Methodology
How the data on this site was obtained, processed and presented.
Principles
- Open, public data only. We prioritise official sources (Eurostat, OECD). Where they do not cover a topic, we use recognised academic or independent sources (World Bank, ILO, Epoch AI, V-Dem) and say so on each chart.
- Every chart links to its source, states its licence and download date, and lets you view and download the data.
- Data is downloaded by an automated, reproducible process, with no manual edits. Methodological caveats are shown next to each chart.
- The EU is always the 27-country Union (since 2020). When a source publishes no EU aggregate, we say so and explain how it is computed.
Colours
The three blocs always keep the same colour: blue for the EU, green for the United States and red for China. The country you highlight appears in gold and the rest in grey. The palette is checked against different types of colour blindness, in light and dark mode.
Charts and sources
| Chart | Source | Licence | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI and digital | |||
| IA-G1 Europe invests less in research, and the gap lies in business | OCDE, Main Science and Technology Indicators DSD_MSTI@DF_MSTI | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-G2 In AI patents, the US and China are in another league | OCDE, Patents in OECD selected technologies DSD_PATENTS@DF_PATENTS_OECDSPECIFIC | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-G3 The AI models that set the pace are built in the US and China | Epoch AI, Data on AI Models notable_ai_models.csv | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-E1 Europeans who skip generative AI are not being cautious: they say they don't need it | Eurostat isoc_ai_iaiuxr | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-E2 China adopts technology under state control. Europe takes another path | V-Dem, Digital Society Project (v16) vdem.RData | CC BY-SA 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-E3 Is Europe betting on open AI? | Epoch AI, Data on AI Models notable_ai_models.csv | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-D1 Two AI Europes: in Denmark more than four in ten firms use it; in Romania, one in twenty | Eurostat isoc_eb_ai | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-D2 AI clusters around capitals: the capital region leads in almost every country with regional data | Eurostat isoc_r_eb_ain2 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-D3 One in three Europeans already uses generative AI: nearly half in Denmark, fewer than one in five in Italy or Romania | Eurostat isoc_ai_iaiu | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| IA-D4 Europe falls far short of its 2030 digital skills target | Eurostat isoc_sk_dskl_i21 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| Trade and dependencies | |||
| CO-G1 China now exports more than the EU: its share of world trade has almost tripled since 2002 | Eurostat ext_lt_introeu27_2020 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| CO-G2 China sells to the world, the US buys, and the EU sits in between | Eurostat ext_lt_introeu27_2020 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| CO-E1 More than one in five EU imports now comes from China; in machinery, more than one in three | Eurostat ext_lt_maineu | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| CO-E2 To sell, the EU depends on the US: its first customer, far ahead of China | Eurostat ext_lt_maineu | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| CO-D1 Europe's first customer is Europe: six in every ten euros exported stay in the EU | Eurostat ext_lt_intratrd | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| CO-D2 The EU imports more than half its energy. Only Estonia is almost self-sufficient | Eurostat nrg_ind_id | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| Productivity and growth | |||
| PR-G1 China is now the world's largest economy in purchasing power. The EU and the US weigh almost the same | Banco Mundial, PIB en paridad de poder adquisitivo NY.GDP.MKTP.PP.CD | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| PR-G2 For every hour worked, the EU produces 13% less than the US, and the gap has widened since 2019 | OIT, ILOSTAT (estimaciones modelizadas) DF_GDP_2HRW_NOC_NB | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| PR-E1 Per hour worked, the EU is at 87% of the US; per person, only at 74% | OIT, ILOSTAT, y Eurostat DF_GDP_2HRW_NOC_NB, sdg_10_10 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| PR-E2 Western and northern Europe work fewer hours than the US; most of the east and part of the south, more | OIT, ILOSTAT (encuestas de población activa) DF_HOW_TEMP_SEX_ECO_NB | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| PR-D1 Eastern Europe has closed in on the average since 2004. The south has not | Eurostat sdg_10_10 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| PR-D2 Capital regions drive European income; the south and east sit below average | Eurostat nama_10r_2gdp | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| Freedoms, well-being and climate | |||
