Chart: What Does it Cost to Run Big Business?
Connect with us

Datastream

What Does it Cost to Run Big Business?

Published

on

The cost to run big business

Can I share this graphic?
Yes. Visualizations are free to share and post in their original form across the webโ€”even for publishers. Please link back to this page and attribute Visual Capitalist.
When do I need a license?
Licenses are required for some commercial uses, translations, or layout modifications. You can even whitelabel our visualizations. Explore your options.
Interested in this piece?
Click here to license this visualization.

The Briefing

  • The cost of running a Fortune 500 company can easily exceed $100 billion annually
  • Walmartโ€™s operating costs in 2020 were equal to 70% of U.S. military spending

What Does it Cost to Run Big Business?

How much does it cost to run one of Americaโ€™s largest corporations? For household names like Apple, Costco and Walmart, well over $100 billion each year.

To get a better sense of their massive scale, this chart compiles financial data from some of the largest Fortune 500 companies, and includes U.S. military spending as an additional point of comparison.

EntityCost of Operations, USD billionsRevenues, USD billionsOperating Margin, %
U.S. Military Spending$778N/AN/A
Walmart$537$5594%
Amazon$363$3866%
Apple$170$27538%
CVS Health$255$2695%
Berkshire Hathaway$231$2466%
Alphabet$142$18322%
ExxonMobil$210$182-15%
AT&T$165$1724%
Costco Wholesale$161$1674%

To determine each companyโ€™s total cost of operations, we combined its selling, general & administrative expense (SG&A) and its cost of goods sold (COGS).

SG&A covers all of the costs associated with selling products and services, as well as managing day-to-day operations. This includes employee salaries, office rent, and marketing expenses. COGS refers to any costs directly associated with producing goods, such as raw materials and labor.

Operating Costs vs. Military Spending

At $778 billion, U.S. military spending in 2020 was the highest in the world. It dwarfs that of China, which took second place with $252 billion in spending. Beyond these two, there are no other countries that spent more than $100 billion on defense.

Massive government budgets like this may seem untouchable, but todayโ€™s chart proves otherwise. As the largest employer and retailer in America, Walmart spent $537 billion (70% of U.S military spending) to keep itself running.

Combine this with Amazonโ€™s operating costs, and we reach $900 billion in expenses (16% more than U.S. military spending).

More Costs Doesn’t Mean More Profits

These businesses may be expensive to run, but how good are they at making money?

This can be measured by operating margin, which determines how much profit is generated from each dollar of revenue, after operating costs are deducted. We calculate it with a simple formula: operating earnings divided by revenues. Operating earnings are revenues less SG&A and COGS.

From the companies in this graphic, Apple had the greatest operating margin at 38%. Walmart was at the opposite end of the scale with a 4% margin.

This highlights the differences in business strategy. Walmartโ€™s competitive advantage is cost leadership, meaning it strives to beat its competitors by offering the lowest prices possible. The retailerโ€™s sheer scale (4,743 locations across the U.S.) is what enables this strategy to be effective.

Apple, on the other hand, combines strong branding and premium quality to command a high price for its products. This results in greater margins and valuationsโ€”at the time of writing, Apple is the worldโ€™s most valuable corporation with a market cap of $2.4 trillion.

Where does this data come from?

Source: SEC (2021), SIPRI
Notes: Cost of operations includes selling, general & administrative expenses (SG&A) and cost of goods sold (COGS).

Click for Comments

Datastream

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.

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Datastream

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Subscribe

Popular