A Data Visualization Newsletter

A massive demographic shift is underway across the globe. By 2050, people ages 65 and older will make up nearly 40% of the population in parts of East Asia and Europe — nearly double the share of older adults in America’s retirement capital: Florida. That means a ballooning number of retirees will be relying on a shrinking workforce to support them. This piece from The New York Times breaks it all down.

Data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that America's drinking habits are changing. Sure, water is still our most consumed beverage, accounting for nearly half of our total consumption. But consumption of other beverages, like soft drinks and regular milk, are way down across all age groups. It’s a fascinating look into how Americans have replaced soda with bottled water.

The collective hype around two movies — Barbie and Oppenheimer — propelled box office receipts to more than $240 million this past weekend in the US. As The Washington Post shows, the massive opening weekend is just one one item in a long list of career accomplishments for Barbie. She’s excelled in more than 200 jobs over the course of 60 years.

Okinawa — a small Japanese island situated roughly halfway between China and Japan — is once again caught in the crosshairs of mounting geopolitical tension. The U.S. sees the island as imperative to its defense strategy in the Pacific, while China feels the U.S. military presence on the island poses a massive security risk. Local residents are torn.

Over the last few weeks, numerous reports have shown that Ukraine is staging strategic attacks through drones and long-range missiles against Russian forces in the Crimea. In particular, the Ukrainians use of suicide sea drones — which are armed with explosives designed to ram into targets and detonate — has opened up a new era of naval warfare in the Black Sea. It’s forcing Russia to get creative.