.78 million square miles), and China (9.596 million square kilometers; 3.69 million square miles) are close in size as the second, third, and fourth largest countries, respectively.
Source: CIA World Factbook, 2014. Country Comparisons: Area, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html
Social Progress Index: We’re Number 26
The Social Progress Imperative, an organization founded by Professor Michael Porter, developed the Social Progress Index, which collects data from around the world. Rather than concentrating on wealth and GDP, the Social Progress Index looks at fifty measures, grouped around nutrition and basic medical care, water and sanitation, shelter, personal safety, access to basic knowledge, access to communications and information, health and wellness, environmental quality, personal rights, personal freedom and choice, inclusiveness, and access to advanced education. In 2011, the United States ranked eleventh; then it fell to twenty-eighth in 2020; two years later, the United States ranking had improved slightly, to twenty-sixth among industrialized countries.
Who does better? It is the usual suspects: Norway, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, and Iceland come in at the top. Ranking above the United States were every industrialized country in the OECD: Australia ranked twelfth; South Korea, seventeenth; United Kingdom, nineteenth; and France, twentieth.
Source: Social Progress Index, 2022, https://www.socialprogress.org/global-index-2022-results/.
Twenty-eighth and twenty-sixth. Surely the US federal and state governments can do better. Are we held back because Americans do not want to see improvements, or Americans simply do not know how uncompetitive we have become in the past several decades? Are we held back because a majority of policymakers believe that it is not the government’s responsibility to enact improvements? More than thirty years ago, sociologist Paul Starr, who came to prominence through his efforts for national health care during the 1990s, argued that “many Americans have become convinced that there simply are no public solutions to our national problems. Or if there are, that Congress could not possibly enact them in a rational and coherent form.” Thirty years later, Michael Porter concluded, “We’re no longer the country we think we are.”
Sources: Paul Starr, "Can Government Work?" The American Prospect (2) (Summer 1990);
Porter quoted in Nicholas Kristof, “We’re No. 28! And Dropping,” New York Times, September 9, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/opinion/united-states-social-progress.html. Porter, a professor at the Harvard University Business School, chaired the advisory panel for the Social Progress Index.
The Social Progress Imperative, an organization founded by Professor Michael Porter, developed the Social Progress Index, which collects data from around the world. Rather than concentrating on wealth and GDP, the Social Progress Index looks at fifty measures, grouped around nutrition and basic medical care, water and sanitation, shelter, personal safety, access to basic knowledge, access to communications and information, health and wellness, environmental quality, personal rights, personal freedom and choice, inclusiveness, and access to advanced education. In 2011, the United States ranked eleventh; then it fell to twenty-eighth in 2020; two years later, the United States ranking had improved slightly, to twenty-sixth among industrialized countries.
Who does better? It is the usual suspects: Norway, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, and Iceland come in at the top. Ranking above the United States were every industrialized country in the OECD: Australia ranked twelfth; South Korea, seventeenth; United Kingdom, nineteenth; and France, twentieth.
Source: Social Progress Index, 2022, https://www.socialprogress.org/global-index-2022-results/.
Twenty-eighth and twenty-sixth. Surely the US federal and state governments can do better. Are we held back because Americans do not want to see improvements, or Americans simply do not know how uncompetitive we have become in the past several decades? Are we held back because a majority of policymakers believe that it is not the government’s responsibility to enact improvements? More than thirty years ago, sociologist Paul Starr, who came to prominence through his efforts for national health care during the 1990s, argued that “many Americans have become convinced that there simply are no public solutions to our national problems. Or if there are, that Congress could not possibly enact them in a rational and coherent form.” Thirty years later, Michael Porter concluded, “We’re no longer the country we think we are.”
Sources: Paul Starr, "Can Government Work?" The American Prospect (2) (Summer 1990);
Porter quoted in Nicholas Kristof, “We’re No. 28! And Dropping,” New York Times, September 9, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/09/opinion/united-states-social-progress.html. Porter, a professor at the Harvard University Business School, chaired the advisory panel for the Social Progress Index.
Size of the Economy: We’re Number 1
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States ranks as number one in the world economy, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $20.49 trillion. This is nothing new. The United States has had the largest economy in the world since 1871. In second place, and growing rapidly during the twenty-first century, is China with a GDP of $13.4 trillion. The third largest economy is Japan ($4.97 trillion) and the fourth largest is Germany ($4.25 trillion)
California, the economic powerhouse in the United States, has an estimated GDP of $3.63 trillion (2022) and is about to overtake Germany as the fourth largest economy in the world. On a per capita basis, the Golden State is the second largest economy in the world. California surpassed Brazil and France in 2015 and supplanted the United Kingdom in 2017.
