The world, measured in data
Ten country-comparison datasets plus more than six decades of global GDP history, rendered on an interactive 3D globe and 2D maps.
Dataset
Top marginal personal income tax rate for residents · %
Click a country on the globe or map to see all its data.
Highest
55.95%
Japan
Lowest
0%
Bahamas
Watch the world economy move
Treat every country's GDP as mass placed at its capital. Scrub through the timeline to follow the resulting center across the map.
Nominal GDP · current USD · World Bank WDI
Year
2025
Mapped GDP
$116.3T
World GDP coverage
98.30%
Center coordinates
72.67° N · 7.71° E
Share of mapped GDP
162 reporting countries
How this is calculated
GDP as mass, capitals as coordinates
Each country is placed at its current capital-city coordinates and weighted by nominal GDP in current US dollars. The annual point is the normalized weighted mean of those positions on a sphere, which avoids a false jump at the international date line.
Missing country-years are omitted, never interpolated. Coverage compares the mapped total with the World Bank world aggregate. The timeline ends at the latest year above 95% coverage.
This is a country-level approximation, not a model of economic activity within countries. Using current capitals for historical years and current USD means capital relocations, inflation, and exchange rates can influence the path.
World Bank WDI · NY.GDP.MKTP.CD · updated 2026-07-13
Largest contributors · 2025
- 1United States$30.8T26.45%
- 2China$19.5T16.76%
- 3Germany$5.1T4.34%
- 4Japan$4.4T3.81%
- 5United Kingdom$4T3.44%
The datasets
What each layer shows
Income Tax: Top Marginal Rate
174 countries
The top marginal personal income tax rate for residents. Where standard local or municipal surtaxes apply to everyone (Japan, South Korea, the Nordics), the commonly cited combined rate is used. Sources: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, KPMG, 2024-25.
Income Tax in Dollars (on $100k income)
174 countries
What you would actually pay per year on your chosen income, in dollars. For 46 major economies this is computed slab-by-slab through the country's real progressive brackets; elsewhere it is income times the top rate. Set your income with the $ Income button; tooltips show the effective rate and which method was used.
Corporate Tax: Headline Rate
174 countries
The headline corporate income tax rate, combined national plus subnational where that is the commonly cited figure (Germany, Japan, Canada). Special regimes such as mining rates, free zones, or minimum top-up taxes are not reflected. Sources: PwC, Tax Foundation, 2024-25.
Tax Regime: What Income Gets Taxed
174 countries
What income a tax resident owes tax on: worldwide income wherever earned, territorial (local-source income only), remittance-based (foreign income only when brought into the country), or no personal income tax at all. For founders earning through a foreign entity, this often matters more than the rate itself.
US Dividend Withholding (Treaty Rate)
176 countries
What the US withholds on dividends paid from a US company to residents of each country: the treaty rate where a US income tax treaty applies (10-25%), or the statutory 30% without one, including Hungary's terminated and Russia's suspended treaties. Source: IRS Tax Treaty Table 1.
Crypto & Stablecoins: Legal Status
128 countries
Whether holding and using cryptocurrency and stablecoins is legal, restricted (ownership legal but banking or payment bans apply), or banned outright. Curated from national regulations, 2024-25, and simplified to broad categories; gray means the position is unclear.
Airbnb: Avg. Nightly Price
136 countries
The approximate average nightly Airbnb rate in US dollars. Airbnb publishes no official country data, so figures are curated from published short-term-rental price indices and city averages aggregated by country. Treat as indicative.
Internet: Median Fixed Broadband
175 countries
The median fixed-broadband download speed in Mbps. Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, 2024.
Price Level: PPP vs. Exchange Rate
167 countries
How far a dollar goes locally: the PPP conversion factor divided by the market exchange rate, indexed to US prices (US = 100). Lower means cheaper. Sources: World Bank International Comparison Program, IMF.
Inflation: Annual CPI (2024)
174 countries
Average annual consumer price inflation for 2024, the case for earning in dollars. The scale is clamped at 30%+, which Argentina, Sudan, and a few others exceed severalfold. Source: IMF World Economic Outlook.