Misc
Which Values Children Should Be Encouraged to Learn, By Country
Many of the values we prioritize as adults were instilled in us during our childhood days.
They’re called our formative years for a reason—from when we’re born up until we’re about eight years old, our brains are easily molded and remain highly sensitive to external influences and environments. But depending on where you grew up, you may have been exposed to different values during your childhood compared to someone from another place.
These visualizations by Anders Sundell illustrate the most important values people think children should learn at home, across more than 80 different countries.
Methodology
Sundell used data from the World Values Survey, an international survey that interviews hundreds of thousands of participants from across the globe. Respondents were asked to pick up to five qualities they believe are the most desirable for children to have:
- Good manners
- Independence
- Hard work
- Feeling of responsibility
- Imagination
- Tolerance and respect for other people
- Thrift, saving money
- Determination and perseverance
- Religious faith
- Unselfishness
- Obedience
Sundell took the survey data and calculated the proportion of people in each country that selected each quality. From there, he took the top qualities and created three separate plot graphs to show the contrast between them.
Let’s look at the importance that countries placed on different values, including (1) independence and obedience, (2) unselfishness and religious faith, and (3) hard work and imagination.
1. Independence vs Obedience
Nordic countries value independence greatly, and find obedience to be a less important quality to instill in children.
View the full-size infographic
Other available data also supports that adults in Nordic countries value independence. According to Eurostat, the most common age to leave home in Sweden is between 17 and 18—nearly a decade sooner than the average age across the EU (26 years old).
Denmark’s average age to leave home is also below the European average, at 21 years old.
On the other end of the spectrum, countries like Iraq and Egypt believe obedience is much more important for children to learn.
2. Unselfishness vs Religious Faith
Bangladesh, Egypt, and Jordan all place a strong emphasis on faith, and fall on the far right of this graph.
View the full-size infographic
Islam is a strong influence in all three of these countries. In Bangladesh and Jordan, it’s the official state religion. And while Egypt is a secular country, a majority of citizens identify as Muslim—about 90% of the population.
Interestingly, places like the U.S. and Hong Kong fall right in the between, placing relatively equal importance on religion and unselfishness.
3. Hard Work vs Imagination
Left-leaning Nordic countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland think imagination is more important for children to learn than hard work.
View the full-size infographic
Interestingly, Japan also scored high for imagination, seeing it was a more important value to teach children than hard work. This is despite the fact that the country has an international reputation for being a hardworking country, where even taking an extended vacation can be frowned upon. Then again, Japan has a reputation for producing wildly creative works of art that are popular internationally (anime, for instance).
As expected, countries and cultures contain multitudes, and can often seem paradoxical and complex to those who try to codify them.
What qualities do you think are most important, and what countries surprised you with their placements?

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.
Maps
Mapped: Minimum Wage Around the World
This infographic shows the net minimum wage across 67 countries, as of January 2023. A breakdown by U.S. state is also included.

Mapped: Minimum Wage Around the World
The purpose of a minimum wage is to establish a baseline income level for workers in a given jurisdiction. Ideally it’s enough to cover basic needs like food and housing, but this isn’t always a guarantee.
To see how the minimum wage differs around the world, we’ve visualized data from Picodi, which includes values for 67 countries as of January 2023.
Monthly Minimum Wage, by Country
The following table includes all of the data used in this infographic.
Each value represents the monthly minimum wage a full-time worker would receive in each country. Picodi states that these figures are net of taxes and have been converted to USD.
Country | Increase compared to Jan 2022 | Minimum wage as of Jan 2023 (full-time, USD) |
---|---|---|
Cyprus | 104.5% | $854 |
Argentina | 100.0% | $336 |
Turkey | 32.5% | $457 |
Moldova | 27.1% | $180 |
Latvia | 25.8% | $555 |
Malaysia | 24.6% | $289 |
Pakistan | 24.5% | $111 |
Romania | 21.9% | $393 |
Germany | 21.2% | $1,594 |
Belarus | 18.8% | $189 |
Lithuania | 18.5% | $646 |
North Macedonia | 17.4% | $298 |
Mexico | 17.1% | $315 |
Chile | 16.9% | $369 |
Russia | 16.6% | $224 |
Kazakhstan | 16.4% | $131 |
Colombia | 16.0% | $249 |
Hungary | 15.3% | $383 |
Netherlands | 14.6% | $1,895 |
Poland | 14.3% | $584 |
Belgium | 14.3% | $1,509 |
Serbia | 14.2% | $347 |
Estonia | 14.2% | $704 |
Azerbaijan | 13.3% | $186 |
Albania | 12.9% | $265 |
Slovenia | 12.6% | $896 |
US | 12.0% | $1,550 |
Croatia | 11.9% | $571 |
Uzbekistan | 11.4% | $72 |
Paraguay | 11.4% | $323 |
Armenia | 10.3% | $138 |
Peru | 10.0% | $233 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9.9% | $324 |
Bulgaria | 9.3% | $315 |
Luxembourg | 9.2% | $2,140 |
Philippines | 9.0% | $141 |
Uruguay | 8.9% | $424 |
Brazil | 8.5% | $232 |
India | 8.1% | $95 |
Indonesia | 7.9% | $173 |
Greece | 7.8% | $626 |
Portugal | 7.3% | $690 |
UK | 7.2% | $1,705 |
Slovakia | 6.9% | $572 |
South Africa | 6.6% | $226 |
France | 6.6% | $1,380 |
Czechia | 6.0% | $643 |
Vietnam | 5.7% | $162 |
Ecuador | 5.6% | $407 |
New Zealand | 5.4% | $1,866 |
Ireland | 5.1% | $1,753 |
Canada | 5.0% | $1,545 |
Thailand | 4.8% | $195 |
Australia | 4.7% | $2,022 |
South Korea | 4.6% | $1,333 |
Taiwan | 4.0% | $800 |
Bolivia | 3.9% | $284 |
Guatemala | 3.6% | $383 |
Malta | 3.1% | $788 |
Ukraine | 0.0% | $146 |
Israel | 0.0% | $1,389 |
Puerto Rico | 0.0% | $1,328 |
Hong Kong | 0.0% | $959 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.0% | $958 |
Spain | 0.0% | $925 |
Montenegro | 0.0% | $459 |
Nigeria | 0.0% | $68 |
Generally speaking, developed countries have a higher cost of living, and thus require a higher minimum wage.
Two outliers in this dataset are Argentina and Turkey, which have increased their minimum wages by 100% or more from January 2022 levels.
Turkey is suffering from an ongoing currency crisis, with the lira losing over 40% of its value in 2021. Prices of basic goods have increased considerably as the Turkish lira continues to plummet. In fact, a 2022 survey found that 70% of people in Turkey were struggling to pay for food.
Argentina, South America’s second-biggest economy, is also suffering from very high inflation. In response, the country announced three minimum wage increases throughout 2022.
Minimum Wage in the U.S.
Within the U.S., minimum wage varies significantly by state. We’ve visualized each state’s basic minimum rate (hourly) using January 2023 data from the U.S. Department of Labor.
2023-03-17 Update: This map was updated to fix several incorrect values. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
America’s federal minimum wage has remained unchanged since 2009 at $7.25 per hour.
Each state is allowed to set their own minimum wage, as long as it’s higher than the federal minimum. In states that do not set their own minimum, the federal minimum applies.
If we assume someone works 40 hours a week, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 translates to an annual figure of just $15,080 before taxes. California’s minimum wage of $15.50 translates to $32,240 before taxes.
For further perspective, check out our 2022 infographic on the salary needed to buy a home across 50 U.S. cities.
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