U.S. Inflation: Which Categories Have Been Hit the Hardest?
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U.S. Inflation: Which Categories Have Been Hit the Hardest?

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u.s. inflation 2021

The Briefing

  • The inflation rate in the U.S. has seen its fastest annual increase in over 30 years
  • Fuel, transportation, and meat products are seeing some of the steepest increases

Prices have been going up in a number of segments of the economy in recent months, and the public is taking notice. One indicator of this is that search interest for the term “inflation” is higher than at any point in the past decade.

inflation search interest

Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights rising costs across the board, and shows that specific sectors are experiencing rapid price increases this year.

Where is Inflation Hitting the Hardest?

Since 1996, the Federal Reserve has oriented its monetary policy around maintaining 2% inflation annually. For the most part, U.S. inflation over the past couple of decades has typically hovered within a percentage point or two of that target.

Right now, most price categories are exceeding that, some quite dramatically. Here’s how various categories of consumer spending have fared over the past 12 months:

CPI CategoryOne-Year Change
Energy commodities49.5%
Used cars and trucks26.4%
Energy services11.2%
New vehicles9.8%
Tobacco and smoking products8.5%
Food at home5.4%
Food away from home5.3%
Transportation services4.5%
Apparel4.3%
Shelter3.5%
Alcoholic beverages2.2%
Medical care services1.7%
Medical care commodities-0.4%

Of these top-level categories, fuel and transportation have clearly been the hardest hit.

Drilling further into the data reveals more nuanced stories as well. Below, we zoom in on five areas of consumer spending that are particularly hard-hit, how much prices have increased over the past year, and why prices are rising so fast:

1. Gasoline (+50%)

Consumers are reeling as prices at the gas pump are up more than a dollar per gallon over the previous year.

Simply put, rising demand and constrained global supply are resulting in higher prices. Even as prices have risen, U.S. oil production has seen a slow rebound from the pandemic, as American oil companies are wary of oversupplying the market.

Meanwhile, President Biden has identified inflation as a โ€œtop priorityโ€, but there are limited tools at the governmentโ€™s disposal to curb rising prices. For now, Biden has urged the Federal Trade Commission to examine what role energy companies are playing in rising gas prices.

2. Natural Gas (+28%)

Natural gas prices have risen for similar reasons as gasoline. Supply is slow to come back online, and oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was adversely affected by Hurricane Ida in September.

Compared to the previous winter, households could see their heating bills jump as much as 54%. An estimated 60% of U.S. households heat their homes with fossil fuels, so rising prices will almost certainly have an effect on consumer spending during the holiday season.

3. Used Vehicles (+26%)

The global semiconductor crunch is causing chaos in a number of industries, but the automotive industry is uniquely impacted. Modern vehicles can contain well over a thousand chips, so constrained supply has hobbled production of nearly a million vehicles in the U.S. alone. This chip shortage is having a knock-on effect on the used vehicle market, which jumped by 26% in a single year. The rental car sector is also up by nearly 40% over the same period.

4. Meats (+15%)

Meat producers are facing a few headwinds, and the result is higher prices at the cash register for consumers. Transportation and fuel costs are factoring into rising prices. Constrained labor availability is also an issue for the industry, which was exacerbated by COVID-19 measures. As a top-level category, inflation is high, but in specific animal product categories, such as uncooked beef and bacon, inflation rates have reached double digits over the past 12 months.

5. Furniture and Bedding (+12%)

This category is being influenced by a few factors. The spike in lumber prices along with other raw materials earlier in the year has had obvious impacts. Materials aside, actually shipping these cumbersome goods has been a challenge due to global supply chain issues such a port back-ups.

How Inflation Could Influence Consumer Spending

Rising prices inevitably impact the economy as consumers adjust their buying habits.

According to a recent survey, 88% of Americans say they are concerned about U.S. inflation. Here are the top five areas where consumers plan to cut back on their spending:

Money saving action% of respondents
Cut back on restaurant / take-out meals48%
Keep my current technology (e.g. phone, tablet) instead of upgrading30%
Budget food and cut back on grocery buying29%
Purchase less clothing / accessories29%
Put off home repairs, renovations, or home upgrades23%

Will Inflation Continue to Rise in 2022?

Many experts believe that U.S. inflation will decelerate going into 2022, though there’s no consensus on the matter.

Improved semiconductor supply and an easing of port congestion around the world could help slow inflation down if nothing goes seriously wrong. That said, if the last few years are any indication, unexpected events could shift the situation at any time.

For the near term, consumers will need to adjust to the sticker shock.

Where does this data come from?

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics โ€“ Consumer Price Index (November 10, 2021)
Data Note: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices paid by consumers for goods and services. The CPI reflects spending patterns for each of two population groups: all urban consumers and
urban wage earners and clerical workers, which represent about 93% of the total U.S. population. CPIs are based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, fuels, transportation, doctorsโ€™ and dentistsโ€™ services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living.

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Visualizing Companies with the Most Patents Granted in 2021

Companies around the world invest billions in R&D to provide cutting-edge innovation to their products and services.

