Real Assets
Mapped: Which Countries Have the Highest Inflation?
Mapped: Which Countries Have the Highest Inflation Rate?
Inflation is surging nearly everywhere in 2022.
Geopolitical tensions are triggering high energy costs, while supply-side disruptions are also distorting consumer prices. The end result is that almost half of countries worldwide are seeing double-digit inflation rates or higher.
With new macroeconomic forces shaping the global economy, the above infographic shows countries with the highest inflation rates, using data from Trading Economics.
Double-Digit Inflation in 2022
As the table below shows, countless countries are navigating record-high levels of inflation. Some are even facing triple-digit inflation rates. Globally, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, and Venezuela have the highest rates in the world.
Country | Inflation Rate, Year-Over-Year | Date |
---|---|---|
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 269.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇱🇧 Lebanon | 162.0% | Sep 2022 |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | 156.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇾 Syria | 139.0% | Aug 2022 |
🇸🇩 Sudan | 103.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇷 Argentina | 88.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇹🇷 Turkey | 85.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 66.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇮🇷 Iran | 52.2% | Aug 2022 |
🇸🇷 Suriname | 41.4% | Sep 2022 |
🇬🇭 Ghana | 40.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇺 Cuba | 37.2% | Sep 2022 |
🇱🇦 Laos | 36.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇩 Moldova | 34.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 31.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇷🇼 Rwanda | 31.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇭🇹 Haiti | 30.5% | Jul 2022 |
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 29.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇵🇰 Pakistan | 26.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇺🇦 Ukraine | 26.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇼 Malawi | 25.9% | Sep 2022 |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | 23.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇪🇪 Estonia | 22.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇮 Burundi | 22.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe | 21.9% | Sep 2022 |
🇱🇻 Latvia | 21.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇭🇺 Hungary | 21.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇳🇬 Nigeria | 21.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇰 Macedonia | 19.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | 19.4% | Jun 2022 |
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 18.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇵🇱 Poland | 17.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 17.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 17.5% | Dec 2021 |
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 17.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇲🇪 Montenegro | 16.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇴 Angola | 16.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 16.5% | Sep 2022 |
🇪🇬 Egypt | 16.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇰🇲 Comoros | 15.9% | Sep 2022 |
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 15.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇷🇴 Romania | 15.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇾 Belarus | 15.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 15.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇷🇸 Serbia | 15.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | 14.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇳 Mongolia | 14.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 14.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 13.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 13.6% | Sep 2022 |
🇬🇲 Gambia | 13.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇭🇷 Croatia | 13.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇼 Botswana | 13.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇳 Senegal | 13.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇱 Chile | 12.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇽🇰 Kosovo | 12.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇷🇺 Russia | 12.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇬🇳 Guinea | 12.4% | Jul 2022 |
🇧🇪 Belgium | 12.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇴 Colombia | 12.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 12.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇬 Congo | 12.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 12.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | 12.1% | Jun 2022 |
🇲🇺 Mauritius | 11.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇿 Mozambique | 11.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇮🇹 Italy | 11.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇱 Mali | 11.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇲🇷 Mauritania | 11.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 11.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇹 Austria | 11.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇪 Sweden | 10.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇺🇬 Uganda | 10.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇬🇪 Georgia | 10.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇩🇪 Germany | 10.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇭🇳 Honduras | 10.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇩🇰 Denmark | 10.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇵🇹 Portugal | 10.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇯🇲 Jamaica | 9.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | 9.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇬🇹 Guatemala | 9.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇿🇲 Zambia | 9.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇰🇪 Kenya | 9.6% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇲 Armenia | 9.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇮🇸 Iceland | 9.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇬 Madagascar | 9.3% | Aug 2022 |
