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The U.S. holds the largest IMF quota at 82.99 billion SDRs, exceeding the combined shares of Japan and China
  • The United States holds the largest IMF quota by far, with 82,994.2 billion SDRs, accounting for 17.42%, more than double the quota of any other country.
  • Japan, China, and Germany follow as the next largest contributors, each holding between 5.5% and 6.5% of total quota shares.
  • European countries (Germany, France, the U.K., Italy) collectively maintain a strong presence, together accounting for nearly 17.21%, almost equal to the U.S. alone.
  • Emerging economies like India and Russia have relatively modest shares (2.75% and 2.71%, respectively) despite their growing roles in global economic affairs, indicating an imbalance between global influence and IMF voting power.

Over the past 30 years, Kenya has topped global elephant ivory seizures. Nigeria ranks 7th with 23,031 kg confiscated
  • Kenya recorded the highest ivory seizure among the top 10 countries, with 130,432 kg confiscated over the 34-year period.
  • China and Hong Kong follow closely, with 106,069 kg and 75,707 kg seized, respectively, showing their long standing roles as critical players in the global ivory network.
  • Vietnam and Singapore, both located in Southeast Asia, had substantial seizure records; 71,256 kg and 29,882 kg, indicating persistent trafficking through the region.
  • Nigeria leads West Africa in ivory confiscations within the top 10, with 23,031 kg, signalling its importance as a key node in the transit chain.
  • All countries listed in the top 10 are either source, transit, or destination points in the global ivory supply chain, reflecting how widespread and interconnected the illegal trade remains.

The top 15 countries accounted for 68.8% of global gold production in 2023, with four African nations among the leaders
Key takeaways:
  • China led global gold production with 378.16 tonnes, representing approximately 10.4% of global output.
  • The top five producers (China, Russia, Australia, Canada, and the United States) collectively produced 37% of the world’s gold.
  • African nations showed remarkable strength, with four countries in the top 15 (Ghana, Mali, South Africa, and Burkina Faso).
  • Ghana led Africa in gold production and ranked 6th globally, producing 135.11 tonnes in 2023.
  • China, Australia, and Russia together produced nearly 1,000 tonnes of gold, accounting for 27.3% of total world production.

The US gold reserve of over 8,000 tonnes is higher than Germany's and Italy's gold reserves combined
Key takeaways:
  • The United States holds the largest national gold reserves in 2024, totalling 8,133.46 tonnes.
  • Western European countries in the top ten list collectively hold 9,892.76 tonnes of gold reserves.
  • China, India, and Japan are the only Asian countries in the top 10, together holding 4,001.71 tonnes.
  • The Russian Federation is the leading gold reserve holder in Central and Eastern Europe, with 2,332.74 tonnes.
  • All countries in the top ten list maintain at least 600 tonnes of gold reserves.
  • The total gold reserve held by the top ten countries amounted to 24,360.67 tonnes.

China tops the global reserves chart in 2024, holding nearly three times Japan’s reserves and having 5.53% of its total reserves as gold reserves
Key takeaways:
  • China leads all nations with total reserves of $3.46 trillion while holding 5.53% of its share in gold reserves.
  • The top 15 countries collectively hold a total reserve of $10.78 trillion.
  • Despite being the global leader in gold reserves, the United States ranks third in total reserves.
  • The largest share of the United States' total reserves is from its gold reserve holdings of 74.97%.
  • Countries in the top fifteen list hold at least $236.9 billion each in total reserves.
  • The United States, France, and Italy have more than 70% of their total reserve holdings in gold.

The top 3 countries accounted for nearly half of the US' agricultural exports in 2024, valued at $83.35 billion
Key takeaways:
  • Mexico ranked as the leading destination for the US' agricultural exports in 2024, with a total value of $30.32 billion (17.2% of total agricultural exports).
  • North American neighbours, Mexico and Canada, collectively accounted for 33.3% of total US agricultural exports.
  • China was the third-largest market, importing $24.65 billion (14%) of the US' agricultural products.
  • Asian markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam, collectively absorbed 31.7% of the US' agricultural exports.
  • The top three markets (Mexico, Canada, and China) made up 47.3% of the US' total agricultural export value.
  • The top 10 markets accounted for 74.8% of the US' agricultural exports, totalling $131.85 billion.

The top sources of asylum seekers in the United States (2024)
Key takeaways:
  • The top 11 nations accounted for 73% of the total asylum seekers in 2024, with each nation contributing more than 100,000 asylum seekers.
  • Venezuela (620,074) ranks first as the source country with the most asylum seekers in 2024.
  • Latin American countries dominate the top 11 list, with eight out of the eleven countries originating from the region.
  • Asian countries (China and India) make up a smaller share of the leading asylum-seeking populations.
  • Venezuela is the sole country of origin with an asylum seeker count exceeding 600,000 in 2024.

Sources of refugees in the United States as of 2024
Key Takeaways:
  • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has documented over 435,000 refugees in the U.S. in 2024.
  • China and Afghanistan stand as the leading sources of refugees, with 60,044 and 46,137 individuals identified as refugees from these countries respectively.
  • The top eleven countries of origin have each recorded more than 10,000 refugees in the United States.
  • Central American nations (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) accounted for 19.9% of refugees in the US.

Canada’s study permit approvals dropped by 31% in 2024, with Nigeria, India, and the Philippines experiencing significant reductions
  • Canada announced a reduction in international student approvals in 2024, citing housing and resource pressures.
  • Global approvals dropped nearly 31% from 681.5k in 2023.
  • Nigerian approvals dropped 36%, ranking among the highest declines. India (-39.7%) and Nepal (-48.8%) were also major declines.
  • Canada plans to issue 437,000 study permits in 2025, 10% lower than 2024’s cap.
  • The UK, US, and local universities may see more Nigerian applicants.

India has led global cashew production for 35 of the past 62 years
Nigeria held the top spot in global cashew production from 2001 to 2010. This highlights a period of strong agricultural output, though the country has since been overtaken by India and Côte d'Ivoire. In recent years, Côte d'Ivoire has emerged as the world’s leading cashew producer, holding the top spot for three consecutive years as of 2022. This shift highlights the country's growing role in global cashew production. India and Mozambique once dominated global production, with India leading for 35 of the past 62 years.

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