Misc
Which Countries Have the Most Similar Values?
Which Countries Value the Same Things?
Our culture can have significant impacts on our belief systems and our values.
In fact, research has shown that our cultural influences can rewire our brains, which can impact our visual perceptions and how we view the world around us.
Because of this, where we’re from can greatly influence what we prioritize in life. This graphic by Anders Sundell illustrates the primary values of 94 different countries, and highlights which places share similar values.
Methodology
Sundell used data from the World Values Survey, an international survey that interviews hundreds of thousands of participants from across the globe.
For the purposes of this graphic, Sundell focused on one specific section of the survey that asked respondents to rate various aspects of their life on a scale of one (very important) to four (not important at all). Six aspects were included: family, friends, leisure time, politics, work, and religion.
From there, Sundell calculated the median score for each country and identified their primary value, then grouped them based on their similarities. On this netgraph, each country is connected to three other countries that share the most similar values.
Generally speaking, countries that prioritize friends and leisure are concentrated on the far left of the graphic, whereas countries that value religion and work fall more to the right.
Each Country’s Primary Values
Interestingly, family came first for all 94 countries—except Indonesia, where religion was considered most important.
Because of this, Sundell identified each country’s primary value besides family, which was much more diverse across the board:
Abbr. | Country | Continent | Primary Value (Exc. Family) |
---|---|---|---|
AL | 🇦🇱 Albania | Europe | Work |
AD | 🇦🇩 Andorra | Europe | Leisure |
AR | 🇦🇷 Argentina | South America | Work |
AM | 🇦🇲 Armenia | Asia | Work |
AU | 🇦🇺 Australia | Oceania | Friends |
AT | 🇦🇹 Austria | Europe | Friends |
AZ | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Asia | Work |
BD | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Asia | Religion |
BY | 🇧🇾 Belarus | Europe | Work |
BO | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | South America | Work |
BA | 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | Work |
BR | 🇧🇷 Brazil | South America | Work |
BG | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | Europe | Work |
CA | 🇨🇦 Canada | North America | Leisure |
CL | 🇨🇱 Chile | South America | Leisure |
CN | 🇨🇳 China | Asia | Work |
CO | 🇨🇴 Colombia | South America | Work |
HR | 🇭🇷 Croatia | Europe | Work |
CY | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | Europe | Friends |
CZ | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Europe | Friends |
DK | 🇩🇰 Denmark | Europe | Friends |
EC | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | South America | Work |
EG | 🇪🇬 Egypt | Africa | Religion |
EE | 🇪🇪 Estonia | Europe | Friends |
ET | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | Africa | Religion |
FI | 🇫🇮 Finland | Europe | Leisure |
FR | 🇫🇷 France | Europe | Work |
GE | 🇬🇪 Georgia | Asia | Work |
DE | 🇩🇪 Germany | Europe | Friends |
GH | 🇬🇭 Ghana | Africa | Work |
GR | 🇬🇷 Greece | Europe | Work |
GT | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | North America | Work |
HT | 🇭🇹 Haiti | North America | Work |
HK | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Asia | Friends |
HU | 🇭🇺 Hungary | Europe | Friends |
IS | 🇮🇸 Iceland | Europe | Friends |
IN | 🇮🇳 India | Asia | Work |
ID | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | Asia | Religion |
IR | 🇮🇷 Iran | Asia | Work |
IQ | 🇮🇶 Iraq | Asia | Religion |
IT | 🇮🇹 Italy | Europe | Work |
JP | 🇯🇵 Japan | Asia | Leisure |
JO | 🇯🇴 Jordan | Asia | Religion |
KZ | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | Asia | Work |
KW | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | Asia | Religion |
KG | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | Asia | Friends |
LB | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | Asia | Work |
LY | 🇱🇾 Libya | Africa | Religion |
LT | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | Europe | Work |
MO | 🇲🇴 Macao | Asia | Friends |
MY | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | Asia | Religion |
MX | 🇲🇽 Mexico | North America | Work |
ME | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | Europe | Work |
MA | 🇲🇦 Morocco | Africa | Religion |
MM | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | Asia | Religion |
NL | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Europe | Friends |
NZ | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Oceania | Friends |
NI | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | North America | Work |
NG | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | Africa | Religion |
MK | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | Europe | Work |
NO | 🇳🇴 Norway | Europe | Friends |
PK | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | Europe | Religion |
PE | 🇵🇪 Peru | South America | Work |
PH | 🇵🇭 Philippines | Asia | Work |
PL | 🇵🇱 Poland | Europe | Work |
PT | 🇵🇹 Portugal | Europe | Work |
PR | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | North America | Work |
QA | 🇶🇦 Qatar | Asia | Religion |
RO | 🇷🇴 Romania | Europe | Work |
RU | 🇷🇺 Russia | Asia | Friends |
RW | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | Africa | Friends |