🇮🇪 Ireland | 9.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇱🇸 Lesotho | 9.2% | Sep 2022 |
🇹🇳 Tunisia | 9.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇬🇷 Greece | 9.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇺🇾 Uruguay | 9.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 9.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 8.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇾 Cyprus | 8.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇫🇴 Faroe Islands | 8.8% | Sep 2022 |
🇩🇿 Algeria | 8.7% | Sep 2022 |
🇳🇵 Nepal | 8.6% | Sep 2022 |
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 8.5% | Aug 2022 |
🇲🇽 Mexico | 8.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇬🇼 Guinea Bissau | 8.4% | Sep 2022 |
🇦🇱 Albania | 8.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇧 Barbados | 8.3% | Aug 2022 |
🇫🇮 Finland | 8.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇦 Morocco | 8.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇵🇪 Peru | 8.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 8.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 8.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇵🇾 Paraguay | 8.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇹🇱 East Timor | 7.9% | Sep 2022 |
🇹🇬 Togo | 7.9% | Sep 2022 |
🇵🇭 Philippines | 7.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇺🇸 U.S. | 7.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇲 Cameroon | 7.6% | Sep 2022 |
🇳🇴 Norway | 7.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇬 Singapore | 7.5% | Sep 2022 |
🇿🇦 South Africa | 7.5% | Sep 2022 |
🇸🇻 El Salvador | 7.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇲🇹 Malta | 7.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇺 Australia | 7.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇪🇸 Spain | 7.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇹🇩 Chad | 7.2% | Sep 2022 |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | 7.2% | Sep 2022 |
🇧🇿 Belize | 7.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇳🇦 Namibia | 7.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇼 Aruba | 7.0% | Sep 2022 |
🇨🇦 Canada | 6.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 6.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇴 Somalia | 6.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇮🇳 India | 6.8% | Oct 2022 |
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 6.8% | Jun 2022 |
🇬🇾 Guyana | 6.5% | Sep 2022 |
🇱🇷 Liberia | 6.5% | Jul 2022 |
🇧🇷 Brazil | 6.5% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇸 Bahamas | 6.3% | Aug 2022 |
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | 6.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | 6.3% | Aug 2022 |
🇫🇷 France | 6.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇩🇯 Djibouti | 6.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 6.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇧🇹 Bhutan | 6.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇧🇹 Qatar | 6.0% | Sep 2022 |
🇹🇭 Thailand | 6.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇿 Swaziland | 5.8% | Aug 2022 |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 5.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇰🇷 South Korea | 5.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 5.7% | Sep 2022 |
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 5.5% | Jun 2022 |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | 5.4% | Jul 2022 |
🇮🇶 Iraq | 5.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇯🇴 Jordan | 5.2% | Oct 2022 |
🇫🇯 Fiji | 5.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇮🇱 Israel | 5.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 5.0% | Sep 2022 |
🇹🇿 Tanzania | 4.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇲 Bermuda | 4.5% | Jul 2022 |
🇪🇷 Eritrea | 4.5% | Dec 2021 |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 4.5% | Sep 2022 |
🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 4.4% | Sep 2022 |
🇵🇸 Palestine | 4.4% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇳 Brunei | 4.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇱🇾 Libya | 4.3% | Sep 2022 |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | 4.3% | Oct 2022 |
🇪🇨 Ecuador | 4.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇧🇭 Bahrain | 4.0% | Sep 2022 |
🇯🇵 Japan | 3.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇰🇼 Kuwait | 3.2% | Sep 2022 |
🇳🇪 Niger | 3.2% | Sep 2022 |
🇲🇻 Maldives | 3.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇬🇦 Gabon | 3.0% | Jul 2022 |
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 3.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 3.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | 3.0% | Oct 2022 |
🇸🇨 Seychelles | 2.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 2.9% | Dec 2021 |
🇧🇴 Bolivia | 2.9% | Oct 2022 |
🇹🇼 Taiwan | 2.7% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 2.7% | Dec 2021 |
🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 2.7% | Mar 2022 |
🇴🇲 Oman | 2.4% | Sep 2022 |
🇧🇯 Benin | 2.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇨🇳 China | 2.1% | Oct 2022 |
🇵🇦 Panama | 1.9% | Sep 2022 |
🇲🇴 Macau | 1.1% | Sep 2022 |
🇸🇸 South Sudan | -2.5% | Aug 2022 |
*Inflation rates based on the latest available data.
As price pressures mount, 33 central banks tracked by the Bank of International Settlements (out of a total of 38) have raised interest rates this year. These coordinated rate hikes are the largest in two decades, representing an end to an era of rock-bottom interest rates.
Going into 2023, central banks could continue this shift towards hawkish policies as inflation remains aggressively high.
The Role of Energy Prices
Driven by the war in Ukraine, energy inflation is pushing up the cost of living around the world.
Since October 2020, an index of global energy prices—made up of crude oil, natural gas, coal, and propane—has increased drastically.
Compared to the 2021 average, natural gas prices in Europe are up sixfold. Real European household electricity prices are up 78% and gas prices have climbed even more, at 144% compared to 20-year averages.
