Misc

Which Countries Feature Women on Banknotes?

Published

11 months ago

March 8, 2022

Ivett Kovács

Featured Creator

Article/Editing:

Carmen Ang

notable women on banknotes

Visualizing the Women on Banknotes Worldwide

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

Who are these women, and which countries feature them on their bills?

This graphic by Ivett Kovács and Gabrielle Merite visualizes women on banknotes around the world, showing their main occupations, and the value of the banknotes they’re featured on.

The List: Women on Bills

To create this graphic, Ivett used data from the Standard Catalogue of World Paper Money, compiled by Vox.

According to the dataset, Queen Elizabeth II is the most featured woman worldwide.

Country	Denomination(s)	Woman	Description
🇦🇱 Albania	100 lekë	Queen Teuta	Queen of Illyria
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda	$5, $10, $20, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇦🇷 Argentina	100 pesos	Eva Perón	First Lady of Argentina
🇦🇺 Australia	$50	Edith Cowan	Suffragette
🇦🇺 Australia	$10	Mary Gilmore	Poet, journalist
🇦🇺 Australia	$100	Nellie Melba	Opera singer
🇦🇺 Australia	$5	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇧🇸 Bahamas	$10, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇧🇿 Belize	$2, $10, $20, $50	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇨🇦 Canada	$20	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇨🇻 Cape Verde	2000 escudos	Cesária Évora	Singer
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands	$1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇨🇱 Chile	5000 pesos	Gabriela Mistral	Nobel Prize winner
🇨🇴 Colombia	10000 pesos	Policarpa Salavarrieta	Seamstress, spy
🇨🇷 Costa Rica	20000 colones	Carmen Lyra	Writer
🇨🇿 Czech Republic	50 koruna	Agnes of Bohemia	Bohemian princess
🇨🇿 Czech Republic	500 koruna	Božena Němcová	Writer
🇨🇿 Czech Republic	2000 koruna	Emmy Destinn	Opera singer
🇩🇲 Dominica	$5, $10, $20, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	200 pesos	Mirabal sisters	Sisters who opposed dictatorship
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	500 pesos	Salomé Ureña	Poet and pedagogist
🇫🇰 Falkland Islands	5, 10, 20, 50 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇬🇪 Georgia	50 lari	Queen Tamar	The Queen Regnant of Georgia
🇬🇮 Gibraltar	5, 10, 20, 50 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇬🇩 Grenada	$5, $10, $20, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇬🇬 Guernsey	5, 10, 20, 50 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇭🇹 Haiti	10 gourdes	Catherine Flon Arcahaie	Created Haitian flag
🇮🇸 Iceland	5000 kronur	Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir	Seamstress
🇮🇲 Isle of Man	1, 5, ,10, 20, 50 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇯🇲 Jamaica	$500	Nanny of the Maroons	National heroine of Jamaica
🇯🇵 Japan	5000 yen	Higuchi Ichiyō	Writer
🇯🇪 Jersey	1 ,5, 10, 20, 50 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	50 som	Kurmanjan Datka	Stateswoman
🇲🇼 Malawi	200 kwacha	Rose Lomathinda Chibambo	Leader of African Congress
🇲🇽 Mexico	500 pesos	Frida Kahlo (and Diego Rivera)	Artist, Communist Party militant
🇲🇽 Mexico	200 pesos	Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz	Nun, scholar, poet
🇳🇿 New Zealand	$10	Kate Sheppard	Suffragette
🇳🇿 New Zealand	$20	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇳🇬 Nigeria	20 naira	Ladi Kwali	Potter
🇳🇴 Norway	100 kroner	Kirsten Falgstad	Opera singer
🇳🇴 Norway	500 kroner	Sigrid Undset	Nobel Prize winner
🇵🇪 Peru	200 soles	Rose of Lima	First catholic saint of the Americas
🇵🇭 Philippines	500 pesos	Corazon C. Aquino	First female president in Phillipines
🇵🇭 Philippines	1000 pesos	Josefa Llanes Escoda	Founder, Philippines Girl Scouts
🇰🇳 St. Kitts and Nevis	$5, $10, $20, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇱🇨 St. Lucia	$5, $10, $20, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland	50 pounds	Mary Slessor	Missionary, activist
🇷🇸 Serbia	200 dinar	Nadežda Petrović	Painter
🇰🇷 South Korea	50000 won	Shin Saimdang	Artist, poet
🇻🇨 St Vincent and Grenadines	$5, $10, $20, $50, $100	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇸🇭 St. Helena	5, 10, 20 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇸🇪 Sweden	20 kronor	Astrid Lindgren	Author of "Pippi Lockstocking"
🇸🇪 Sweden	50 kronor	Jenny Lind	Opera singer
🇸🇪 Sweden	500 kronor	Birgit Nilsson	Opera singer
🇸🇪 Sweden	100 kronor	Greta Garbo	Actress
🇨🇭 Switzerland	50 francs	Sophie Taeuber-Arp	Painter, sculptor
🇸🇾 Syria	500 pounds	Zenobia	Queen of the Palmyrene Empire
🇹🇳 Tunisia	10 dinars	Dido	Queen & founder of Carthage
🇹🇷 Turkey	50 lira	Fatma Aliye Topuz	First female Muslim novelist
🇺🇦 Ukraine	200 hryven	Lesya Ukrainka	Poet, writer
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	5, 10, 20, 50 pounds	Queen Elizabeth II	Queen of U.K., CAN, AUS, NZ+
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	5 pounds	Elizabeth Fry	Prison reformer
🇺🇾 Uruguay	1000 pesos	Juana de Ibarbourou	Poet
🇻🇪 Venezuela	20 bolívares	Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi	Heroine of War of Independence