Source: Matthew A. Winkler, “California Poised to Overtake Germany as World’s No. 4 Economy,” Bloomberg News, October 24, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-24/california-poised-to-overtake-germany-as-world-s-no-4-economy
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States ranks as number one in the world economy, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $20.49 trillion. This is nothing new. The United States has had the largest economy in the world since 1871. In second place, and growing rapidly during the twenty-first century, is China with a GDP of $13.4 trillion. The third largest economy is Japan ($4.97 trillion) and the fourth largest is Germany ($4.25 trillion)
California, the economic powerhouse in the United States, has an estimated GDP of $3.63 trillion (2022) and is about to overtake Germany as the fourth largest economy in the world. On a per capita basis, the Golden State is the second largest economy in the world. California surpassed Brazil and France in 2015 and supplanted the United Kingdom in 2017.
Source: Matthew A. Winkler, “California Poised to Overtake Germany as World’s No. 4 Economy,” Bloomberg News, October 24, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-24/california-poised-to-overtake-germany-as-world-s-no-4-economy
Best Climate Performance: We’re Number 52
Since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) has been grading the climate mitigation performances of sixty countries and the European Union. Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network developed this independent ranking, drawing on the advice of 450 climate and policy experts, measuring the performance of these countries, which emit some 92 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. The CCPI considers four main factors: greenhouse gas emissions (40 percent of overall score), renewable energy (20 percent), energy use (20 percent), and climate policy (20 percent). The CCPI ranking board decided to leave the first three positions blank on the 2023 ranking, noting that no country had performed well enough to be considered in the highest ranking.
The United States ranked 52nd out of 60 countries. Why is the US so embarrassing low on this ranking? The CCPI recognized the targets and policies for climate action announced by the Biden administration, citing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with its $21 billion on environmental projects, $7.5 billion for electric vehicles, and $65 billion for improving the power infrastructure and adjustments to renewable energy. It also acknowledges the Biden administration’s net-zero emissions target for 2050 and a 2030 goal of cutting 2005-level greenhouse gases by 50-52 percent. The impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic emphasis on climate change mitigation, is not factored into this analysis.
The CCPI report concludes that its country experts “welcome the US government’s new commitments. They note the obstructing role the Republican opposition plays in climate politics. However, the experts criticize that some policies lack a mandatory character, and implementation will not be quick enough. The main shortcoming described is that the US will not halt domestic fossil fuel extraction, and there are still fossil fuel subsidies in place.” But the US ranking on the CCPI listing has been worse: last time it was measured, in 2021, the United States sat at 55th place. With a new Trump presidential term, America’s place in the CCPI rankings will surely suffer.
Sources: Our World in Data,
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co2-per-capita-vs-renewable-electricity?tab=table and Global Carbon Project, https://www.globalcarbonproject.org/. Rachel Hellman, “US Lags in Latest Climate Protection Rankings,” US News, February 28, 2022, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2022-02-28/denmark-shines-u-s-lags-in-latest-climate-protection-rankings. Climate Change Performance Index 2023, https://ccpi.org/ranking/ (accessed October 14, 2023).
How Did They Do It? Carbon Pricing and Cap-and-Trade in the European Union.
How Did They Do It? Turning Carbon Dioxide into Stone in Iceland
Since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) has been grading the climate mitigation performances of sixty countries and the European Union. Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network developed this independent ranking, drawing on the advice of 450 climate and policy experts, measuring the performance of these countries, which emit some 92 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. The CCPI considers four main factors: greenhouse gas emissions (40 percent of overall score), renewable energy (20 percent), energy use (20 percent), and climate policy (20 percent). The CCPI ranking board decided to leave the first three positions blank on the 2023 ranking, noting that no country had performed well enough to be considered in the highest ranking.
The United States ranked 52nd out of 60 countries. Why is the US so embarrassing low on this ranking? The CCPI recognized the targets and policies for climate action announced by the Biden administration, citing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with its $21 billion on environmental projects, $7.5 billion for electric vehicles, and $65 billion for improving the power infrastructure and adjustments to renewable energy. It also acknowledges the Biden administration’s net-zero emissions target for 2050 and a 2030 goal of cutting 2005-level greenhouse gases by 50-52 percent. The impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic emphasis on climate change mitigation, is not factored into this analysis.
