trade

Singapore tops the Heritage Foundation's 2026 Index of Economic Freedom at 84.4, ahead of Switzerland and Ireland. This ranking covers 176 countries, explains how two rival indexes are built, and shows what the scores do and do not predict.

Brazil ships the most coffee by volume and value. Switzerland and Germany rank high because they re-export processed coffee, and Colombia and Ethiopia earn more per tonne than the volume leaders. Here is how the ranking works and who keeps the money.

Brazil produces nearly 40% of the world's coffee — more than the next three countries combined. Vietnam is the world's top Robusta producer. Ethiopia is coffee's birthplace. Global coffee production is worth $50 billion at origin but $460 billion at retail — the biggest markup in agriculture. Here's the full coffee production ranking.

Switzerland consumes 10.3 kg of chocolate per person per year — the world's highest. Denmark, Austria, and Germany follow. The global chocolate market exceeds $130 billion. Meanwhile, cocoa-growing countries in West Africa — which produce 70% of the world's cocoa — consume almost none. Here's the strange geography of chocolate.

For 30 years, the world got more connected. Trade barriers fell, supply chains stretched across continents, and goods flowed freely. Now the trend is reversing. Tariffs are rising, supply chains are being reshored, and geopolitical blocs are forming. Here's why deglobalisation is happening and what it means for prices, jobs, and geopolitics.