Canada was the first country to use an image of Queen Elizabeth II on their money. In 1935, Canada printed her on a $20 banknote—the British monarch was only a 9-year-old princess at the time. Now, Queen E appears on a variety of different banknotes in 19 different countries. In the Cayman Islands, she’s on their $1, $5, $25, $50, and $100.

A few other queens or royal members have made it onto different banknotes too—Georgia’s 50 lari note has an image of Queen Tamar, who was the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, and Albania’s 100 lekë features Queen Teuta, a 3rd century queen of an Illyrian tribe.

While royals (especially Queen Elizabeth II) are frequently featured on bills worldwide, women in other positions have also made it onto banknotes.

Authors, singers, poets, and painters are featured on a number of different currencies. For instance, Sweden has Astrid Lindgren—the author of Pippi Longstocking—on their 20 kronor.

Sweden also features three other women on their bills: Birgit Nilsson, Jenny Lind, and Greta Garbo, making their banknote features an even 50/50 split between men and women.

A Quick History of Women Featured on U.S. Banknotes

Essentially the only time a woman was prominently featured on a U.S. banknote was in the late 19th century when Martha Washington—the wife of President George Washington—appeared on a $1 silver certificate.

martha washington 1 dollar silver note

This dearth of women on U.S. banknotes may soon come to an end. The Biden administration is now speeding up efforts to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, an initiative that was delayed in recent years. When the plan was initially introduced by then Treasury secretary, Jacob Lew, in 2016, the new design was set to be unveiled in 2020 on the centennial of the 19th Amendment (which granted women the right to vote).

Women are Still Underrepresented

It’s worth noting that women are still consistently underrepresented in positions of power, and in the media.

And even when women do hold authoritative positions, research has shown they’re taken less seriously than their male counterparts.

That’s why events like International Women’s Day exist. It’s not just a time to celebrate women’s achievements—it’s also a day to shed light on existing gender bias, and ultimately take action to help combat gender inequality.

Want to be part of the change? Learn more about Women’s Day, or donate to fundraising efforts for female-focused charities.

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.

Related Topics:currency money women banknotes queen elizabeth international women's day

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Automotive

The Most Fuel Efficient Cars From 1975 to Today

This infographic lists the most fuel efficient cars over the past 46 years, including the current leader for 2023.

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2023

Marcus Lu

The Most Fuel Efficient Cars From 1975 to Today

When shopping for a new car, what is the most important factor you look for? According to Statista, it’s not design, quality, or even safety—it’s fuel efficiency.

