Information is Beautiful

A circular diagram representing the observable universe, with Earth at the center. The diagram depicts various celestial objects and structures arranged concentrically, including planets, stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters, and superclusters. Labels are visible throughout the diagram, identifying specific objects and features. The outermost edge of the circle is labeled "furthest visible galaxies" and "big bang," signifying the limit of the observable universe.

The entire observable universe in one image.

Artist's impression, we think. Not to any obvious scale.

Art print by Pablo Carlos Budassi fineartamerica.com/featured/obs...

Chart titled "Major Large Language Models (LLMs)" showcasing various models ranked by capabilities and sized by training parameters. Models are depicted as colored circles representing different organizations, such as Anthropic, Google, Meta, OpenAI, and others. Capabilities are measured on the y-axis (MMLU score) and parameters on the x-axis. Notable models include GPT-4 Classic, Claude 3, and DeepSeek V3.1, among others. A line marks 70+ MMLU as ideal. Image created by David McCandless, Tom Evans, and Paul Barton, dated September 2025.

How to keep track of all the emerging AI LLMs like Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT? Check our interactive tracker
geni.us/IIB-LLMs

made with @vizsweet

A diagram depicting four concentric circles representing different zones of personal growth: Comfort Zone, Fear Zone, Learning Zone, and Growth Zone. Each zone is associated with specific behaviors, feelings, and outcomes. The Comfort Zone is described as low risk, low reward, and low satisfaction, while the Growth Zone is associated with setting ambitious goals, finding a greater sense of fulfillment, and embracing the unknown. The diagram encourages viewers to consider whether they want to grow or stay the same.

Growth pains...

by Instagram user: @theselfhug
www.instagram.com/p/C7To5q5S1ie/

Stacked area chart comparing syllable rate and information rate across 14 languages. Two columns show distribution curves for syllables per second (4-8) and information rate in bits per second (30-60). Japanese has highest syllable rate, while Vietnamese conveys information fastest. Languages vary in speech speed vs information density.

The expressive speed vs information 'bit rate' of spoken languages.
French and Vietnamese have the highest information density.

via The Economist
www.economist.com/graphic-detail

Bar chart showing cat ownership percentages in various countries as of 2017. Russia leads with 59%, followed by the US (43%) and Argentina (41%). European countries like Italy, France, and UK range from 32-40%. Asian countries generally have lower rates, with South Korea lowest at 9%. Data covers 15 countries, with a cat icon in the corner.

Which countries have the most cat owners?
Maybe not what you expect

A hand-drawn illustration of an "Attachment System Hierarchy of Needs" based on Maslow's Hierarchy. The image depicts a pyramid divided into six horizontal sections, each representing a different level of need. The levels, from bottom to top, are: Physiological Needs (Regulator), Physical & Interpersonal Safety (Protector), Intimate Relationships, Family Formation, Friends (Comforter), Self-Awareness and Sense of Agency (Guide), and Achieving One's Full Potential (Partner). The top of the pyramid is labeled "Self-Actualization" (Attachment Figure). The pyramid is further categorized into Basic Needs, Psychological Needs, and Self-Fulfillment Needs on the right side. The illustration is attributed to Crittenden, Spieker, Landini, and Grey (2021) and is related to the use of parental attachment in family court proceedings.

Human Attachment systems meets Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Each stage has a corresponding attachment figure. Interesting.

by @heidipsychology
www.instagram.com/p/C7b9cYusp6H/

Vintage infographic titled "Service ceiling (ft)" plots the service ceiling (maximum altitude) of various aircraft against their maximum speed in miles per hour. The data spans from 1916 to 1963, covering biplanes, monoplanes, and jet aircraft. The trend shows a steady increase in both speed and altitude over time as aviation technology advanced.

Beautiful vintage #infographic on the ceiling & speed of different aircraft
(via Reddit bit.ly/4c2bMCs)

A playful scatterplot (using dog silhouettes instead of dots) depicts the best dog, according to data. On the vertical axis is a measure of public popularity. On the horizontal is an indexed score of several metrics to consider when owning a dog (cost, temperament, no. of genetic ailments etc). Each dog is coloured by category (sport, toy, hound etc) and sized (S, M, L). If a dog is facing left, it's kind of a dumb dog. If it's facing right, it's an intelligent dog.

It's fun to learn how to create impactful #infographics & data-visuals like this.

2 x virtual half days:
15th & 16th Oct 🇺🇸 USA timezone
11th & 12th Nov 🇬🇧 UK/EU/AUS

In-person Mon 13th Oct London 🇬🇧

Details geni.us/WAB2024
Reviews geni.us/WABreviews

Discounted workshop places available for individuals from lower-income countries. Includes contact information and vibrant data visualization graphics. #iibwab

JUST RELEASED: Highly discounted workshop seats for those in lower-income countries.

