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Which Countries Have the Lowest Inflation?

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Which Countries Have the Lowest Inflation?

Investors are bracing for longer inflation.

The Federal Reserve indicated that more restrictive monetary policy is in the cards amid strong employment gains. In Europe, while inflation has fallen, it is still far above the 2% target. Across the Euro area inflation is estimated to have reached 8.5% in January.

At the same time, some countries have managed to tamp down inflation. Slower growth, cheaper import costs, and foreign exchange policy are some of the factors keeping inflation subdued.

As price pressures rattle global markets, the above infographic maps inflation rates globally using data from Trading Economics, focusing in on the countries with the lowest inflation levels.

World’s Lowest Inflation Rates

Many of the lowest inflation rates around the world are located in Asia, including Macau, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In this region, widespread lockdowns strained growth and consumer spending, lessening inflationary pressures. Last year, Chinese consumers saved $2.2 trillion in bank deposits during these restrictions which were lifted earlier this year.

Inflation in the region was impacted by several other factors. Earlier on in the pandemic, Asian countries including China were less impacted by rising food costs, services inflation, and supply-chain disruptions, unlike what was seen in North America and Europe.

But now as China has reopened, some signs of inflation are beginning to appear. Food prices are up 4.8% annually in December, and hotel rates are rising.

RankCountry / RegionInflation Rate, Year-Over-YearDate
1🇸🇸 South Sudan-11.6%Dec 2022
2🇲🇴 Macau 0.8%Nov 2022
3🇨🇳 China1.8%Dec 2022
4🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR1.8%Nov 2022
5🇴🇲 Oman2.1%Nov 2022
6🇵🇦 Panama2.1%Dec 2022
7🇸🇨 Seychelles2.5%Dec 2022
8🇻🇺 Vanuatu2.7%Mar 2022
9🇹🇼 Taiwan2.7%Dec 2022
10🇨🇭 Switzerland2.8%Dec 2022
11🇱🇮 Liechtenstein2.8%Dec 2022
12🇧🇯 Benin2.8%Dec 2022
13🇲🇻 Maldives2.8%Nov 2022
14🇳🇪 Niger3.1%Dec 2022
15🇧🇳 Brunei3.1%Nov 2022
16🇧🇴 Bolivia3.2%Nov 2022
17🇰🇼 Kuwait3.2%Nov 2022
18🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia3.3%Dec 2022
19🇰🇭 Cambodia3.6%Oct 2022
20🇫🇯 Fiji3.6%Dec 2022
21🇪🇨 Ecuador3.7%Dec 2022
22🇯🇵 Japan3.8%Nov 2022
23🇱🇾 Libya3.8%Nov 2022
24🇧🇲 Bermuda3.8%Oct 2022
25🇧🇭 Bahrain3.9%Nov 2022
26🇲🇾 Malaysia4.0%Nov 2022
27🇵🇸 Palestine4.1%Dec 2022
28🇮🇶 Iraq4.2%Nov 2022
29🇯🇴 Jordan4.4%Dec 2022
30🇹🇯 Tajikistan4.5%Nov 2022
31🇻🇳 Vietnam4.6%Dec 2022
32🇧🇹 Bhutan4.6%Nov 2022
33🇹🇿 Tanzania4.8%Dec 2022