Because of this, automakers are always looking for clever ways to improve gas mileage in their cars. Beating the competition by even the slimmest of margins can give valuable bragging rights within a segment.

In this infographic, we’ve used data from the EPA’s 2022 Automotive Trends Report to list off the most fuel efficient cars from 1975 to today.

Editor’s note: This is from a U.S. government agency, so the data shown skews towards cars sold in North America.

Data Overview

All of the information in the above infographic is listed in the table below. Data was only available in 5-year increments up until 2005, after which it switches to annual.

Model Year	Make	Model	Real World Fuel Economy (mpg)	Engine Type
1975	Honda	Civic	28.3	Gas
1980	VW	Rabbit	40.3	Diesel
1985	Chevrolet	Sprint	49.6	Gas
1990	Geo	Metro	53.4	Gas
1995	Honda	Civic	47.3	Gas
2000	Honda	Insight	57.4	Hybrid
2005	Honda	Insight	53.3	Hybrid
2006	Honda	Insight	53	Hybrid
2007	Toyota	Prius	46.2	Hybrid
2008	Toyota	Prius	46.2	Hybrid
2009	Toyota	Prius	46.2	Hybrid
2010	Honda	FCX	60.2	FCEV
2011	BMW	Active E	100.6	EV
2012	Mitsubishi	i-MiEV	109	EV
2013	Toyota	iQ EV	117	EV
2014	BMW	i3	121.3	EV
2015	BMW	i3	121.3	EV
2016	BMW	i3	121.3	EV
2017	Hyundai	Ioniq Electric	132.6	EV
2018	Hyundai	Ioniq Electric	132.6	EV
2019	Hyundai	Ioniq Electric	132.6	EV
2020	Tesla	3	138.6	EV
2021	Tesla	3	139.1	EV

From this dataset, we can identify three distinct approaches to maximizing fuel efficiency.

Downsizing

Prior to 2000, the best way for automakers to achieve good fuel efficiency was by downsizing. Making cars smaller (lighter) meant they could also be fitted with very small engines.

For example, the 1985 Chevrolet Sprint was rated at 49.6 MPG, but had a sluggish 0-60 time of 15 seconds.

Hybrids

The 2000s saw the introduction of mass-market hybrid vehicles like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. By including a small battery to support the combustion engine, automakers could achieve good MPGs without sacrificing so heavily on size.

While the Insight achieved better fuel economy than the Prius, it was the latter that became synonymous with the term “hybrid”. This was largely due to the Prius’ more practical 4-door design.

The following table compares annual U.S. sales figures for both models. Insight sales have fluctuated drastically because Honda has produced the model in several short spans (1999-2006, 2009-2014, 2018-2022).

Year	Insight Sales	Prius Sales
2005	666	107,155
2006	722	106,971
2007	3	181,221
2008	-	158,884
2009	20,572	150,831
2010	20,962	140,928
2011	15,549	136,464
2012	6,619	236,655
2013	4,802	234,228
2014	3,965	207,372
2015	1,458	184,794
2016	67	136,629
2017	3	108,661
2018	12,513	87,590
2019	23,686	69,718
2020	15,932	43,525
2021	18,685	59,010
2022	7,628	33,352

Source: goodcarbadcar.net

The Prius may have dominated the hybrid market for a long time, but it too has run into troubles. Sales have been declining since 2014, even setting historic lows in recent years.

There are several reasons behind this trend, with one being a wider availability of hybrid models from other brands. We also can’t ignore the release of the Tesla Model 3, which began shipping to customers in 2017.

Electric Vehicles

We’re currently in the middle of a historic transition to electric vehicles. However, because EVs do not use fuel, the EPA had to develop a new system called MPGe (miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent).

This new metric gives us the ability to compare the efficiency of EVs with traditional gas-powered cars. An underlying assumption of MPGe is that 33.7 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity is comparable to the energy content of a gallon of fuel.

The most fuel efficient car you can buy today is the 2023 Lucid Air, which achieves 140 MPGe. Close behind it is the 2023 Tesla Model 3 RWD, which is rated at 132 MPGe.

Check out this page to see the EPA’s top 10 most efficient vehicles for 2023.