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What Types of People Appear Most on International Currencies?

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What types of people are celebrated on the world's money?

What Types of People Appear Most on International Currencies?

On currencies throughout the world, you’ll see everything from revolutionaries to poets featured prominently. But how does this mix of notable people break down quantitatively?

This graphic by NetCredit shows the types of people, by their main occupations and roles, that are featured on banknotes and coins worldwide.

Global Money Features Power

To find out the types of people most featured on money, NetCredit analyzed all the banknotes and coins in circulation in every country across the globe in 2022.

From monarchs to athletes, the analysis found that many types of people appear on banknotes and coins worldwide. In fact, 51 different main occupations and roles were identified, which were then organized into eight overarching categories:

  • Leadership
  • Government
  • Society
  • Sport & Recreation
  • Military & Espionage
  • Religion
  • The Arts
  • Humanity

Here’s a breakdown of all 51 different occupations, and what percentage of worldwide currencies they’re featured on:

OccupationCategory% on Currencies
MonarchLeadership30.24%
Head of governmentGovernment20.74%
PoliticianGovernment10.03%
MilitaryMilitary & Esionage8.22%
PoetThe Arts5.13%
Religious leaderReligion3.02%
AuthorThe Arts2.26%
ArtistThe Arts1.73%
WriterThe Arts1.51%
MusicianThe Arts1.51%
ActivistSociety1.28%
ScientistScience & Humanities1.21%
Movement leaderLeadership0.98%
SaintReligion0.98%
ExplorerScience & Humanities0.90%
InventorScience & Humanities0.83%
ScholarScience & Humanities0.83%
RevolutionaryLeadership0.60%
BusinessSociety0.60%
HeroSociety0.60%
AthleteSport & Recreation0.60%
Supreme leaderLeadership0.53%
EducatorScience & Humanities0.53%
HistorianScience & Humanities0.45%
SingerThe Arts0.45%
Nationalist leaderLeadership0.38%
DoctorScience & Humanities0.38%
MathematicianScience & Humanities0.38%
ChiefLeadership0.30%
ArchitectScience & Humanities0.30%
EconomistScience & Humanities0.30%
PhilosopherScience & Humanities0.23%
ActorThe Arts0.23%
Chief of stateGovernment0.15%
Revolutionary leaderLeadership0.15%
IntellectualScience & Humanities0.15%
LawyerScience & Humanities0.15%
WifeSociety0.15%
SpyMilitary & Esionage0.08%
RectorReligion0.08%
Civil engineerScience & Humanities0.08%
LinguistScience & Humanities0.08%
PhilanthropistScience & Humanities0.08%
AnthropologistScience and Humanities0.08%
Social workerSociety0.08%
BallerinaSport & Recreation0.08%
Chess championSport & Recreation0.08%
MountaineerSport & Recreation0.08%
ActressThe Arts0.08%
Film directorThe Arts0.08%

The analysis shows that over 50% of the people featured on money are either monarchs or heads of government, many of which are no longer in power.

For instance, Belize was once a British colony and still features the late Elizabeth II on all of its currency—even though the country gained independence from the UK in 1981.

And everyone featured on U.S. currency is also a historical figure. Putting living celebrities on U.S. money has been banned since 1866, after Spencer Clark, who was the Superintendent of the U.S. National Currency Bureau at the time, printed his own face on the 5-cent banknote instead of the explorer William Clark of “Lewis and Clark.”

International Currencies: The Most Popular Figure Heads

Featured on over 100 different currencies around the world, the late Elizabeth II is the most featured person on banknotes and coins.

This makes sense considering the UK’s widespread historical reach. During the height of its reign in the early 20th century, the British Empire ruled nearly a quarter of the world.

"Most common faces on international currencies"

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 6 of the top 10 most-featured people on currencies are monarchs, while the rest are heads of government.

Women on Banknotes

While Elizabeth II is the most featured person on currencies around the world, it’s worth mentioning that few other women have been given the same honor.

A study analyzed 1,006 current international banknotes and found that only 15% featured images of women.

However, some countries are actively trying to celebrate more women on their money. For example, the U.S. has been planning to put Harriet Tubman on the U.S. $20 bill for years, and while there have been some delays, the bill is currently on track to get released by 2030.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Economy

Mapped: How Much Each U.S. State Imports from the EU

Reciprocal tariffs mean European product prices will increase. Here’s how much each state imports from the EU.