The CCPI report concludes that its country experts “welcome the US government’s new commitments. They note the obstructing role the Republican opposition plays in climate politics. However, the experts criticize that some policies lack a mandatory character, and implementation will not be quick enough. The main shortcoming described is that the US will not halt domestic fossil fuel extraction, and there are still fossil fuel subsidies in place.” But the US ranking on the CCPI listing has been worse: last time it was measured, in 2021, the United States sat at 55th place. With a new Trump presidential term, America’s place in the CCPI rankings will surely suffer.
Sources: Our World in Data,
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/co2-per-capita-vs-renewable-electricity?tab=table and Global Carbon Project, https://www.globalcarbonproject.org/. Rachel Hellman, “US Lags in Latest Climate Protection Rankings,” US News, February 28, 2022, https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2022-02-28/denmark-shines-u-s-lags-in-latest-climate-protection-rankings. Climate Change Performance Index 2023, https://ccpi.org/ranking/ (accessed October 14, 2023).
How Did They Do It? Carbon Pricing and Cap-and-Trade in the European Union.
How Did They Do It? Turning Carbon Dioxide into Stone in Iceland
Better Life Index: We’re Number 28
Looking at the members of the OECD, we find that Norway ranks Number 1, followed by Slovenia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Iceland, and Finland. The United States ranks an embarrassingly low 28th.
Source: OECD Better Life Index, https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org.
Looking at the members of the OECD, we find that Norway ranks Number 1, followed by Slovenia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Iceland, and Finland. The United States ranks an embarrassingly low 28th.
Source: OECD Better Life Index, https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org.
Overall Infrastructure: We’re Number 11
Despite the infusion of billions of dollars from the Infrastructure legislation, the United States still has far to go in comparison with other OECD countries. Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Germany top the list of overall infrastructure. The United States comes in 11th place.
Note: Overall infrastructure score includes transport, telephony, and energy. First and second place would have gone to Singapore and Hong Kong, but they were left out of these rankings.
Source: “Ranking of Countries According to the General Quality of Infrastructure,” Statista, n.d., https://www.statista.com/statistics/264753/ranking-of-countries-according-to-the-general-quality-of-infrastructure/ (accessed October 30, 2023).
Despite the infusion of billions of dollars from the Infrastructure legislation, the United States still has far to go in comparison with other OECD countries. Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Germany top the list of overall infrastructure. The United States comes in 11th place.
Note: Overall infrastructure score includes transport, telephony, and energy. First and second place would have gone to Singapore and Hong Kong, but they were left out of these rankings.
Source: “Ranking of Countries According to the General Quality of Infrastructure,” Statista, n.d., https://www.statista.com/statistics/264753/ranking-of-countries-according-to-the-general-quality-of-infrastructure/ (accessed October 30, 2023).
International Leadership on the Environment: Sinking Fast
With the Republican Party recapturing the White House and Congress in 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation already has the answer to America’s climate problems. It is a “battle plan” for the first 180 days of a Republican in the White House. Called Project 2025, it would lead to “dismantling almost every clean energy program in the federal government and boosting the production of fossil fuels,” reported journalist Lisa Friedman. Project 2025 calls for “shredding regulations to curb greenhouse gas pollution from cars, oil and gas wells and power plants, dismantling almost every clean energy program in the federal government and boosting the production of fossil fuels.” The nearly 1,000-page plan was created by the Heritage Foundation, working closely with at least a dozen conservative and climate-denying think thanks and advocacy groups like the Heartland Institute or the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The plan called for the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act with its landmark climate change programs. “This agenda would be laughable if the consequences of it weren’t so dire,” said Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Source: Lisa Friedman, “A Republican 2024 Climate Strategy: More Drilling, Less Clean Energy,” New York Times, August 4, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/climate/republicans-climate-project2025.html.
With the Republican Party recapturing the White House and Congress in 2025, the conservative Heritage Foundation already has the answer to America’s climate problems. It is a “battle plan” for the first 180 days of a Republican in the White House. Called Project 2025, it would lead to “dismantling almost every clean energy program in the federal government and boosting the production of fossil fuels,” reported journalist Lisa Friedman. Project 2025 calls for “shredding regulations to curb greenhouse gas pollution from cars, oil and gas wells and power plants, dismantling almost every clean energy program in the federal government and boosting the production of fossil fuels.” The nearly 1,000-page plan was created by the Heritage Foundation, working closely with at least a dozen conservative and climate-denying think thanks and advocacy groups like the Heartland Institute or the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The plan called for the repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act with its landmark climate change programs. “This agenda would be laughable if the consequences of it weren’t so dire,” said Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Source: Lisa Friedman, “A Republican 2024 Climate Strategy: More Drilling, Less Clean Energy,” New York Times, August 4, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/climate/republicans-climate-project2025.html.
