World Data Lab

World Data Lab at NACS Convenience Summit Europe 2026

Last week, our GM Private and CCO Thomas Bauer took the stage in Warsaw at the NACS Convenience Summit Europe alongside Konrad Waclawik from NielsenIQ to tackle one of the most consequential questions facing European retail: who will dominate convenience?
The answer is not one generation. It's two.

Drawing on World Data Lab's spending data across 180+ countries, Thomas and Konrad made the case that Gen Z and Gen X are the two most strategically important demographic segments in the world right now. Gen Z is the largest generation ever, 2 billion people, 25% of global population. Gen X is the richest, commanding €14 trillion in spending power and set to remain the dominant spending generation until 2033.

For European convenience retailers, the implications are direct. Gen X brings bigger basket sizes and brand loyalty. Gen Z brings visit frequency and experimentation. Winning the next decade means serving both, deliberately and simultaneously.
The bottom line: Gen X keeps convenience profitable. Gen Z keeps convenience relevant.

Want to explore the Gen Z vs Gen X data for your market? https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wmHWF0

Asia is rising across every rung of the consumer class ladder

Between 2026 and 2036, the map of who sits in each spending class redraws itself. Asia's share of the core middle class climbs from 50% to 59%, while Africa overtakes Asia as home to most of the world's poor. Even wealth spreads out: the Americas' grip on the rich loosens from 52% to 40% as Asia's share jumps to 36%.

Asia is rising across every rung of the consumer class ladder Between 2026 and 2036, the map of who sits in each spending class redraws itself. Asia's share of the core middle class climbs from 50% to 59%, while Africa o…

95% of Brazilian adults use Pix.

A payment method that launched in November 2020. Zero to near-universal adoption in a country of 200 million people, in under five years.

As Estelita Haas puts it: no payment method in history has achieved that.

In the latest episode of Data Talks, Wolfgang Fengler speaks with Estelita, Head of Product Markets and Business Intelligence at Ebanx, a Brazilian fintech operating in 25+ countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

They get into why a company with a card-first checkout cannot reach the majority of buyers in emerging markets. Why payment methods that look like competitors are actually feeding each other. And why the most interesting innovation in payments right now is happening in emerging markets, not in the traditional financial centres.

One line from Estelita that stays with you: "Payments are about people."

🎧 Listen now. https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0whjvG0 or https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0whjn80

Spending Longer and Living More goes live today at 4:00 PM CET / 10:00 AM EST: our webinar with NIQ and Silver Economy on the 60+ consumer reshaping global spending.

By 2036, nearly every third dollar spent worldwide will come from someone over 60. We'll show you exactly where that growth is concentrating, and what to do about it now.

Still time to join us.

🔗 Register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wfvKQ0

Netherlands 2–2 Japan in Dallas. While it was a tie on the pitch, their consumer spending pictures are very different.

Japan's consumers spend $2.83T a year (PPP), more than five times the Netherlands' $503B, powered by 117M consumers against 17.5M.
But per capita, the Netherlands spends $28,565 per person vs Japan's $23,209.

See how every World Cup matchup stacks up on consumer spending → https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wb9890

Japan is also one of the world's oldest major economies, and how aging consumers spend over the next decade is one of the biggest questions in global demand. Learn more this Thursday at our Webinar, Spending Longer and Living More: Why Aging Consumers Will Shape Global Spending Through 2035 → https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wb8ZT0

Speaker spotlight 🎙️

Pedro Ros, Founder of https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w83zf0, joins us for "Spending Longer and Living More."

With international experience in market intelligence — including roles as Global CEO of TNS (Kantar, WPP) and CEO of Wilmington plc — Pedro founded https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w83zf0 to define, size, and analyze one of today's most significant yet misunderstood economic opportunities. His work helps businesses, investors, and policymakers seize the opportunities created by aging populations.

How will aging consumers shape global spending through 2036? Join us to find out.

📅 June 18

🔗 Register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w82rJ0

Rachel Bonsignore, Vice President, Consumer Life at NielsenIQ, joins us for "Spending Longer and Living More."

With two decades of experience across CPG, retail, tech, food & beverage, media, and apparel, Rachel helps leading brands uncover actionable insights and fresh opportunities to stay ahead of market disruptions. She specializes in cultural insights and predictive trends, and the forces shaping the mass marketplace of the future.

How will aging consumers shape global spending through 2036? Join us to find out.

📅 June 18

🔗 Register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w82wj0

Speaker spotlight 🎙️

Sherry Frey, Vice President, Total Wellness at NielsenIQ, joins us for "Spending Longer and Living More."

With decades of experience across the fresh, CPG, and wellness industries, Sherry helps brands navigate evolving consumer behavior, combining forward-thinking insights with practical strategy. Her view of wellness reaches beyond personal health to the connected health of people, communities, and the planet.

How will aging consumers shape global spending through 2036? Join us to find out.

📅 June 18 🔗 Register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w82vY0

In the US, adults aged 60+ accounted for 30% of consumer spending in 2026. On current trajectories, they will overtake the under-35s in spending share within seven years.

Across countries, in younger economies such as India, under-35s account for the majority of spending. In mature markets, the US, Germany, and the UK, older consumers already carry the larger share.

Join us on 18 June with NIQ and the Silver Economy to unpack what an aging world means for global spending → https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w4Jc80

The 60+ consumer is the most powerful spender on the planet.

In the US alone, consumers aged 60+ spend $81K per capita annually. That's 59% more than the under-35 cohort.

On June 18, World Data Lab, NIQ, and Silver Economy are bringing together the data, the intelligence, and the market expertise to show where this growth is concentrating.

🔗 Register here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0w2rCZ0