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companies with the most patents

The Briefing

  • In 2021, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted a total of 327,798 utility patents
  • For almost three decades, IBM has been granted more patents each year than any other U.S. company

Visualizing Companies with the Most Patents Granted in 2021

Companies around the world invest billions in R&D to provide cutting-edge innovation to their products and services. In order to protect these investments, companies apply for patents. Therefore, the number of utility patents a company is granted can be considered a rough measure of its level of innovation.

Every year, the Patent 300 List identifies Americaโ€™s most innovative companies within the intellectual property space by analyzing the patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

In 2021, the USPTO granted a total of 327,798 utility patents, down 7% from the previous year. Letโ€™s take a look at which companies generated the most patents in 2021.

RankCountryCompany/Organization2021
Patents
Change
from 2020
1๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.International Business Machines Corporation8,540-9%
2๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South KoreaSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.8,5170%
3๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South KoreaLg Corporation4,388-13%
4๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต JapanCanon K.K.3,400-8%
5๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ChinaHuawei Technologies Co., Ltd.2,955-7%
6๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.Intel Corporation2,835-14%
7๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ TaiwanTaiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd.2,807-3%
8๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต JapanToyota Jidosha K.K.2,753-2%
9๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ U.S.Raytheon Technologies Corporation2,694-16%
10๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต JapanSony Corporation2,624-9%

For 29 consecutive years, IBM has led U.S. companies in the number of patents received annually. In 2021, the company received 8,540 patents, a 9% decline from the previous year.

IBMโ€™s innovations are focused on solving major global challenges, and cover areas such as sustainable growth, climate change, and preventing future pandemics, as well as initiatives enabling food and energy security. They aim to address these problems through a blend of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing.

One of IBMโ€™s most noteworthy innovations in 2021 was their new quantum processor called Eagle, which broke the 100-qubit barrier to bring quantum computing into a new era. This processor has the ability to solve problems that classical computers canโ€™t, giving it the potential to bring real-world benefits to different fields from renewable energy to finance and more.

Samsung: A Close Second Innovator

Samsung Electronics is one of the biggest innovators over the last decade. In 2021, the company got 8,517 patents granted by the USPTO, a close second to IBM.

The companyโ€™s patent-winning innovations take place in several areas, including virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), 5G technologies, and autonomous driving.

The Technology Sector Dominates Utility Patents

Unsurprisingly, out of the top 25 companies with the most patents granted in 2021, 16 of them belong to the technology sector.

However, utility patents are not only limited to tech companies.

In fact, companies from all sectors apply for patents every year. Patents are great assets for companies since they give them exclusive commercial rights for their inventions and protect them from competition. This is one of the main reasons we see companies getting thousands of new patents every year.

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Russia Has Been Suspended From the UN Human Rights Council

Here’s how the global community voted on the resolution: In favor – 93 | Abstained – 58 | Against – 24

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Visualization showing Russia's suspension from UN Human Rights Council. 93 countries voted for the resolution, 24 against

The Briefing

  • 93 countries voted in favor of suspending Russia from the UN’s Human Rights Council, including all NATO member countries
  • 24 countries voted against the resolution, including; China, Iran, and North Korea

Russia Has Been Suspended From the UN Human Rights Council

On April 7, 2022, the United Nations suspended Russia from its seat on the Human Rights Council.

This suspension comes amid growing condemnation of Russia over alleged civilian murders committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. Widely distributed videos appear to show the bodies of civilians scattered along the streets in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

To be approved, the resolution required a two-thirds majority of assembly members that vote โ€œyesโ€ or โ€œno”. Here is a complete list of how countries voted:

