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Ranked: Top Countries by Natural Resource Value

Real Assets

Ranked: Top Countries by Natural Resource Value

Published

4 weeks ago

on

November 7, 2024

By

Bruno Venditti

Graphics/Design:

Sam Parker

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See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Ranked: Top Countries by Natural Resource Value

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Natural resources are the backbone of modern manufacturing, necessary to produce everything around us.

According to 2021 data from Statista, 10 countries dominate the global natural resource landscape, each holding vast reserves critical for various industries.

Russia’s $75 Trillion in Natural Resources

Russia leads the pack with natural resources valued at $75 trillion, largely consisting of coal, natural gas, oil, and rare earth metals. At the end of 2018, Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment valued the country’s mineral reserves at approximately $1.44 trillion.

In terms of global share, Russia is unmatched in natural gas, holding the world’s largest proven reserves at 1.32 quadrillion cubic feet as of 2020—nearly 20% of the global total. Russia also ranks as a gold powerhouse.

Other Resource Giants

The United States ranks second, with an estimated $45 trillion in natural resources, including coal, timber, natural gas, and valuable metals like gold.

Country	Main Natural Resources	Value (in trillion USD)
🇷🇺 Russia	Coal, natural gas, oil, gold, timber, rare earth metals	75
🇺🇸 U.S.	Coal, timber, natural gas, gold, copper	45
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	Oil, timber	34
🇨🇦 Canada	Oil, uranium, timber, natural gas, phosphate	33
🇮🇷 Iran	Oil, natural gas	27
🇨🇳 China	Coal, rare earth metals, timber	23
🇧🇷 Brazil	Gold, uranium, iron, timber, oil	22
🇦🇺 Australia	Coal, timber, copper, iron ore, gold, uranium	20
🇮🇶 Iraq	Oil, phosphate rock	16
🇻🇪 Venezuela	Iron, natural gas, oil	14

In Saudi Arabia and Canada, oil wealth drives natural resources, placing these countries third and fourth on the list. Saudi Arabia, with its vast oil fields, has been a leader in global energy markets. Canada, on the other hand, also benefits from substantial uranium deposits and is home to some of the world’s largest lumber companies.

Further down the list, China has vast coal reserves, positioning it as the top producer of the fuel.

Mineral-rich Brazil and Australia are leading producers of metals like iron ore, while Australia is also a top exporter of coal.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this graphic, make sure to check out this graphic that shows how global coal consumption is still rising.

Related Topics:coal commodities copper energy Fossil Fuels metals mining natural gas natural resources oil timber uranium

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Real Assets

Visualizing the Gold-to-Oil Ratio (1946-2024)

This graphic shows the gold-to-oil ratio since 1946, charting the significant shifts between the world’s two biggest commodities.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

November 19, 2024

By

Niccolo Conte

Line chart showing the gold to oil ratio since 1946.

Visualizing the Gold-to-Oil Ratio (1946-2024)

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Gold and oil—two of the most influential commodities on the planet—have a fascinating relationship that has evolved over decades, captured in the gold-to-oil ratio.

The gold-to-oil ratio represents the number of barrels of crude oil equivalent to the price of one troy ounce of gold.

It is viewed as an indicator of the health of the global economy, indicating when gold or oil prices are significantly out of balance with each other.

This graphic shows the gold-to-oil ratio since 1946, using data compiled by Macrotrends.

What is the Gold-to-Oil Ratio?

The gold-to-oil ratio expresses the price relationship between gold and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil. WTI is a grade of crude oil and one of the three primary benchmarks for oil pricing, along with Brent and Dubai Crude.

A high ratio indicates that gold is relatively expensive compared to WTI crude oil, and vice versa. This can indicate periods of outsized demand for energy in the form of crude oil, or periods of monetary uncertainty when there is higher demand for gold.

Below is the gold-to-oil ratio every decade between 1946 and 2024.

Date	Gold to Oil Ratio
1946-01-01	29.91
1950-01-01	13.62
1960-01-01	11.89
1970-01-01	10.91
1980-01-01	20.86
1990-01-01	18.10
2000-01-01	10.29
2010-01-01	14.80
2020-01-01	30.66
2024-01-01	26.88
2024-11-01	39.06

During the 1950s and 1960s, fixed gold prices and stable oil prices kept the ratio between 11 and 13 for 20 years.

Since the 1980s, the ratio has typically traded within the range of 6 to 40 with a notable exception: in 2020 when the ratio reached a high of 91.1. The peak in 2020 was driven by COVID-19, which boosted gold prices as a safe haven while oil demand and prices plummeted due to global lockdowns.

In contrast, between 2000 and 2008, oil prices were relatively high compared to gold. During this period, the ratio dropped to nearly 6 but never rose above 16.

When comparing the two commodities, it’s worth remembering that the crude oil market is around 10 times larger than that of gold, making it the largest commodity market in the world.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this graphic, make sure to check out this graphic that shows the top countries by natural resource value.