Next dates:
15th & 16th Oct 🇺🇸 USA timezone
11th & 12th Nov 🇬🇧 UK/EU/AUS

Qualifying countries bit.ly/LowerIncome
Deets bit.ly/IIBWAB
Say hi to apply!
informationisbeautiful.net/contact

A list titled "The Unexpected" and "The Expected" categorizes inventions and discoveries. The "Unexpected" list includes: X-rays, nuclear energy, radio, TV, electronics, photography, sound recording, quantum mechanics, relativity, transistors, masers; lasers, superconductors; superfluids, atomic clocks; Mössbauer effect, determining composition of celestial bodies, dating the past (Carbon 14, etc.), detecting invisible planets, the ionosphere, 1 and van Allen Belts. The "Expected" list includes automobiles, flying machines, steam engines, submarines, spaceships, telephones, robots, death rays, transmutation, artificial life, immortality, invisibility, levitation, teleportation, communication with dead, observing the past, the future, 2 and telepathy.

Tech that was predicted vs Tech that was not.
Interesting list by Kevin Kelly
kk.org/thetechnium/...

The image is a playful reinterpretation of the periodic table of elements titled "Can I Lick It?" Instead of categorizing chemical elements, this version appears to classify various substances based on whether they are safe to lick. The design mimics the structured layout of a traditional periodic table, lending a scientific aesthetic to the humorous concept. Below the title, an explanatory text likely provides context for the classification system. The display includes four circular elements, possibly representing different materials or examples relevant to the theme. The combination of scientific visuals and an amusing premise creates an engaging and informative piece. It's not accurate in terms of safety, so don't do this at home.

Periodic table by lickability :)

(by Reddit user: u/Wellihol)

Note: this chart is in some cases possibly dangerously inaccurate. e.g. Elemental Calcium can cause fire in the presence of water. So, for any elemental licking experiments, take with a pinch of Na Cl

A world map highlighting in red the areas where the French government advises against all travel. The red-marked regions include large parts of Russia, the Sahel region in Africa, parts of the Middle East such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, as well as areas in Central and South America, including parts of Colombia and Venezuela. Several countries in East Africa, including Somalia and South Sudan, are also highlighted, along with parts of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar and the southern Philippines. The rest of the world remains in white.

Places the French government recommends you should not go

(by Reddit user: u/Winter-Leadership986)

Scatter plot showing rankings of major LLMs based on LMArena and SWE-Bench scores. Models are color-coded by developer: anthropic, chinese, google, meta, mistral, openAI, and xAI. The x-axis represents SWE-Bench score, y-axis is LMArena score. Higher-ranked models include Gemini 2.5 Pro, GPT-5, and Grok 4, positioned in the upper-right quadrant, indicating high scores on both axes. Llama 3 70B is in the bottom-right quadrant, showing a lower LMArena score but a higher SWE-Bench score.

Chat GPT & Google's Gemini are neck and neck in the AI LLM's race for greater, "more human" artificial intelligence - according to industry benchmarks.

graphic made with @vizsweet

The East / West divide in Germany is still - sometimes painfully - clear

(by Instagram user: @discover_our_planet_ )

An infographic flyer advertising an online seminar for learning how to create impactful infographics and data visuals with best-selling author and data-visualisation practitioner David McCandless of Information is Beautiful. Discounts are available.

A photo of author and founder of Information is Beautiful, David McCandless, presenting a training in front of a large screen to a seated audience

Join @infobeautiful founder David McCandless for a rare in-person training in LDN 🇬🇧 and learn his concept-driven approach to data-visualisation:

Mon 13th Oct London 🇬🇧

Deets: bit.ly/IIBWAB
Reviews: geni.us/WABreviews

Photograph of a double bed with an excel themed bed cover and matching pillow cases

Spreadsheets

Screenshot of a classic Flash datavisualisation by the New York Times showing the box office receipts of movies from 1986 to 2008

The New York Times' classic #dataviz made in *Flash* are back online - thanks to some kind of tech magic. Via @flowingdata
flowingdata.com/2024/01/10/n...

A selection of true story Hollywood films is presented with diagrams. Each diagram is a horizontal bar with vertical stripes inside. The stripes represent a scene-by-scene breakdown of the film. The colors of the stripes indicate whether a scene is true, true-ish, false-ish, false or whether that is unknow. For example the Film Selma is shown as 100% true, while the film The Imitation Game is shown as only 42.3% true.

Great films fact-checked and visualised scene by scene. Is there really such a thing as a “true” true story in Hollywood? informationisbeautiful.net/visualizatio...

An infographic flyer advertising an online seminar for learning how to create impactful infographics and data visuals with best-selling author and data-visualisation practitioner David McCandless of Information is Beautiful. Discounts are available.