CountryVoteNATO MemberFormer Soviet Union
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฉ AndorraIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ซ Afghanistan--
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Antigua and BarbudaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฑ AlbaniaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Armenia--
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ด AngolaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท ArgentinaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น AustriaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ AustraliaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Azerbaijan--
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ง BarbadosAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ BangladeshAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช BelgiumIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ซ Burkina Faso--
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฌ BulgariaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ญ BahrainAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฎ BurundiAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฏ Benin--
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ณ Brunei DarussalamAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ด BoliviaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท BrazilAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ธ BahamasIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡น BhutanAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ผ BotswanaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡พ BelarusAgainst
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฟ BelizeAbstained
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ CanadaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Dem. Republic of the CongoIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ซ Central African RepublicAgainst
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Republic of the CongoAgainst
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ SwitzerlandIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Cรดte dโ€™IvoireIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฑ ChileIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฒ CameroonAbstained
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ChinaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ด ColombiaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ท Costa RicaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡บ CubaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ป Cabo VerdeAbstained
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡พ CyprusIn favor
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Czech RepublicIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช GermanyIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฏ Djibouti--
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ DenmarkIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฒ DominicaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ด Dominican RepublicIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฟ AlgeriaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ EcuadorIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช EstoniaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌ EgyptAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ท EritreaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ SpainIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡น EthiopiaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ FinlandIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏ FijiIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฒ MicronesiaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท FranceIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฆ GabonAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฉ GrenadaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช GeorgiaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญ GhanaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ฒ GambiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ณ Guinea--
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ถ Equatorial Guinea--
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท GreeceIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡น GuatemalaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ผ Guinea-BissauAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡พ GuyanaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ณ HondurasIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท CroatiaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡น HaitiIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ HungaryIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ IndonesiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช IrelandIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ IsraelIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ IndiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ถ IraqAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ท IranAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ IcelandIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น ItalyIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ฒ JamaicaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ด JordanAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต JapanIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ช KenyaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฌ KyrgyzstanAgainst
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ญ CambodiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฎ KiribatiIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฒ ComorosIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ณ Saint Kitts and NevisAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ต North KoreaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South KoreaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ผ KuwaitAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ KazakhstanAgainst
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฆ LaosAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ง Lebanon--
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡จ Saint LuciaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฎ LiechtensteinIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Sri LankaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ท LiberiaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ธ LesothoAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น LithuaniaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บ LuxembourgIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ป LatviaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡พ LibyaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Morocco--
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡จ MonacoIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฉ MoldovaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ช MontenegroIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฌ MadagascarAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ญ Marshall IslandsIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฐ North MacedoniaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฑ MaliAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฒ MyanmarIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ณ MongoliaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ท Mauritania--
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡น MaltaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡บ MauritiusIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ป MaldivesAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ผ MalawiIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ MexicoAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡พ MalaysiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฟ MozambiqueAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฆ NamibiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ช NigerAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ NigeriaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฎ NicaraguaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ NetherlandsIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด NorwayIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ต NepalAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ท NauruIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ New ZealandIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฒ OmanAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฆ PanamaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช PeruIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฌ Papua New GuineaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ PhilippinesIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ PakistanAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ PolandIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น PortugalIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ผ PalauIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พ ParaguayIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ถ๐Ÿ‡ฆ QatarAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด RomaniaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ SerbiaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ RussiaAgainst
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ผ Rwanda--
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Saudi ArabiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ง Solomon Islands--
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จ SeychellesIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฉ SudanAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช SwedenIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ SingaporeAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ SloveniaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ SlovakiaIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Sierra LeoneIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฒ San MarinoIn favor
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ณ SenegalAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ด Somalia--
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ท SurinameAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ธ South SudanAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡น Sao Tome and Principe--
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ป El SalvadorAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡พ SyriaAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฟ EswatiniAbstained
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฉ ChadIn favor
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฌ TogoAbstained
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ ThailandAbstained
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฏ TajikistanAgainst
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฑ Timor LesteIn favor
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฒ Turkmenistan--
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ณ TunisiaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ด TongaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท TurkeyIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡น Trinidad and TobagoAbstained
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ป TuvaluIn favor
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฟ TanzaniaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ UkraineIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฌ UgandaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ช United Arab EmiratesAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United KingdomIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United StatesIn favor
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พ UruguayIn favor
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฟ UzbekistanAgainst
โœ”๏ธ
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡จ St Vincent and the GrenadinesAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ช Venezuela--
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ VietnamAgainst
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡บ VanuatuAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ผ๐Ÿ‡ธ SamoaIn favor
๐Ÿ‡พ๐Ÿ‡ช YemenAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ South AfricaAbstained
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Zambia--
๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ ZimbabweAgainst
๐Ÿด๓ ข๓ ก๓ ข๓ ฉ๓ จ๓ ฟ Bosnia and HerzegovinaIn favor

Not surprisingly, all NATO countries voted in favor of suspending Russia from the Council. This includes Turkey, which has taken a more neutral stance than other allies since the invasion began. Altogether, 93 countries voted for the resolution.

On the other side, 24 countries voted against the resolution. China is perhaps the most significant “no” vote, citing a lack of openness and transparency in the process. Of course, Russia itself voted against the resolution.

A number of countries abstained from voting, most notably, India. Leading up to the vote, Moscow indicated that even an abstention would be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties.

This suspension adds to the list of actions taken against Russiaโ€”including heavy sanctionsโ€”as the country becomes more isolated from the international communityโ€”particularly Western nations.

What Does the UN Human Rights Council Do?

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a UN body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world.

The Council investigates breaches of human rights in UN member states and member countries address big picture human rights issues.

How Does the UN Human Rights Council Work?

The Council consists of 47 members, elected yearly by the General Assembly for staggered three-year terms.

Using the UN regional grouping system, members are selected to represent a diverse and fair mix of countries from around the world. Until its suspension, Russia was one of the two countries representing Eastern Europe, along with Ukraine.

Members are eligible for re-election for one additional term, after which they relinquish their seat.

Where does this data come from?

Source: The United Nations

Correction: An earlier version of this graphic had a Colombian flag in the “abstain” section. It has been replaced with the correct flag, Cambodia. Austria was also erroneously grouped with NATO countries.

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