Real Assets

Visualizing the Gold-to-Silver Ratio Since 1869

The gold-to-silver ratio shows how many ounces of silver equal one ounce of gold.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

November 18, 2024

By

Bruno Venditti

Line chart showing gold-to-silver ratio since 1693

Visualizing the Gold-to-Silver Ratio Since 1869

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

The gold-to-silver ratio shows how many ounces of silver equal one ounce of gold. It is the oldest continuously tracked exchange rate, dating back to 3200 BCE. Historically, the ratio played an important role in ensuring coins had their appropriate value, and it remains an important technical metric for metals investors today.

This graphic shows the gold-to-silver ratio since 1869. Data was compiled by Longtermtrends.

The History of the Gold-to-Silver Ratio

The earliest recorded instance of the gold-to-silver ratio dates back to 3200 BCE, when Menes, the first king of Ancient Egypt, set a ratio of 2.5:1. Since then, the ratio has generally seen gold’s value rise as empires and governments became more familiar with the scarcity and difficulty of production for both metals.

Ancient Rome was one of the earliest civilizations to set a gold-to-silver ratio, starting as low as 8:1 in 210 BCE. Over the years, varying gold and silver inflows from Rome’s conquests caused the ratio to fluctuate between 8 and 12 ounces of silver for every ounce of gold.

By 46 BCE, Julius Caesar had established a standard gold-to-silver ratio of 11.5:1, shortly before it was bumped to 11.75:1 under Emperor Augustus.

In more modern times, the ratio peaked in 1939 at 98:1 after U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the statutory price of gold from $20.67 per troy ounce to $35.

In 2020, the ratio reached an all-time high of 125.1 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as investors sought gold as a safe haven.

Year	Ratio
1968-01-01	16.2
1968-05-01	17.1
1969-01-01	21.3
1969-05-01	24.5
1969-09-01	24.2
1970-01-01	19.5
1970-09-01	19.6
1971-09-01	27.7
1972-05-01	31.9
1973-01-01	31.9
1973-05-01	42.7
1974-01-01	35
1974-05-01	31.4
1974-09-01	37.4
1975-01-01	41.7
1975-05-01	37.9
1975-09-01	34.8
1976-01-01	33.7
1976-09-01	25
1977-05-01	30.9
1977-09-01	32.7
1978-05-01	34
1979-01-01	37.3
1979-05-01	31.3
1980-01-01	14
1980-05-01	38.9
1980-09-01	39.1
1981-09-01	45.9
1982-09-01	52.7
1983-09-01	34.3
1984-05-01	42.1
1985-01-01	49
1985-05-01	51.1
1985-09-01	53.9
1986-01-01	56.3
1986-05-01	66.7
1986-09-01	76
1987-01-01	75
1987-09-01	60.1
1988-09-01	65.3
1989-05-01	66.7
1990-01-01	77.1
1990-05-01	74.2
1991-01-01	94.3
1991-05-01	90.3
1991-09-01	90.7
1992-01-01	90.8
1992-09-01	91.5
1993-09-01	78.2
1994-09-01	71.2
1995-05-01	66.2
1996-01-01	74.9
1996-05-01	72.9
1996-09-01	74.7
1997-01-01	77.1
1997-05-01	71.8
1997-09-01	69
1998-01-01	48.4
1998-09-01	57.8
1999-09-01	49.4
2000-05-01	54.9
2001-01-01	59.4
2001-05-01	60.4
2002-01-01	60.6
2002-05-01	68.2
2002-09-01	69.9
2003-01-01	72.2
2003-05-01	71.8
2003-09-01	73.5
2004-01-01	69.4
2004-09-01	60.3
2005-09-01	63.6
2006-05-01	47.3
2007-01-01	49.3
2007-05-01	51.1
2008-01-01	56.3
2008-05-01	52.8
2008-09-01	60.9
2009-01-01	78.5
2009-09-01	64.1
2010-09-01	64.2
2011-09-01	43.6
2012-05-01	54.1
2013-01-01	54.5
2013-05-01	61.5
2013-09-01	58
2014-01-01	61.2
2014-05-01	67
2014-09-01	66.5
2015-01-01	75.4
2015-09-01	78.3
2016-09-01	69.9
2017-05-01	74.8
2017-09-01	74.8
2018-01-01	76.7
2018-05-01	80
2018-09-01	84
2019-01-01	82.4
2019-05-01	87.3
2019-09-01	81.6
2020-01-01	84.9
2020-05-01	114.6
2020-09-01	71
2021-01-01	71.6
2021-05-01	67.1
2021-09-01	75.8
2022-01-01	78.7
2022-05-01	82.6
2022-09-01	96.2
2023-01-01	76.4
2023-05-01	79.3
2023-09-01	80.5
2024-01-01	87
2024-05-01	86.5
2024-09-01	88.5