RS | 🇷🇸 Serbia | Europe | Friends |
SG | 🇸🇬 Singapore | Asia | Friends |
SK | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | Europe | Work |
SI | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | Europe | Work |
ZA | 🇿🇦 South Africa | Africa | Work |
KR | 🇰🇷 South Korea | Asia | Friends |
ES | 🇪🇸 Spain | Europe | Work |
SE | 🇸🇪 Sweden | Europe | Friends |
CH | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Europe | Friends |
TW | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | Asia | Work |
TJ | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | Asia | Religion |
TH | 🇹🇭 Thailand | Asia | Work |
TT | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | South America | Religion |
TN | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | Africa | Religion |
TR | 🇹🇷 Turkey | Asia | Friends |
UA | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | Europe | Work |
GB | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Europe | Friends |
US | 🇺🇸 United States | North America | Friends |
UY | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | South America | Work |
UZ | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Asia | Work |
VN | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | Asia | Work |
YE | 🇾🇪 Yemen | Asia | Religion |
ZW | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | Africa | Work |
After family, work was the most valued, with 46 different countries identifying it as their second-highest priority. Friends came second, followed by religion, and then lastly, leisure.
Work
Almost half of the countries on the list perceive work as the most important aspect of their lives, apart from family.
South American countries, in particular, put an emphasis on work, with seven of nine South American countries valuing work over friends and politics. The only outliers on the continent were Chile (leisure), and Trinidad and Tobago (religion).
Friends
Friends were identified as a top priority in 25 of the 94 countries on the list. Europe in particular valued friendship, especially in Norway and Sweden.
While these Nordic countries prioritize their existing friendships, research shows that they aren’t generally keen on making new ones. A global survey found that expats in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark found it extremely difficult to make new friends.
Religion
18 of the 94 countries ranked religion as a top value.
These countries, mainly in Asia and Africa, are predominantly Islamic except for a few. For instance, in Trinidad and Tobago, the largest religious group is Christianity.
Leisure
Only five countries on the list ranked leisure as a top priority—Japan, Canada, Andorra, Chile, and Finland. Finland takes leisure seriously. Its capital, Helsinki, was recognized as the number one city in the world for work-life balance. And Canada’s capital, Ottawa, ranked sixth on the ranking.

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.
Energy
Mapped: The World’s Most Critical Oil Chokepoints
As Israel and Trump weigh future strike scenarios on Iran, we map the Strait of Hormuz and its vital role in the global oil market.

Why the Strait of Hormuz is a Vital Oil Chokepoint
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.
Key Takeaways
- Roughly a fifth of global oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, the second-largest oil chokepoint in the world.
- As tensions flare in the Middle East, any closure to the Strait of Hormuz could cause oil prices to spike to up to $130.
- The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Iranian oil, in efforts to exert pressure on the regime.
The total volume of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz stands around a staggering $600 billion.
While a blockade of the strait is considered a distant possibility, its closure could ripple across global supply chain networks. In particular, Japan, China, and India would be impacted the most. Furthermore, a shock to oil prices would likely affecting production costs, in turn raising the price of consumer goods.
This graphic shows the most vital oil transit chokepoints, based on data from MUFG.
The Strait of Hormuz and Oil Trade Flows
Below, we show how the Strait of Hormuz sees the second-highest volume of oil passing through its corridor globally:
Location | Million Barrels per Day in 2023 |
---|---|
Strait of Malacca | 23.7 |
Strait of Hormuz | 20.9 |
Suez Canal & SUMED Pipeline | 8.8 |
Bab el-Mandeb | 8.6 |
Cape of Good Hope | 6.0 |
Danish Strait | 4.9 |
Turkish Straits | 3.4 |
Panama Canal | 2.1 |
In 2023, 20.9 million barrels of oil flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman.
Iran largely controls this waterway, where 20% of global oil consumption is transported across this shipping route. In response to Israel-Iran conflicts, oil production surged by 950,000 barrels per day in June—largely driven by Saudi Arabian output.
While tensions have recently flared between Israel and Syria, it remains to be seen if conflict will resurface with Iran. Earlier in July, Israeli officials met with Trump to discuss certain scenarios that would justify a future attack on Iran—including the resumption of nuclear enrichment activities.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about industrial resources from a global perspective, check out this graphic on the top 25 countries by proven oil reserves.
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