| LI-G1 US democracy fell in 2025 to its lowest level this century, below the EU median | V-Dem (v16) vdem.RData | CC BY-SA 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-G2 People in the EU live almost three years longer than in the US, and China has nearly caught up with the US | Banco Mundial, esperanza de vida al nacer SP.DYN.LE00.IN | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-G3 A Chinese person now emits more CO₂ than a European; an American, more than twice as much | Banco Mundial, emisiones de CO₂ por habitante (EDGAR) EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-E1 The EU emits 35% less CO₂ than in 1990. China, more than five times as much | Banco Mundial, emisiones totales de CO₂ (EDGAR) EN.GHG.CO2.MT.CE.AR5 | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-E2 France, Italy, Germany or Spain devote 7 to 12 more points of GDP to social spending than the US; several EU countries, less | OCDE, Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) DSD_SOCX_AGG@DF_SOCX_AGG | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-D1 Democratic quality has fallen since 2010 in 24 of the 27 EU countries, led by Hungary | V-Dem (v16) vdem.RData | CC BY-SA 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-D2 One in five Europeans is at risk of poverty or social exclusion; in Bulgaria, Greece or Romania, more than one in four | Eurostat ilc_peps01n | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| LI-D3 Sweden already gets two thirds of its energy from renewables; the EU, a quarter, far from its 2030 target | Eurostat nrg_ind_ren | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| Health | |||
| SA-G1 The US spends 16.7% of its GDP on health; the EU, 10%, and China, less than 6% | Banco Mundial, gasto sanitario corriente (% del PIB) SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS | CC BY 4.0 | 25 September 2026 |
| SA-G2 Per person, the US spends 2.3 times as much on health as the EU | Banco Mundial, gasto sanitario corriente por habitante (PPA) SH.XPD.CHEX.PP.CD | CC BY 4.0 | 25 September 2026 |
| SA-E1 Three in every four euros of European healthcare are public; in the US and China, just over half | Banco Mundial, gasto sanitario público nacional (% del gasto sanitario corriente) SH.XPD.GHED.CH.ZS | CC BY 4.0 | 25 September 2026 |
| SA-E2 In 24 of the 27 EU countries, patients pay a larger share of health spending out of pocket than in the US | Banco Mundial, pagos directos de los hogares (% del gasto sanitario corriente) SH.XPD.OOPC.CH.ZS | CC BY 4.0 | 25 September 2026 |
| SA-D1 Greece, Italy and Austria have more than 560 doctors per 100,000 people; Latvia and Belgium, about 340 | Eurostat hlth_rs_prs2 | CC BY 4.0 | 25 September 2026 |
| SA-D2 Cost keeps many Greeks from getting medical care; waiting lists, many Finns and Estonians | Eurostat hlth_silc_08 | CC BY 4.0 | 25 September 2026 |
| Money and payments | |||
| DI-G1 The euro area holds more cash relative to its economy than China and the US: 10.7% of its GDP | BIS, estadísticas de pagos del CPMI (billetes y monedas en circulación) WS_CPMI_CT1 | BIS terms of use (reutilización con cita) | 2 October 2026 |
| DI-G2 Sweden makes more cashless payments per person than the US; China has multiplied them by almost 28 since 2012 | BIS, estadísticas de pagos del CPMI (número de pagos sin efectivo por habitante) WS_CPMI_CT1 | BIS terms of use (reutilización con cita) | 2 October 2026 |
| DI-E1 Cash has fallen from 79% to 52% of in-store payments since 2016; 55% now prefer cards | BCE, estudio sobre las actitudes de pago de los consumidores de la zona del euro (SPACE 2024) SPACE 2024 | ECB, reutilización con cita de la fuente | 2 October 2026 |
| DI-E2 Cards account for 57% of cashless payments in the euro area | BCE, estadísticas de pagos (indicadores clave) PAY | ECB, reutilización con cita de la fuente | 2 October 2026 |
| DI-D1 Card payments per person rose in all 24 countries with data for 2022 and 2025; Germany and Italy are still among those using them least | BCE, estadísticas de pagos (PAY); Eurostat, población (tps00001) PAY | ECB, reutilización con cita de la fuente | 2 October 2026 |
| DI-D2 Cash withdrawals with cards fell in 20 of the 21 countries with data for 2022 and 2025 | BCE, estadísticas de pagos (PAY); Eurostat, población (tps00001) PAY | ECB, reutilización con cita de la fuente | 2 October 2026 |
