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The World’s Most Respected ‘Made In’ Labels

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The World's Most Respected 'Made In' Labels, by Country

The World’s Most Respected ‘Made In’ Labels

Countries with the best reputations among consumers.

The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays.

When you look at the tag of your shirt, and it says “Made in Bangladesh”, what does it mean to you?

For most people, a reputation for each country exists in their brains. The same Bangladeshi shirt coming instead from Germany or Brazil could evoke different perceptions to a consumer – and in aggregate, these views have a substantial impact on the success of goods in international markets.

The Most Respected Countries

Today’s chart shows survey results from 43,034 people in 52 countries on their perceptions of products from various countries of origin. According to Statista, which compiled the Made-in-Country-Index (MICI), each person assessed three countries to give a total of 129,102 individual assessments.

Here are the 10 jurisdictions that rated the highest on the list – we’ve also included each country’s top export for additional reference:

RankJurisdictionConsumer Perception IndexTop Export
#1Germany100Vehicles
#2Switzerland98Gold
#3European Union92N/A
#4United Kingdom91Vehicles
#5Sweden90Vehicles
#6Canada85Vehicles
#7Italy84Medicine
#8Japan81Vehicles
#9France81Aircraft
#10United States81Refined Oil

European countries generally had the best track record in the minds of consumers, with Germany taking the #1 spot overall and Switzerland following close behind.

Made in the USA

Although the United States ranked #10 after countries like Germany, Japan, Sweden, and Canada, we can still dive a little deeper yet.

In the same survey, Americans were specifically asked about the categories of goods for which they thought the U.S. was a “strong production country”. Here are the results:

Made in the USA

Interestingly, according to 62% of these 1,018 respondents, the good that is best labeled “Made in America” is clothing. While the domestic industry has certainly been dealing with challenges on the business side, it appears American-made clothing is still coveted by consumers when it can be done right.

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U.S. Debt Interest Payments Reach $1 Trillion

U.S. debt interest payments have surged past the $1 trillion dollar mark, amid high interest rates and an ever-expanding debt burden.

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This line chart shows U.S. debt interest payments over modern history.

U.S. Debt Interest Payments Reach $1 Trillion

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.

The cost of paying for America’s national debt crossed the $1 trillion dollar mark in 2023, driven by high interest rates and a record $34 trillion mountain of debt.

Over the last decade, U.S. debt interest payments have more than doubled amid vast government spending during the pandemic crisis. As debt payments continue to soar, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that debt servicing costs surpassed defense spending for the first time ever this year.

This graphic shows the sharp rise in U.S. debt payments, based on data from the Federal Reserve.

A $1 Trillion Interest Bill, and Growing

Below, we show how U.S. debt interest payments have risen at a faster pace than at another time in modern history:

DateInterest PaymentsU.S. National Debt
2023$1.0T$34.0T
2022$830B$31.4T
2021$612B$29.6T
2020$518B$27.7T
2019$564B$23.2T
2018$571B$22.0T
2017$493B$20.5T
2016$460B$20.0T
2015$435B$18.9T
2014$442B$18.1T
2013$425B$17.2T
2012$417B$16.4T
2011$433B$15.2T
2010$400B$14.0T
2009$354B$12.3T
2008$380B$10.7T
2007$414B$9.2T
2006$387B$8.7T
2005$355B$8.2T
2004$318B$7.6T
2003$294B$7.0T
2002$298B$6.4T
2001$318B$5.9T
2000$353B$5.7T
1999$353B$5.8T
1998$360B$5.6T
1997$368B$5.5T
1996$362B$5.3T
1995$357B$5.0T
1994$334B$4.8T
1993$311B$4.5T
1992$306B$4.2T
1991$308B$3.8T
1990$298B$3.4T
1989$275B$3.0T
1988$254B$2.7T
1987$240B$2.4T
1986$225B$2.2T
1985$219B$1.9T
1984$205B$1.7T
1983$176B$1.4T
1982$157B$1.2T
1981$142B$1.0T
1980$113B$930.2B
1979$96B$845.1B
1978$84B$789.2B
1977$69B$718.9B
1976$61B$653.5B
1975$55B$576.6B
1974$50B$492.7B
1973$45B$469.1B
1972$39B$448.5B
1971$36B$424.1B
1970$35B$389.2B
1969$30B$368.2B
1968$25B$358.0B
1967$23B$344.7B
1966$21B$329.3B

Interest payments represent seasonally adjusted annual rate at the end of Q4.

At current rates, the U.S. national debt is growing by a remarkable $1 trillion about every 100 days, equal to roughly $3.6 trillion per year.

As the national debt has ballooned, debt payments even exceeded Medicaid outlays in 2023—one of the government’s largest expenditures. On average, the U.S. spent more than $2 billion per day on interest costs last year. Going further, the U.S. government is projected to spend a historic $12.4 trillion on interest payments over the next decade, averaging about $37,100 per American.

Exacerbating matters is that the U.S. is running a steep deficit, which stood at $1.1 trillion for the first six months of fiscal 2024. This has accelerated due to the 43% increase in debt servicing costs along with a $31 billion dollar increase in defense spending from a year earlier. Additionally, a $30 billion increase in funding for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in light of the regional banking crisis last year was a major contributor to the deficit increase.

Overall, the CBO forecasts that roughly 75% of the federal deficit’s increase will be due to interest costs by 2034.

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