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 | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡· 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 | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¹ Haiti | North America | Work |
HK | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡° Hong Kong | Asia | Friends |
HU | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º 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.
Misc
How Hard Is It to Get Into an Ivy League School?
We detail the admission rates and average annual cost for Ivy League schools, as well as the median SAT scores required to be accepted.
How Hard Is It to Get Into an Ivy League School?
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.
Ivy League institutions are renowned worldwide for their academic excellence and long-standing traditions. But how hard is it to get into one of the top universities in the U.S.?
In this graphic, we detail the admission rates and average annual cost for Ivy League schools, as well as the median SAT scores required to be accepted. The data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics and was compiled by 24/7 Wall St.
Note that “average annual cost” represents the net price a student pays after subtracting the average value of grants and/or scholarships received.
Harvard is the Most Selective
The SAT is a standardized test commonly used for college admissions in the United States. It’s taken by high school juniors and seniors to assess their readiness for college-level academic work.
When comparing SAT scores, Harvard and Dartmouth are among the most challenging universities to gain admission to. The median SAT scores for their students are 760 for reading and writing and 790 for math. Still, Harvard has half the admission rate (3.2%) compared to Dartmouth (6.4%).
School | Admission rate (%) | SAT Score: Reading & Writing | SAT Score: Math | Avg Annual Cost* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Harvard University | 3.2 | 760 | 790 | $13,259 |
Columbia University | 3.9 | 750 | 780 | $12,836 |
Yale University | 4.6 | 760 | 780 | $16,341 |
Brown University | 5.1 | 760 | 780 | $26,308 |
Princeton University | 5.7 | 760 | 780 | $11,080 |
Dartmouth College | 6.4 | 760 | 790 | $33,023 |
University of Pennsylvania | 6.5 | 750 | 790 | $14,851 |
Cornell University | 7.5 | 750 | 780 | $29,011 |
*Costs after receiving federal financial aid.
Additionally, Dartmouth has the highest average annual cost at $33,000. Princeton has the lowest at $11,100.
While student debt has surged in the United States in recent years, hitting $1.73 trillion in 2023, the worth of obtaining a degree from any of the schools listed surpasses mere academics. This is evidenced by the substantial incomes earned by former students.
Harvard grads, for example, have the highest average starting salary in the country, at $91,700.
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