2023 Facts & Figures: Europe

The world’s largest carbon capture plant is operating in Iceland. The massive facility (above), which opened in 2021, uses geothermal energy to pull thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it safely underground. Advocates for carbon capture technology say it’s a critical resource to fight climate change. 

^{Source: Smithsonian Magazine}

PERCENTAGE of German residents who are either foreign-born or have at least one immigrant parent. Türkiye (Turkey), Poland, and Russia are the top three countries of origin for those in Germany with migrant roots, according to a 2022 report by Germany’s statistics agency. (The numbers don’t include the wave of migrants from the war in Ukraine.)

^{Source: DW}

NUMBER OF YEARS strongman Aleksandr Lukashenko has been president of Belarus. First elected in 1994, he is the only European leader who has been in power longer than Russian President Vladimir Putin.

PROPORTION of Ukraine’s territory that was considered prime agricultural land—ideal for growing grains—before the war with Russia. Ukrainians cultivated almost 80 million acres of land annually, and Ukraine has been a major global supplier of corn, soybeans, wheat, and barley. It has been known as the breadbasket of Europe. 

^{Source: Farming Life}

PERCENTAGE of Norway’s electricity that came from renewable energy in 2020, the highest proportion of any nation. Hydropower is by far Norway’s largest source of renewable energy, but the number of wind turbines is steadily growing.

^{Source: Enerdata Yearbook}