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Business / 5 days ago
China dominates global apple market
The world’s appetite for apples continues to grow, and at the centre of this fruity boom is China. According to a recent graphic showing the world’s largest apple producers, China alone is estimated to cultivate around 48 million metric tonnes of apples in 2024, by far the largest single-country output. That figure is backed by the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS), which, in its “China: Fresh Deciduous Fruit Annual” report, estimates China’s apple production at approximately 48 MMT for the marketing year 2024/25.
Business / 1 week ago
Global wheat consumption hits record levels as demand surges across Asia and Europe
Global wheat consumption is climbing to record highs, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The 2024/25 season is expected to see both production and demand increase, led by strong harvests in Asia and Europe. Wheat, one of the world’s most essential grains, remains a critical part of diets across continents, from bread and noodles to cereals and animal feed, and current figures show no sign of slowing demand. China stands as the world’s largest wheat consumer, using about 148 million metric tonnes annually.
Business / 1 week ago
The world’s top 10 wheat producers in 2025
According to the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), global wheat production has reached a remarkable milestone this season. The European Union (EU) and China are tied at the top, each producing around 140 million metric tonnes of wheat, solidifying their status as the world’s wheat powerhouses.
Business / 2 weeks ago
The future of the global economy: How emerging nations are working to redefine power by 2075
By 2075, the global balance of economic power could look entirely different, with emerging nations from Asia, Africa, and Latin America taking centre stage. According to Goldman Sachs’ long-term projections, the world’s largest economies will no longer be dominated by Western powers. Instead, countries like China, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are expected to lead a multipolar global order defined by demographic strength, industrial expansion, and technological adoption.
World / 3 weeks ago
5 of the world’s 10 largest countries now below replacement-level fertility
Across much of the world, people are having fewer children than ever before. A new visual from World Visualised, using World Bank data, shows a striking pattern: between 2000 and 2023, fertility rates in the ten largest countries have fallen sharply, and in five of them, they’ve dropped below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman. According to the data, this includes China, Russia, the United States, Brazil, and Indonesia, nations that together make up nearly half of the world’s population. Meanwhile, countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India have also seen steady declines, though their rates remain above replacement for now.
Business / 3 weeks ago
Australia and China dominate global wool production
Australia and China remain the world’s top wool producers, according to recent figures from the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO). The data shows Australia leading with 356,745 tonnes of greasy wool, closely followed by China at 332,293 tonnes. Together, they account for nearly half of the world’s wool output. New Zealand ranks third with 133,100 tonnes, while Turkey, Morocco, Iran, Sudan, South Africa, Russia, and India complete the top ten list. These countries play crucial roles in regional textile industries and global wool supply chains, as reported by IWTO Market.
Culture / 5 weeks ago
Do people still eat dogs?
For many across the world, the idea of eating dog meat is repulsive and taboo. However, while the vast majority of countries discourage or prohibit the practice, a minority, primarily across parts of Asia and Africa, still report dog meat consumption. The underlying story involves tradition, changing attitudes, public health, and activist pressure.
World / 6 weeks ago
Why some nations have more men and others more women
A world map produced by The World in Maps tellingly shades nations by whether they have more men or more women — red where women are in the majority, blue where men outnumber women. Globally, as of 2025, there are about 101.07 males for every 100 females in the world population. That slight male majority is driven largely by higher birth ratios favouring boys, though over time that tilt tends to fade as women live longer on average.