Latest Updates
Prison Population: We’re Number 1
As of October 2021, the World Prison Population List estimated that approximately 10.35 million persons were incarcerated worldwide; by far the greatest number, 2.3 million, were imprisoned in the United States. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, nearly every state in America has a higher incarceration rate than any other country in the entire world. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in America, at 1,094 persons per 100,000 citizens; it is followed closely by Mississippi with 1,031.
Source: Emily Widra and Tiana Herring, “States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021,” Prison Policy Initiative, September 2021, https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2021.html
As of October 2021, the World Prison Population List estimated that approximately 10.35 million persons were incarcerated worldwide; by far the greatest number, 2.3 million, were imprisoned in the United States. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, nearly every state in America has a higher incarceration rate than any other country in the entire world. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in America, at 1,094 persons per 100,000 citizens; it is followed closely by Mississippi with 1,031.
Source: Emily Widra and Tiana Herring, “States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2021,” Prison Policy Initiative, September 2021, https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2021.html
Healthcare Coverage for All: We’re Last in the OECD
Every member country of the OECD has a system of national health care, except the United States. The programs vary widely, some relying on market mechanism to provide medical services while others rely mostly on public provision of services and public insurance. Here are how the OECD countries break out.
Reliance on private insurance and market mechanisms:
--Germany, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, and Switzerland rely on private insurance for basic health care coverage.
--Australia, Belgium, Canada, and France use public insurance for basic health coverage and permit private insurance beyond basic coverage.
--Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Japan, Korea, and Luxembourg use public insurance for basic health coverage but permit little private insurance.
Mostly public insurance and public provision of medical services:
--Iceland, Sweden, and Turkey have no gate-keeping and ample choice of providers for users.
--Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain have limited choice for providers and soft budget constraints.
--Hungary, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom have ample choice of providers and strict budget constraints.
Source: Health Care Systems: Efficiency and Policy Settings, OECD (2010), 15, https://www.oecd.org/economy/growth/46508800.pdf
Every member country of the OECD has a system of national health care, except the United States. The programs vary widely, some relying on market mechanism to provide medical services while others rely mostly on public provision of services and public insurance. Here are how the OECD countries break out.
Reliance on private insurance and market mechanisms:
--Germany, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, and Switzerland rely on private insurance for basic health care coverage.
--Australia, Belgium, Canada, and France use public insurance for basic health coverage and permit private insurance beyond basic coverage.
--Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Japan, Korea, and Luxembourg use public insurance for basic health coverage but permit little private insurance.
Mostly public insurance and public provision of medical services:
--Iceland, Sweden, and Turkey have no gate-keeping and ample choice of providers for users.
--Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain have limited choice for providers and soft budget constraints.
--Hungary, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and the United Kingdom have ample choice of providers and strict budget constraints.
Source: Health Care Systems: Efficiency and Policy Settings, OECD (2010), 15, https://www.oecd.org/economy/growth/46508800.pdf
Spending on Public Primary and Secondary Education: We’re Number 4 and We’re Number 5
The United States spends a considerable amount of money on public primary and secondary education, both in terms of per student expenditures and percentage of GDP. In terms of public spending on education, per student in both primary and secondary schools, the United States ranks 4th among selected OECD countries. The most recent data available is from 2019 and shows that the US spends $13,780 per pupil in Primary grades and $15,538 in Secondary, Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary grades and programs, for a total of $29,318. Norway, South Korea, and Austria spend more per pupil.
On a per capita basis, the United States ranks 5th, spending 8.3 percent of its GDP on primary and secondary education. Chile, Israel, South Korea, and the United Kingdom invest a higher percentage of their GDP on education than the United States.
Source: Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/238733/expenditure-on-education-by-country/; “How Do Governments Allocate Public Spending on Education?” OECD, July 12, 2022, https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en/data-insights/how-do-governments-allocate-public-spending-on-education
The United States spends a considerable amount of money on public primary and secondary education, both in terms of per student expenditures and percentage of GDP. In terms of public spending on education, per student in both primary and secondary schools, the United States ranks 4th among selected OECD countries. The most recent data available is from 2019 and shows that the US spends $13,780 per pupil in Primary grades and $15,538 in Secondary, Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary grades and programs, for a total of $29,318. Norway, South Korea, and Austria spend more per pupil.
