**** 12/15/26 - McKinsey Global Institute’s favorite data visualizations from 2025 + info re some of the reports the charts came from .....
Buzz Sawyer
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In 2025, we are no longer on the cusp of a new era, but truly in it. This year, MGI’s fact-based insights helped make sense of the latest business and economic signals. We found that just a few “Standout” firms can move the productivity needle for entire economies. We also put forward new reasons to accelerate national productivity now, so that countries can grow their way to balance sheet health and drive prosperity. We explored ways in which the private sector could help lift more people above an “empowerment line” to meet essential needs and otherwise advance beyond environmental, social, and governance (ESG) checklists. As trade policy shifts and other geopolitical developments packed some surprises, we updated our analysis of the geometry of global trade and looked to foreign direct investment (FDI) as a window to what may come next. We also introduced a “rearrangement ratio” to better understand potential knock-on effects of US–China trade tensions.
To understand the demographics and other defining hallmarks of our new era, we delved into the consequences of falling fertility and increasing longevity. We took stock of where the energy transition stands and tallied the costs and benefits of meeting climate adaptation challenges. We also explored labor market dynamics through the lens of work-experience trajectories and emerging skills partnerships with robots and agents in the age of AI. The following data visualizations, grouped into our five core research themes, encapsulate some of our key findings over the past year.
November 25, 2025 | Report
November 6, 2025 | Article
January 15, 2025 | Report
January 8, 2025 | Article