| Housing and the cost of living | |||
| VI-G1 After inflation, housing costs 11% more than in 2010 in the euro area, 58.5% more in the US and 10.5% less in China | BIS, precios de la propiedad residencial (selección) WS_SPP | BIS terms of use (reutilización con cita) | 9 October 2026 |
| VI-G2 Between 2015 and 2024, rents rose 46.9% in the US and 15.5% in the euro area | OCDE, Analytical house prices indicators DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES@DF_HOUSE_PRICES | CC BY 4.0 | 9 October 2026 |
| VI-E1 Almost seven in ten Europeans live in a home they own; only in Germany is it fewer than half | Eurostat ilc_lvho02 | CC BY 4.0 | 9 October 2026 |
| VI-E2 18.6% of tenants at market rent spend more than 40% of their income on housing; among owners, 5% or less | Eurostat ilc_lvho07c | CC BY 4.0 | 9 October 2026 |
| VI-D1 In Greece, 26.4% of people spend more than 40% of their income on housing; in Cyprus, 2.4% | Eurostat ilc_lvho07a | CC BY 4.0 | 9 October 2026 |
| VI-D2 In Romania and Latvia, about four in ten people live in a home with fewer rooms than they need; in Cyprus, 2.2% | Eurostat ilc_lvho05a | CC BY 4.0 | 9 October 2026 |
| Energy | |||
| EN-G1 A person in China now uses more energy than one in the EU; a person in the US, 2.3 times as much | Banco Mundial, consumo de energía (kg de equivalente de petróleo por habitante) EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| EN-G2 In the EU, 27.8% of electricity comes from fossil fuels; in the US, 58.3%, and in China, 61.6% | Banco Mundial, producción de electricidad por fuente (% del total) EG.ELC.COAL.ZS, EG.ELC.NGAS.ZS, EG.ELC.PETR.ZS, EG.ELC.NUCL.ZS, EG.ELC.HYRO.ZS | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| EN-E1 Renewables now cover 47.5% of the electricity the EU consumes, but only 25.2% of all its energy | Eurostat nrg_ind_ren | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| EN-E2 Electricity for EU industry costs 45.8% more than in early 2021, but 20.8% less than at its peak in late 2022 | Eurostat nrg_pc_205 | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| EN-D1 Sweden covers 62.9% of its energy consumption with renewables; Belgium, 14.3% | Eurostat nrg_ind_ren | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| EN-D2 Since 2021, electricity for industry has become more expensive in all 27 countries; in Cyprus it costs 3.5 times as much as in Finland | Eurostat nrg_pc_205 | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| Notes | |||
| N06-1 Since 2001, US public debt has risen from 53.5% to 122.3% of GDP; the EU's, from 65.6% to 81.6% | FMI, World Economic Outlook (octubre de 2026) GGXWDG_NGDP | Términos de uso del FMI (uso libre citando la fuente) | 13 October 2026 |
| N06-2 12 of the 27 EU countries owe more than 60% of their GDP, the Treaty reference value | Eurostat gov_10dd_edpt1 | CC BY 4.0 | 13 October 2026 |
| AN02-1 A medium-sized firm pays 3.5 times as much for electricity in Cyprus as in Finland | Eurostat nrg_pc_205 | CC BY 4.0 | 16 October 2026 |
| AN02-2 The EU now spends 2.18% of its GDP on defence, more than China but less than the US's 3.12% | Banco Mundial, gasto militar (% del PIB) MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS | CC BY 4.0 | 10 October 2026 |
| N05-1 In Denmark, more than two in three new cars are electric; in Croatia, fewer than two in a hundred | Eurostat road_eqr_carpda | CC BY 4.0 | 6 October 2026 |
| N05-2 In the EU, the electric car share rose from 1.9% in 2019 to 17.3% in 2025 | Eurostat road_eqr_carpda | CC BY 4.0 | 6 October 2026 |
| N04-1 Household electricity in Ireland costs 3.7 times as much as in Hungary | Eurostat nrg_pc_204 | CC BY 4.0 | 29 September 2026 |
| N04-2 Since 2021, household electricity has become more expensive in 26 of the 27 countries; in the EU, by 31.5% | Eurostat nrg_pc_204 | CC BY 4.0 | 29 September 2026 |
| N03-1 Since 2000, the US economy has grown 69%; the EU's, 41% | Banco Mundial, PIB a precios constantes NY.GDP.MKTP.KD | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| N03-2 The EU already invests as much as the US relative to GDP; Draghi calls for 27% | Banco Mundial, formación bruta de capital fijo NE.GDI.FTOT.ZS | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| N02-1 Lack of expertise is still the main barrier to AI; legal uncertainty is now the second | Eurostat isoc_eb_ai | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| N02-2 Legal uncertainty holds back more companies than in 2023 | Eurostat isoc_eb_ai | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
| N01-1 Housing has risen 62% in the EU since 2015, almost twice as much as prices overall | Eurostat prc_hpi_a | CC BY 4.0 | 24 September 2026 |
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