On a per capita basis, the United States ranks 5th, spending 8.3 percent of its GDP on primary and secondary education. Chile, Israel, South Korea, and the United Kingdom invest a higher percentage of their GDP on education than the United States.
Source: Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/238733/expenditure-on-education-by-country/; “How Do Governments Allocate Public Spending on Education?” OECD, July 12, 2022, https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/en/data-insights/how-do-governments-allocate-public-spending-on-education
Social Security Benefits: We’re Number 29
Social Security has become the Grand Contract, keeping millions of Americans out of poverty and providing a modicum of financial security for millions more. A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, based on the March 2022 Current Population Survey, noted that “Without Social Security, 21.7 million more adults and children would be below the poverty line.” Social Security benefits are especially important for older women and persons of color. Women “tend to earn less than men, take more time out of the paid workforce, live longer, accumulate less savings, and receive smaller pensions.” Social Security brings 8.8 million older women above the poverty line, 1.7 million African Americans, and 1.3 million Latinos. Without Social Security benefits, older women would have a poverty rate of 40.5 percent; with Social Security, that rate drops to 11.6 percent. Similarly, the poverty rate for African Americans would be 50.2 percent without Social Security but is 17.5 percent when it is included. Elderly Latinos would have a poverty rate of 44.5 percent without Social Security, but with it, the poverty rate drops to 18.7 percent. In addition, more than 8 million children are lifted above the poverty line. The average Social Security recipient receives about $21,384 per year, or $1,782 per month. This sum hardly puts a recipient on Easy Street.
Social insurance programs have a long history in Europe, with the first adopted by Germany in 1889. By the time that the United States created the Social Security Act in 1935, thirty-four nations were already operating some form of social insurance programs. Today, there are a wide variety of social security programs worldwide, some similar to those found in the United States (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability), some with cash sickness benefits, cash maternity benefits, worker injury, unemployment benefits, or family allowances. When comparing the American programs, as vital, expensive, and necessary as they are, to programs in other countries, they fall quite short. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted, “Social Security benefits are . . . modest by international standards.”
Sources: Kathleen Romig, “Social Security Lifts More People Above the Poverty Line Than Any Other Program,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 2, 2023, https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/social-security-lifts-more-people-above-the-poverty-line-than-any-other; “Historical Background and Development of Social Security,” Social Security Administration, https://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html; “Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Europe 2018,” Social Security Administration, September 2018, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/2018-2019/europe/ssptw18europe.pdf; “Policy Basics: Top Ten Facts About Social Security,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 17, 2023, https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/top-ten-facts-about-social-security; “Pensions at a Glance, 2021: Retirement Systems in OECD Countries.
Social Security has become the Grand Contract, keeping millions of Americans out of poverty and providing a modicum of financial security for millions more. A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, based on the March 2022 Current Population Survey, noted that “Without Social Security, 21.7 million more adults and children would be below the poverty line.” Social Security benefits are especially important for older women and persons of color. Women “tend to earn less than men, take more time out of the paid workforce, live longer, accumulate less savings, and receive smaller pensions.” Social Security brings 8.8 million older women above the poverty line, 1.7 million African Americans, and 1.3 million Latinos. Without Social Security benefits, older women would have a poverty rate of 40.5 percent; with Social Security, that rate drops to 11.6 percent. Similarly, the poverty rate for African Americans would be 50.2 percent without Social Security but is 17.5 percent when it is included. Elderly Latinos would have a poverty rate of 44.5 percent without Social Security, but with it, the poverty rate drops to 18.7 percent. In addition, more than 8 million children are lifted above the poverty line. The average Social Security recipient receives about $21,384 per year, or $1,782 per month. This sum hardly puts a recipient on Easy Street.
Social insurance programs have a long history in Europe, with the first adopted by Germany in 1889. By the time that the United States created the Social Security Act in 1935, thirty-four nations were already operating some form of social insurance programs. Today, there are a wide variety of social security programs worldwide, some similar to those found in the United States (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability), some with cash sickness benefits, cash maternity benefits, worker injury, unemployment benefits, or family allowances. When comparing the American programs, as vital, expensive, and necessary as they are, to programs in other countries, they fall quite short. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted, “Social Security benefits are . . . modest by international standards.”