Learn how to create impactful data-visualizations & infographics. Join our highly-rated online seminars

2 x virtual half days:
15th & 16th Oct 🇺🇸 USA timezone
11th & 12th Nov 🇬🇧 UK/EU/AUS

In-person Mon 13th Oct London 🇬🇧

Deets: geni.us/WAB2024
Reviews: geni.us/WABreviews

The cover images of three infographic books by David McCandless: Beautiful News, Knowledge is Beautiful and The Visual Miscellaneum

Some good USA deals on our beautiful books out there
📘 58% off Beautiful News - geni.us/BNEWS
📕 21% off Knowledge is Beautiful (hardcover) - geni.us/KIB25
📗 42% off The Visual Miscellaneum - geni.us/VMisc25
bit.ly/IIB-Books

Voronoi chart visualized the population sizes of major nations with 20 million or more inhabitants. For the first time in history India (1,429 million) has a larger population than China (1,426 million) according to United Nations estimates

World population visualized
informationisbeautiful.net/visualizatio...

An intricate infographic visualizes a recipe for chocolate and nut flapacks. Ingredients, prep and method are all depicted with in graphical and diagrammatic form.

Interesting project. Infoodgraphic recipes by Will Stahl-Timmins
www.behance.net/will-s-t

A detailed topographic map of Portugal. The map uses shading and contours to depict the country's varied terrain, including mountains, valleys, and coastal areas. Major cities like Lisbon and Porto are labeled, and the islands of Madeira and the Azores are shown in insets. The title "Portugal" and the subtitle "República Portuguesa" are prominently displayed.

A sunrise map of Portugal

by @verygoodmaps
x.com/verygoodmaps...

Infographic titled 'Global land use for food production' by Our World in Data, depicting how Earth's land is utilized. The diagram breaks down Earth's surface into 29% land (141 million km²) and 71% ocean (369 million km²). Land is further categorized into habitable land (76% of total land), glaciers (10%), and barren land (14%). Habitable land is divided into agriculture (45%), forests (38%), shrubs (13%), urban areas (1%), and water bodies (3%). Agricultural land is predominantly used for livestock (80%), with 16% for crops and 4% for non-food crops. A section highlights that 83% of global calories come from plant-based food, while 38% of protein comes from meat and dairy. Data sources include the FAO and research by Poore & Nemecek (2018), licensed under CC-BY by Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (September 2023).

What percentage of the world is farmland?

(via ourworldindata.org/global-land-...)

Minimum safe distance to view a dangerous wild animal

(by YouTube creator The Brain Maze)
www.youtube.com/shorts/KulVz...

A comparison chart between the United States' Imperial system and the Metric system used by the rest of the world. The left side (United States) shows inconsistent unit conversions: 12 inches per foot, 3 feet per yard, 1,760 yards per mile (off screen), and 16 ounces per pound. It also highlights the Fahrenheit temperature scale (32°F freezing, 212°F boiling) and the month-day-year date format. The right side (Rest of the World) presents the Metric system with consistent unit conversions: 1,000 millimeters per meter, 1,000 meters per kilometer, 1,000 grams per kilogram, and 1,000 kilograms per tonne. It uses the Celsius temperature scale (0°C freezing, 100°C boiling) and the day-month-year date format.

Measurement unit differences between the U.S.A. and most of the world.

(creator: unknown)

A scatter plot showing the evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs) from pre-2022 to 2024, with capabilities measured in MMLU scores (20-100) on the y-axis and time on the x-axis. Models are color-coded by company (Anthropic, Chinese, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral, OpenAI, and others). Notable models like GPT-4, Claude 3 Opus, and Gemini are highlighted near the top of the chart, approaching human expert level (89.8 MMLU). A trend line shows the general improvement in capabilities over time.

Major AI Large Language Models (LLMs) ranked by their capabilities (MMLU)
interactive tracker: geni.us/IIB-LLMs

The cover images of three infographic books by David McCandless: Beautiful News, Knowledge is Beautiful and Information is Beautiful

Some good UK deals on our beautiful books out there
📘 63% off Beautiful News- just £9! geni.us/BNEWS
📕 20% off Information is Beautiful geni.us/IIBbook
📙 25% off Knowledge is Beautiful geni.us/KIB25

Info bit.ly/IIB-Books

A horizontal bar graph titled "Men speak most in best picture winning films," showing the proportion of words spoken by male and female characters in Best Picture Oscar winners from 1991 to 2016. The graph displays the year and film title, followed by two horizontal bars for each film, representing the percentage of words spoken by women (purple) and men (dark blue). The graph visually demonstrates that male characters consistently have a higher proportion of spoken words compared to female characters across most of the films listed.

Telling. Quantity of male versus female dialogue in best picture films of recent decades

(by @puddingviz)

Word cloud on autism risk factors. Header states autism is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Larger text indicates higher risk factors: having an identical twin with autism, injury to the cerebellum at birth, and siblings with autism. Other risks: premature birth, very low birth weight, older parental age, serious viral infections during the first trimester, closely spaced siblings, male sex, pesticide exposure, and air pollution. Vaccinations, birth month, and parenting do not increase risk. Notes that 60-90% of risk comes from genes, but no single factor guarantees autism. Sources listed at the bottom.

Major risk factors for autism - visualized. Acetaminophen (paracetamol) use doesn’t even make the chart.

Viral & bacterial infection & fever during pregnancy ARE significant risk-factors + also why someone would take pain killers.

all data & sources bit.ly/AutismRisks