Statista

Every year, parts of the world's forests disappear - an area of around 178 million hectares from 1990 to 2020. Africa is the world region with the highest net forest loss in this period (-14.3 percent), as our infographic with data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) shows. It is closely followed by South America with a decline of 13.3 percent. In North and Central America and Oceania, forest area is stable, while an increase can be observed in Europe and Asia.   Tropical forests in particular are under threat due to various causes. In Brazil alone, around 1.77 million hectares of rainforest were destroyed in 2022. One of the primary causes of forest loss is deforestation for agricultural purposes: the tropics play a growing role in the global production of agricultural products. The pressure on the land is correspondingly high; forests are cut down or burned to create arable land and pasture.   Rich countries in particular can afford the luxury of protected forests because they import food and plant-based raw materials. Other countries have to make more and more arable land available for the cultivation of crops. Moreover, the increase in forest area alone says nothing about the condition of the forests. For example, German forests have recently been increasingly affected by insect infestation and crown thinning.

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While few industries were spared by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, even fewer have been hit as hard as the tourism sector. After Covid-19 had made 2020 "the worst year in tourism history", international tourist arrivals increased by just 13 percent in 2021, as travel restrictions remained in place for long periods in many parts of the world. Now, more than four years after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic, optimism has finally returned to the industry.    According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, global tourism continued its recovery in 2023, ending the year at 89 percent of pre-pandemic, i.e. 2019 levels, with an estimated 1.3 billion international tourist arrivals. China's reopening to foreign tourists in March 2023 marked another milestone on the road to full recovery, after the region had long trailed behind the rest of the world and continued to do so through 2023. In 2023, the Asia-Pacific region saw 237 million international tourist arrivals, which is equivalent to 65 percent of 2019 levels. All other regions have returned to at least 90 percent of pre-pandemic arrivals, with the Middle East the only region to surpass 2019 tourist arrivals last year.    Citing the “unleashing of remaining pent-up demand, increased air connectivity, and a stronger recovery of Asian markets and destinations”, the UNWTO now expects international tourism to make a full recovery by the end of 2024. This is no mean feat considering the challenging economic backdrop and the uncertainties associated with lingering geopolitical tensions and several ongoing conflicts. 

The most polluted city in the EU in 2021-2022 was Slavonski Brod, Croatia, where the average exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) was nearly six times the recommended maximum level, or 28 μg/m³. Many of the cities most affected by PM2.5 are located in Poland, a country still heavily dependent on coal, which produces a high amount of fine particles when burned. In Italy, the Po Valley, due to its geography and high concentration of industrial activities, remains one of the most polluted regions in Europe in terms of fine particles, resulting in two of the region's cities ranking towards the top of the list.

The music and video streaming service Apple Music was first announced and launched in 2015 and has since been one of the large players in the United States music and video streaming market. Let's have a look at the brand performance.   The data is provided by Statista Consumer Insights and a different brand is selected and highlighted each time. For more consumer insights click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eXidY9h8

Julian Assange spent five years imprisoned in the UK. Now the co-founder of the WikiLeaks whistleblowing platform has been unexpectedly released. After years of legal tug-of-war, Assange negotiated a plea deal with the U.S. judiciary that allowed him to be freed and return to his native Australia. As part of the deal, Assange pleaded guilty to one count of espionage. In return, he is to be sentenced to five years in prison, which he has already served. The Statista infographic provides an overview of the events surrounding Julian Assange since the publication of the classified U.S. documents in 2010. The Australian's troubles began in August 2010 when the public prosecutor's office in Stockholm, Sweden, opened an investigation into allegations of rape and harassment. Two women had accused Assange of sexual offenses, but the investigation has since been closed. Although Assange was arrested, he was released on bail and, fearing extradition to the U.S. via Sweden, fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London in the summer of 2012, where he lived for the next seven years as a political asylum seeker. In April 2019, the new Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno revoked his asylum and citizenship, whereupon the whistleblower was arrested and sentenced to just under a year in prison for violating bail conditions. After serving this sentence, though, he remained in custody pending extradition. However, extradition to the U.S. was averted several times due to health concerns and international pressure.

June has been a month for Statista to take the stage, with Ben Impey and Dominique Petruzzi bringing their expertise to audiences around the world. Ben joined an engaging panel at Cars & Bytes 2024 powered by mobile.de, adapting Mathilde C.’s English language webinar Gen Z and the future of the automotive for a German audience, to examine the question; Is Generation Z’s interest in cars really vanishing? More than 9,000 kilometres away, Dominique joined beauty industry leaders in Bangkok for Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN, to discuss sustainability’s role in the future of the beauty industry. On different continents and with different themes, it is great to see Statista’s experts share their knowledge with audiences in this format. 

Global influencer advertising ad spending has surged significantly, driven by brands increasingly recognizing the effectiveness of influencers in reaching targeted audiences and boosting engagement. This growth is particularly pronounced in sectors such as beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, with micro-influencers gaining popularity for their higher engagement rates and authentic connections with followers. For more market insights click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/es8AP-wv

Pharmaceutical companies are an integral part of the global healthcare system, contributing to the development and distribution of medicines and investing heavily in research for new treatments. The pharmaceutical sector continues to grow and plays a vital role in improving health outcomes worldwide. Let's have a look at the top pharmaceutical companies worldwide. For more company insights click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSd3TNgT

Having always been a controversial topic, the reversal of Roe v. Wade has reignited and intensified the debate around abortion in the United States, as it shifted the battleground to the state level, highlighting stark contrasts in public opinion across different regions. While many view abortion as a fundamental issue of women's rights and bodily autonomy, others consider it moral issue concerning the sanctity of life. This clash of seemingly irreconcilable values has made abortion a contentious and polarizing issue for decades but even more so in today’s political landscape. A June 2024 survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of The Economist, highlights this division. While 59 percent of respondents think that abortion should be legal, either with or without restrictions on gestational age, 31 percent of respondents think it should only be legal in special circumstances, for example when the life of the mother is in danger. Another 10 percent even oppose such exceptions, saying that abortions should never be allowed. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade created a fractured landscape of legal access to abortion, mirroring the political division of the country. While many red states have implemented near-total bans or strict restrictions of abortions, most blue states allow adoptions under certain circumstances.