Sources: Kathleen Romig, “Social Security Lifts More People Above the Poverty Line Than Any Other Program,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 2, 2023, https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/social-security-lifts-more-people-above-the-poverty-line-than-any-other; “Historical Background and Development of Social Security,” Social Security Administration, https://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html; “Social Security Programs Throughout the World: Europe 2018,” Social Security Administration, September 2018, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/2018-2019/europe/ssptw18europe.pdf; “Policy Basics: Top Ten Facts About Social Security,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 17, 2023, https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/top-ten-facts-about-social-security; “Pensions at a Glance, 2021: Retirement Systems in OECD Countries.
Personal Time Off: We Have Far Less Vacation Time
American workers have far less vacation time than do their counterparts in OECD countries. In a 2024 study, New View Strategies found that 81 percent of Americans had four weeks or less in paid time off, and on average American workers took just thirteen days of vacation. By contrast, 70 percent of European workers receive four weeks or more of paid time off and took an average of twenty-one days of vacation. Americans also took fewer sick days, nine compared to thirteen for Europeans. But for Americans, there is more feelings of guilt for taking time away from work. When taking more than a week off, 41 percent of Americans feel guilty; just 28 percent of Europeans feel some pangs of guilt.
The United States is also the only OECD country that does not provide a statutory minimal annual leave policy for employees. In most European countries, workers are entitled to twenty days of leave per year. When public holidays are included, that figure increases to thirty to thirty-five days a year of vacation time. The United Kingdom has a statutory minimum of twenty-eight days annual leave, along with eight public holidays. Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, and Sweden provide twenty-five days. The US has ten public holidays and zero days of federally mandated days of paid leave.
Sources: Kerry (Rosvold) Peters, “Vacation Guilt: Americans vs. Europe PTO,” New View Strategies, June 22, 2022, https://getyournewview.com/vacation-guilt-america-vs-europe-pto/; Kerry (Rosvold) Peters, “Vacation Guilt: Americans vs. Europe PTO,” New View Strategies, June 22, 2022, https://getyournewview.com/vacation-guilt-america-vs-europe-pto/.
American workers have far less vacation time than do their counterparts in OECD countries. In a 2024 study, New View Strategies found that 81 percent of Americans had four weeks or less in paid time off, and on average American workers took just thirteen days of vacation. By contrast, 70 percent of European workers receive four weeks or more of paid time off and took an average of twenty-one days of vacation. Americans also took fewer sick days, nine compared to thirteen for Europeans. But for Americans, there is more feelings of guilt for taking time away from work. When taking more than a week off, 41 percent of Americans feel guilty; just 28 percent of Europeans feel some pangs of guilt.
The United States is also the only OECD country that does not provide a statutory minimal annual leave policy for employees. In most European countries, workers are entitled to twenty days of leave per year. When public holidays are included, that figure increases to thirty to thirty-five days a year of vacation time. The United Kingdom has a statutory minimum of twenty-eight days annual leave, along with eight public holidays. Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, and Sweden provide twenty-five days. The US has ten public holidays and zero days of federally mandated days of paid leave.
Sources: Kerry (Rosvold) Peters, “Vacation Guilt: Americans vs. Europe PTO,” New View Strategies, June 22, 2022, https://getyournewview.com/vacation-guilt-america-vs-europe-pto/; Kerry (Rosvold) Peters, “Vacation Guilt: Americans vs. Europe PTO,” New View Strategies, June 22, 2022, https://getyournewview.com/vacation-guilt-america-vs-europe-pto/.
Average Individual Wealth: We’re Number 2
The United States is indeed a very wealthy country and, among OECD countries, ranks second in average individual wealth just behind Switzerland. In 2021, Switzerland had an average individual wealth of $696,604; the United States had $579,051. Australia ($550,110) was third, New Zealand ($472,153) was fourth, and Denmark ($426,494) was fifth.
Source: James Davies, Rodrigo Lluberas, and Anthony Shorrocks, “Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook, 2022, Credit Suisse, https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us/en/reports-research/global-wealth-report.html
The United States is indeed a very wealthy country and, among OECD countries, ranks second in average individual wealth just behind Switzerland. In 2021, Switzerland had an average individual wealth of $696,604; the United States had $579,051. Australia ($550,110) was third, New Zealand ($472,153) was fourth, and Denmark ($426,494) was fifth.
Source: James Davies, Rodrigo Lluberas, and Anthony Shorrocks, “Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook, 2022, Credit Suisse, https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us/en/reports-research/global-wealth-report.html
President Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements.” This withdraws the US from the Paris Climate Accord Trump in his first term had withdrawn the US from the Paris agreement; then Biden promptly returned the US to the Paris agreement. The Executive Order also cancelled the Biden International Climate finance plan.