34🇳🇨 New Caledonia4.9%Dec 2022
35🇰🇷 South Korea5.0%Dec 2022
36🇮🇱 Israel5.3%Dec 2022
37🇱🇺 Luxembourg5.4%Dec 2022
38🇸🇿 Swaziland5.5%Oct 2022
39🇮🇩 Indonesia5.5%Dec 2022
40🇬🇦 Gabon5.7%Oct 2022
41🇨🇮 Ivory Coast5.7%Nov 2022
42🇪🇸 Spain5.7%Dec 2022
43🇮🇳 India5.7%Dec 2022
44🇧🇷 Brazil5.8%Dec 2022
45🇹🇭 Thailand5.9%Dec 2022
46🇫🇷 France5.9%Dec 2022
47🇳🇴 Norway5.9%Dec 2022
48🇶🇦 Qatar5.9%Dec 2022
49🇩🇯 Djibouti6.1%Sep 2022
50🇸🇴 Somalia6.1%Dec 2022
51🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago6.2%Sep 2022
52🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea6.3%Sep 2022
53🇵🇷 Puerto Rico6.3%Nov 2022
54🇨🇦 Canada6.3%Dec 2022
55🇧🇸 Bahamas6.5%Sep/22
56🇧🇿 Belize6.5%Nov 2022
57🇺🇸 U.S.6.5%Dec 2022
58🇦🇼 Aruba6.6%Nov 2022
59🇸🇬 Singapore6.7%Nov 2022
60🇹🇱 East Timor6.7%Nov 2022
61🇦🇪 UAE6.8%Jun 2022
62🇳🇦 Namibia6.9%Dec 2022
63🇬🇾 Guyana6.9%Nov 2022
64🇳🇿 New Zealand7.2%Sep 2022
65🇿🇦 South Africa7.2%Dec 2022
66🇬🇷 Greece7.2%Dec 2022
67🇱🇷 Liberia7.2%Sep 2022
68🇦🇺 Australia7.3%Sep 2022
69🇲🇹 Malta7.3%Dec 2022
70🇸🇻 El Salvador7.3%Dec 2022
71🇦🇱 Albania7.4%Dec 2022
72🇨🇻 Cape Verde7.6%Dec 2022
73🇨🇲 Cameroon7.7%Sep 2022
74🇨🇫 Central African Republic7.7%Nov 2022
75🇹🇬 Togo7.7%Dec 2022
76🇲🇽 Mexico7.8%Dec 2022
77🇩🇴 Dominican Republic7.8%Dec 2022
78🇨🇷 Costa Rica7.9%Dec 2022
79🇨🇾 Cyprus7.9%Dec 2022
80🇲🇱 Mali8.0%Nov 2022
81🇳🇵 Nepal8.1%Nov 2022
82🇵🇭 Philippines8.1%Dec 2022
83🇵🇾 Paraguay8.1%Dec 2022
84🇧🇧 Barbados8.2%Oct 2022
85🇮🇪 Ireland8.2%Dec 2022
86🇺🇾 Uruguay8.3%Dec 2022
87🇲🇦 Morocco8.3%Nov 2022
88🇦🇲 Armenia8.3%Dec 2022
89🇵🇪 Peru8.5%Dec 2022
90🇱🇸 Lesotho8.5%Oct 2022
91🇩🇿 Algeria8.6%Nov 2022
92🇩🇪 Germany8.6%Dec 2022
93🇩🇰 Denmark8.7%Dec 2022
94🇧🇩 Bangladesh8.7%Dec 2022
95🇫🇴 Faroe Islands8.8%Sep 2022
96🇫🇮 Finland9.1%Dec 2022
97🇰🇪 Kenya9.1%Dec 2022
98🇰🇾 Cayman Islands9.2%Sep 2022
99🇬🇹 Guatemala9.2%Dec 2022
100🇬🇼 Guinea Bissau9.4%Nov 2022

*Inflation rates based on latest available data.

Globally, one outlier is South Sudan. Political instability and violence have depressed growth and inflation, which stood at -11.6% in December. As it faces a severe humanitarian crisis, the country has the lowest inflation rate worldwide.

Oil-producing nation Oman has also seen low inflation, at 2.1%. One reason for this is that the Omani rial is pegged to the U.S. dollar, keeping the currency anchored. Inflation has remained moderate over the last decade in the country.

The Country With the Lowest Inflation, by Region

In Europe, Switzerland has the lowest inflation rate, at 2.8%, or roughly one-third of the Euro area’s. It is also the lowest rate in the OECD. The country’s strong currency has shielded it from inflationary pressures and high import prices.