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This map shows the share of U.S. imports from the EU by each state.

Mapped: How Much Each U.S. State Imports From the EU

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.

As a bloc, the European Union is the largest source of American imports, valued at more than $600 billion in 2024.

However, not all of that trade is spread evenly between America’s 50 states.

This map shows the share of U.S. imports from the EU by each state. Figures are sourced from USA Trade, a database provided by the Census Bureau.

Who Imports the Most from the EU?

Nearly one-fifth of all U.S. imports were sourced from the EU in 2024. But that share varies widely by state (or territory).

StateCodeShare of Imports from EUImports from EU
Puerto RicoPR47.45%$14,827,939,382
IndianaIN46.21%$58,696,886,377
North CarolinaNC45.19%$43,190,299,106
Rhode IslandRI38.76%$4,811,129,055
New HampshireNH34.34%$4,210,174,126
MarylandMD33.38%$16,922,259,371
South CarolinaSC32.49%$22,516,150,106
KentuckyKY31.45%$34,508,188,293
PennsylvaniaPA29.92%$48,948,155,420
ArkansasAR29.26%$2,347,996,891
New JerseyNJ26.71%$60,043,736,742
WisconsinWI26.33%$11,291,219,102
ConnecticutCT25.08%$7,733,489,979
MassachusettsMA24.53%$14,854,690,324
VirginiaVA23.00%$12,617,378,403
KansasKS22.73%$3,815,663,236
FloridaFL22.65%$33,055,394,955
GeorgiaGA21.87%$38,709,201,060
AlabamaAL21.84%$9,572,045,837
IowaIA21.63%$3,234,515,753
OhioOH20.46%$20,713,680,097
DelawareDE19.46%$2,823,169,754
New YorkNY19.38%$56,253,075,401
TennesseeTN19.37%$29,680,640,856
West VirginiaWV18.69%$1,044,513,660
MississippiMS18.68%$5,063,183,179
NebraskaNE17.23%$1,797,362,857
MissouriMO16.81%$5,553,291,392
ColoradoCO15.50%$3,780,588,821
IllinoisIL14.73%$38,673,531,824
MinnesotaMN13.95%$6,657,656,253
South DakotaSD13.29%$263,551,579
ArizonaAZ12.90%$6,510,499,935
OregonOR12.39%$4,077,324,213
Dist of ColumbiaDC12.35%$311,130,823
MaineME10.85%$905,295,913
New MexicoNM10.62%$1,088,307,866
LouisianaLA10.25%$5,397,517,736
HawaiiHI10.24%$308,842,118
North DakotaND10.23%$465,275,359
NevadaNV9.97%$2,363,994,855
OklahomaOK9.75%$2,446,788,138
WyomingWY9.58%$202,765,852
TexasTX9.52%$48,350,514,495
MichiganMI8.02%$15,589,543,085
CaliforniaCA7.62%$46,827,583,908
UtahUT7.46%$1,994,437,354
VermontVT7.20%$436,562,742
WashingtonWA6.65%$5,317,907,948
AlaskaAK6.63%$281,189,813
IdahoID4.99%$525,479,461
MontanaMT2.80%$273,250,489

For example, Indiana, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico all sourced more than 40% of their 2024 imports from the EU.

This is an impact of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry which has a foothold in all three U.S. locations and Ireland.

In fact, Ireland is Indiana and North Carolina’s top import partner, bucking the Canada–Mexico dichotomy.

Reciprocal Tariffs and What They Mean for U.S.–EU Trade

President Trump recently announced reciprocal tariffs, intending to match American duties with what trade partners have for American products.

One of his biggest complaints has been the levies on American cars sold in the EU, which are more than what the U.S. charges on European cars in America.

Motor vehicles are a top three EU export to America, following pharmaceuticals, and crude oil. Once these tariffs go into effect, duties will increase on European cars sold in the U.S., thereby increasing prices.

However, the pharmaceutical sector could be hit the hardest. As CNBC reports, the U.S. imports necessities including: surgical and medical instruments, medical devices (like CRT machines), vaccines, hearing aids, and artificial joints.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Aside from reciprocal tariffs, President Trump has also announced blanket tariffs on foreign steel coming into the country. Check out creator Statista’s Countries Most Affected by Steel Tariffs for a breakdown.

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Hinrich Foundation IMD Sustainable Trade Index 2024. Download the free report.

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