While the euro is used by 20 of the EU’s 27 member countries, Poland, Romania, Denmark, Sweden, Czechia and Hungary have all chosen, or in some cases delayed, joining the eurozone, despite being part of the bloc’s single market.

The euro was officially introduced in 1999 for electronic transactions and entered circulation in 2002, becoming one of the world’s most traded currencies alongside the U.S. dollar. According to the European Central Bank (ECB), more than 340 million people currently use the euro across Europe.

However, adopting the euro requires countries to meet strict economic conditions known as the Maastricht criteria, including limits on inflation, government debt, budget deficits and exchange rate stability.

Among the six holdouts, Denmark remains the only country with a formal opt-out agreement negotiated during the Maastricht Treaty in the 1990s. The Danish krone is closely pegged to the euro through the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, effectively keeping its value stable against the common currency while preserving national monetary control.

Sweden, meanwhile, has repeatedly delayed adopting the euro after voters rejected the currency in a 2003 referendum. Although Sweden is technically obligated to join eventually, successive governments have avoided entering the exchange rate mechanism required for accession.

In Central and Eastern Europe, countries such as Poland, Hungary and Czechia have cited economic flexibility and monetary independence as key reasons for retaining their national currencies.

Poland’s zloty, for example, has often been viewed domestically as an important buffer against external economic shocks. During periods of inflation or slowing growth, governments and central banks can adjust interest rates and currency policy independently, tools that eurozone members surrender to the European Central Bank.

Hungary’s forint and Czechia’s koruna have similarly allowed policymakers greater control over domestic economic conditions, particularly during periods of volatility linked to energy prices, inflation and global market uncertainty.

Romania continues to target eventual euro adoption but has repeatedly postponed timelines due to inflation and fiscal challenges. The European Commission has previously stated that several non-Euro EU members still do not fully meet convergence requirements.

The concert, part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran world tour , attracted a crowd stretching across one of the world’s most famous beaches, according to city officials.

The turnout places Shakira among the top six most-attended free concerts of all time, a list historically dominated by mega-events in Brazil and Europe.

The Rio performance was more than just a concert. It was a large-scale cultural and economic event, designed in part to boost tourism and local spending between major holiday seasons.

City authorities estimate the show could generate around $150 million in economic activity, driven by hotel bookings, restaurants and international visitors.

Fans travelled from across Brazil and beyond, turning Copacabana into a sea of spectators as Shakira performed hits including Hips Don’t Lie and Waka Waka during a nearly three-hour set.

The performance also followed a growing tradition of mega free concerts in Rio, after Madonna’s 2024 show and Lady Gaga’s 2025 appearance drew similarly vast crowds.

While Shakira’s 2 million attendance figure ranks among the largest ever, the record remains with Rod Stewart, whose 1994 New Year’s Eve concert at the same Copacabana Beach drew an estimated 3.5 million people, according to Guinness World Records data.

Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre also features prominently in the rankings, with multiple concerts exceeding 2.5 million attendees, including a Moscow performance in 1997.

Among female artists, Lady Gaga currently holds the record for the largest free concert crowd, with approximately 2.1 million attendees at Copacabana in 2025.

Shakira’s latest show, however, marks the largest free concert ever by a Latin artist and the biggest of her career, underscoring her global reach.

The rise of large-scale, city-sponsored concerts reflects a broader shift in the live music industry, where governments increasingly use cultural events to drive tourism and international visibility.

Rio’s “Todo Mundo no Rio” initiative, which hosts these free beach concerts, has rapidly become one of the world’s biggest live music platforms, attracting millions without traditional ticketing barriers.

For artists, these performances offer unmatched exposure. For cities, they serve as economic catalysts.

Unemployment across East Asia and the Pacific remains relatively moderate overall, but sharp disparities between smaller island economies and larger regional players are becoming increasingly visible, according to the latest World Bank data.

A visual ranking of unemployment rates highlights French Polynesia and New Caledonia as the hardest-hit labour markets in the region, with jobless rates of 11.7% and 11.2% respectively. These figures stand in stark contrast to the broader regional average of around 3.8%, underscoring uneven economic recovery and structural challenges.

The World Bank’s World Development Indicators show that most East Asian economies continue to maintain comparatively low unemployment levels by global standards, reflecting strong labour absorption in manufacturing, services, and informal sectors.

Smaller Pacific economies dominate the upper end of the unemployment rankings. Guam (5.6%), Fiji (5.3%), and Vanuatu (5.1%) all report rates well above the regional average, pointing to limited job diversification and heavy reliance on tourism and public sector employment.

“These economies are structurally more vulnerable to shocks,” the World Bank notes in its labour market datasets, particularly due to geographic isolation and narrow economic bases.

Among larger economies, China reported an unemployment rate of 4.6%, while Australia stood at 4.1% and Malaysia at 3.8%, broadly in line with or slightly above the regional average. Indonesia and Myanmar recorded lower rates of 3.2% and 3.0%, respectively.

New Zealand, despite being a high-income economy, posted a relatively elevated rate of 5.1%, reflecting tighter labour market conditions amid economic adjustments.

While overall unemployment appears contained, youth unemployment continues to present a more complex challenge. The World Bank estimates youth joblessness in developing East Asia and the Pacific at just over 13% in 2025, significantly higher than the general population rate.

This gap suggests persistent barriers to entry for young workers, including skills mismatches and limited access to formal employment opportunities.

Youth unemployment across the European Union edged higher in February 2026, with stark disparities between member states highlighting persistent structural divides in the bloc’s labour market, according to data from Eurostat and national analyses.