Amid global competition for liquefied natural gas supplies, price pressures are likely to stay high, even though they have fallen recently. Other harmful consequences of the energy shock include price volatility, economic strain, and energy shortages.
“The world is in the midst of the first truly global energy crisis, with impacts that will be felt for years to come”.
-Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA
Double-Digit Inflation: Will it Last?
If history is an example, taming rising prices could take at least a few years yet.
Take the sky-high inflation of the 1980s. Italy, which managed to combat inflation faster than most countries, brought down inflation from 22% in 1980 to 4% in 1986.
If global inflation rates, which hover around 9.8% in 2022, were to follow this course, it would take at least until 2025 for levels to reach the 2% target.
It’s worth noting that inflation was also highly volatile over this decade. Consider how inflation fell across much of the rich world by 1981 but shot up again in 1987 amid higher energy prices. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell spoke to the volatility of inflation at their November meeting, indicating that high inflation has a chance of following a period of low inflation.
While the Federal Reserve projects U.S. inflation to fall closer to its 2% target by 2024, the road ahead could still get a lot bumpier between now and then.
Real Assets
Charted: The Value Gap Between the Gold Price and Gold Miners
While gold prices hit all-time highs, gold mining stocks have lagged far behind.
Gold Price vs. Gold Mining Stocks
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on Apple or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Although the price of gold has reached new record highs in 2024, gold miners are still far from their 2011 peaks.
In this graphic, we illustrate the evolution of gold prices since 2000 compared to the NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index (HUI), which consists of the largest and most widely held public gold production companies. The data was compiled by Incrementum AG.
Mining Stocks Lag Far Behind
In April 2024, gold reached a new record high as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled policymakers may delay interest rate cuts until clearer signs of declining inflation materialize.
Additionally, with elections occurring in more than 60 countries in 2024 and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, central banks are continuing to buy gold to strengthen their reserves, creating momentum for the metal.
Traditionally known as a hedge against inflation and a safe haven during times of political and economic uncertainty, gold has climbed over 11% so far this year.
According to Business Insider, gold miners experienced their best performance in a year in March 2024. During that month, the gold mining sector outperformed all other U.S. industries, surpassing even the performance of semiconductor stocks.
Still, physical gold has outperformed shares of gold-mining companies over the past three years by one of the largest margins in decades.
Year | Gold Price | NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index (HUI) |
---|---|---|
2023 | $2,062.92 | $243.31 |
2022 | $1,824.32 | $229.75 |
2021 | $1,828.60 | $258.87 |
2020 | $1,895.10 | $299.64 |
2019 | $1,523.00 | $241.94 |
2018 | $1,281.65 | $160.58 |
2017 | $1,296.50 | $192.31 |
2016 | $1,151.70 | $182.31 |
2015 | $1,060.20 | $111.18 |
2014 | $1,199.25 | $164.03 |
2013 | $1,201.50 | $197.70 |
2012 | $1,664.00 | $444.22 |
2011 | $1,574.50 | $498.73 |
2010 | $1,410.25 | $573.32 |
2009 | $1,104.00 | $429.91 |
2008 | $865.00 | $302.41 |
2007 | $836.50 | $409.37 |
2006 | $635.70 | $338.24 |
2005 | $513.00 | $276.90 |
2004 | $438.00 | $215.33 |
2003 | $417.25 | $242.93 |
2002 | $342.75 | $145.12 |
2001 | $276.50 | $65.20 |
2000 | $272.65 | $40.97 |
Among the largest companies on the NYSE Arca Gold BUGS Index, Colorado-based Newmont has experienced a 24% drop in its share price over the past year. Similarly, Canadian Barrick Gold also saw a decline of 6.5% over the past 12 months.
Real Assets
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.
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.
Rank | Country | 2022E Gold Production, tonnes | % of Total |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 🇨🇳 China | 330 | 11% |
#2 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 320 | 10% |
#3 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 320 | 10% |
#4 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 220 | 7% |
#5 | 🇺🇸 United States | 170 | 5% |
#6 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 120 | 4% |
#7 | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 120 | 4% |
#8 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 110 | 4% |
#9 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 100 | 3% |
#10 | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 100 | 3% |
#11 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 90 | 3% |
#12 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 70 | 2% |
- | 🌍 Rest of the World | 1,030 | 33% |
- | World Total | 3,100 | 100% |
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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