Meanwhile, Swiss production prices have risen marginally above inflation, to 4.1% annually in mid-2022. Last year, the Swiss central bank raised interest rates for the first time since 2007 from -0.75% to -0.25% following 20 years of deflation.

Countries With the Lowest Inflation by Region

Panama has the lowest rate in Latin America. The dollarization of the Panamanian balboa has helped quash price pressures. In July, the government regulated the price of 72 items to keep the cost of living from rising after three weeks of protests as inflation climbed as high as 5.2% during the course of 2022.

With the lowest inflation in Asia, Macau witnessed the tourism industry fall off a cliff given lockdown measures, and the economy saw both its GDP and inflation collapse in 2022. Its real GDP is projected to have fallen close to 30% for the year.

Future Gazing

The IMF estimates that 84% of countries around the world will have lower inflation than last year. By 2024, both headline and core inflation are projected to remain above pre-pandemic levels at 4.1%.

Opposing forces of China’s reopening and weaker global growth could offset inflationary pressures, yet this interplay—among a host of other factors—remains to be seen.

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200 Years of Global Gold Production, by Country

Global gold production has grown exponentially since the 1800s, with 86% of all above-ground gold mined in the last 200 years.

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Visualizing Global Gold Production Over 200 Years

Although the practice of gold mining has been around for thousands of years, it’s estimated that roughly 86% of all above-ground gold was extracted in the last 200 years.

With modern mining techniques making large-scale production possible, global gold production has grown exponentially since the 1800s.

The above infographic uses data from Our World in Data to visualize global gold production by country from 1820 to 2022, showing how gold mining has evolved to become increasingly global over time.

A Brief History of Gold Mining

The best-known gold rush in modern history occurred in California in 1848, when James Marshall discovered gold in Sacramento Valley. As word spread, thousands of migrants flocked to California in search of gold, and by 1855, miners had extracted around $2 billion worth of gold.

The United States, Australia, and Russia were (interchangeably) the three largest gold producers until the 1890s. Then, South Africa took the helm thanks to the massive discovery in the Witwatersrand Basin, now regarded today as one of the world’s greatest ever goldfields.

South Africa’s annual gold production peaked in 1970 at 1,002 tonnes—by far the largest amount of gold produced by any country in a year.

With the price of gold rising since the 1980s, global gold production has become increasingly widespread. By 2007, China was the world’s largest gold-producing nation, and today a significant quantity of gold is being mined in over 40 countries.

The Top Gold-Producing Countries in 2022

Around 31% of the world’s gold production in 2022 came from three countries—China, Russia, and Australia, with each producing over 300 tonnes of the precious metal.

RankCountry2022E Gold Production, tonnes% of Total
#1🇨🇳 China33011%
#2🇷🇺 Russia32010%
#3🇦🇺 Australia32010%
#4🇨🇦 Canada2207%
#5🇺🇸 United States1705%
#6🇲🇽 Mexico1204%
#7🇰🇿 Kazakhstan1204%
#8🇿🇦 South Africa1104%
#9🇵🇪 Peru1003%
#10🇺🇿 Uzbekistan1003%
#11🇬🇭 Ghana903%
#12🇮🇩 Indonesia702%
-🌍 Rest of the World1,03033%
-World Total3,100100%

North American countries Canada, the U.S., and Mexico round out the top six gold producers, collectively making up 16% of the global total. The state of Nevada alone accounted for 72% of U.S. production, hosting the world’s largest gold mining complex (including six mines) owned by Nevada Gold Mines.

Meanwhile, South Africa produced 110 tonnes of gold in 2022, down by 74% relative to its output of 430 tonnes in 2000. This long-term decline is the result of mine closures, maturing assets, and industrial conflict, according to the World Gold Council.

Interestingly, two smaller gold producers on the list, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, host the second and third-largest gold mining operations in the world, respectively.

The Outlook for Global Gold Production

As of April 25, gold prices were hovering around the $2,000 per ounce mark and nearing all-time highs. For mining companies, higher gold prices can mean more profits per ounce if costs remain unaffected.