Across the EU, the youth unemployment rate, measuring those under 25 actively seeking work, rose to 15.3% in February, up slightly from 15.2% in January, with nearly 3 million young people unemployed.

While the overall EU unemployment rate remained comparatively stable at 5.9% , the data underscores a continuing imbalance affecting younger workers, whose jobless rate remains more than double that of the general population.

Romania tops youth unemployment rankings

Romania recorded the highest youth unemployment rate among EU countries, reaching approximately 28.2% , according to Eurostat-aligned datasets for early 2026.

The figure reinforces a longer-term trend identified by Romania Insider , which reported that Romania had already become the EU’s worst performer for youth unemployment, with rates above 26% in 2024, surpassing traditionally high-unemployment countries such as Spain and Greece.

Despite relatively low overall unemployment levels in Romania, way below the EU average, the youth segment continues to lag significantly, pointing to deeper structural issues in education , skills matching, and labour market integration.

Analysts cited by Romania Insider have previously linked the trend to high levels of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), alongside employer reluctance to hire inexperienced workers and gaps between academic training and market needs.

Southern and Nordic economies remain under pressure

Other countries with elevated youth unemployment include Spain (23.8%), Sweden (23.2%), and Finland (23.1%), reflecting ongoing labour market pressures across both southern and parts of northern Europe.

France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Portugal also reported rates between roughly 18% and 21%, signalling that youth employment challenges extend beyond traditionally weaker economies.

At the other end of the spectrum, Germany recorded one of the lowest youth unemployment rates at 7.4% , followed by the Netherlands (around 9%) and Czechia (10.5%), according to Eurostat data.

Central and eastern European countries such as Poland and Slovenia also maintained relatively lower levels, generally close to or just above 11%.

Economists attribute these stronger outcomes to robust vocational training systems, tighter labour markets, and smoother school-to-work transitions.

The February data highlights a persistent structural divide within the EU, where youth unemployment remains uneven despite broadly stable macroeconomic conditions.

Eurostat estimates show that youth unemployment increased modestly month-on-month in early 2026, even as total unemployment declined slightly year-on-year, suggesting that younger workers are more vulnerable to economic shifts and slower to benefit from recovery cycles.

While much of the world marks International Workers’ Day on May 1, several major economies do not observe the date as a nationwide public holiday.

Countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan do not officially celebrate Labour Day on May 1, according to data compiled from Office Holidays.

Instead, many of these nations recognise workers on alternative dates. The United States and Canada observe Labour Day on the first Monday in September , a shift that dates back to the late 19th century when governments sought to distance the holiday from socialist and labour movements associated with May Day.

The United Kingdom and Ireland mark a bank holiday on the first Monday of May, rather than May 1 itself.

Global norm with notable exceptions

May 1 is recognised as a public holiday in more than 150 countries worldwide, making it one of the most widely observed international holidays, according to Office Holidays. The date commemorates the Haymarket affair of 1886 in Chicago, a pivotal event in the global labour movement advocating for an eight-hour workday.

Across Europe, Africa, Latin America and much of Asia, May Day is typically marked by public holidays , rallies and demonstrations celebrating workers’ rights.

The map also highlights countries where May 1 is only partially observed. In nations such as Switzerland, India, South Korea and Taiwan, the holiday may apply only to certain regions, industries or worker groups, rather than being a universal public holiday.

This fragmented approach reflects differences in labour laws, economic structures and political traditions. In India, for example, Labour Day is recognised in several states but not uniformly nationwide. Similarly, Switzerland observes the day in some cantons, while others treat it as a normal working day.

The divergence in Labour Day observance is deeply rooted in history. In Western countries like the United States, shifting the holiday to September was seen as a way to separate it from radical political movements. In contrast, many countries embraced May 1 as a symbol of worker solidarity and social progress.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa broke her own world record with a time of 2:15:41, finishing ahead of Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei, another clean sweep for African athletes.

When it comes to marathon running at the highest level, Africa, particularly East African runners, has dominated the London Marathon for more than two decades.

Athletes like Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, a four-time London winner widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in history, helped cement that legacy. Year after year, the winners’ lists have been overwhelmingly African

First held in 1981, the London Marathon has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious long-distance races, alongside events in Boston, New York, Berlin, Chicago, and Tokyo.

Founded by former Olympic champion Chris Brasher and athlete John Disley, the race was inspired by the inclusive spirit of the New York Marathon, combining elite competition with mass participation and charity fundraising.

Today, it attracts more than 50,000 runners annually and raises hundreds of millions of pounds for charitable causes, making it as much a social event as a sporting spectacle.

Recent data compiled from international migration estimates and policy analyses shows that more than 50 million immigrants live in the United States, far exceeding any other country, according to figures cited by immigration platform CitizenPath and global data aggregators.

Germany follows with 15.8 million immigrants, while Saudi Arabia (13.5 million), Russia (11.6 million) and the United Kingdom (9.4 million) round out the top five.

Analysts at Intelpoint note that advanced economies continue to attract the largest absolute migrant populations due to stronger labour markets and institutional stability, particularly in sectors such as healthcare, construction and technology.

CitizenPath data also highlights that immigration remains central to U.S. population growth, with migrants accounting for a significant share of workforce expansion in recent years.

While Western nations dominate in total numbers, Gulf countries lead when measured by proportion of immigrants within their populations.

These figures reflect a fundamentally different migration structure, where foreign workers make up the majority of the labour force under temporary or sponsorship-based systems.

According to regional analyses cited by Intelpoint, Gulf economies rely heavily on migrant labour across construction, domestic work and service industries, with limited pathways to permanent residency or citizenship.