According to the World Gold Council, mined gold production is expected to increase in 2023 and could surpass the record set in 2018 (3,300 tonnes), led by the expansion of existing projects in North America. The chances of record mine output could be higher if gold prices continue to increase.

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All the Metals We Mined in One Visualization

This infographic visualizes the 2.8 billion tonnes of metals mined in 2022.

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All the Metals We Mined in One Visualization

Metals are a big part of our daily lives, found in every building we enter and all devices we use.

Today, major industries that directly consume processed mineral materials contribute 14% of the United States economy.

The above infographic visualizes all 2.8 billion tonnes of metals mined in 2022 and highlights each metal’s largest end-use using data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Iron Ore Dominance

Iron ore dominates the metals mining landscape, comprising 93% of the total mined. In 2022, 2.6 billion tonnes of iron ore were mined, containing about 1.6 billion tonnes of iron.

Metal/OreQuantity Mined in 2022 (tonnes)% of Total
Iron ore2,600,000,00093.3%
Industrial metals185,111,8356.6%
Technology and Precious Metals1,500,0080.05%
Total2,786,611,843100%

Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Iron ores are found in various geologic environments, such as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary rocks, and can contain over 70% iron, with many falling in the 50-60% range.

Combined with other materials like coke and limestone, iron ore is primarily used in steel production. Today, almost all (98%) iron ore is dedicated to steelmaking.

The ore is typically mined in about 50 countries, but Australia, Brazil, China, and India are responsible for 75% of the production.

Because of its essential role in infrastructure development, iron ore is one of the most crucial materials underpinning urbanization and economic growth.

Industrial Metals

Industrial metals occupy the second position on our list, constituting 6.6% of all metals mined in 2022. These metals, including copper, aluminum, lead, and zinc, are employed in construction and industrial applications.

Aluminum constituted nearly 40% of industrial metal production in 2022. China was responsible for 56% of all aluminum produced.

Industrial Metals2022 Mine Production (tonnes)% of Total
Aluminum69,000,00037.3%
Chromium41,000,00022.1%
Copper22,000,00011.9%
Manganese20,000,00010.8%
Zinc13,000,0007.0%
Titanium (mineral concentrates)9,500,0005.1%
Lead4,500,0002.4%
Nickel3,300,0001.8%
Zirconium Minerals (Zircon)1,400,0000.8%
Magnesium1,000,0000.5%
Strontium340,0000.2%
Uranium49,3550.03%
Bismuth20,0000.01%
Mercury2,2000.00%
Beryllium2800.00%
Total185,111,835100%

In the second position is chromium, which plays a primary role in rendering stainless steel corrosion-resistant. South Africa led chromium production, accounting for 44% of the total mined last year.

Technology and Precious Metals

Despite representing less than 1% of all the metals mined, technology metals have been on the news over the last few years as countries and companies seek these materials to reduce carbon emissions and improve productivity.

Technology and Precious Metals2022 Mine Production (tonnes)% of Total
Tin310,00020.7%
Rare Earth Oxides300,00020.0%
Molybdenum250,00016.7%
Cobalt190,00012.7%
Lithium130,0008.7%
Vanadium100,0006.7%
Tungsten84,0005.6%
Niobium79,0005.3%
Silver26,0001.7%
Cadmium24,0001.6%
Gold3,1000.2%
Tantalum2,0000.1%
Indium9000.1%
Gallium5500.04%
Platinum Group Metals4000.03%
Rhenium580.004%
Total1,500,008100%

They include lithium and cobalt, used in electric vehicles and battery storage, and rare earths, used in magnets, metal alloys, and electronics. Many of them are considered critical for countries’ security due to their role in clean energy technologies and dependency on other nations to supply domestic demand.

However, despite increasing interest in these metals, they are still behind precious metals such as gold and silver regarding market size.

The gold market, for example, reached $196 billion in 2022, compared to $10.6 billion for the rare earths market.

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